~______________________________________________I) __ Al_LL __Y_T __R_U_S_T ___T_u_eS_da_y_. M_a_y _2'_. 2_0_'2___
AGRICULTURE ........
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F(j injects N60b into agric
·To reduce agric lending rate Sectorllllvestmcnt Workshop on Gt:nc Bank
8, Till A. HISWft MINISTE t of Agricultu~ md Runt! lkvdopmml. Cr. Akinwumi Arlesina, has said thaI
guvcm menl would be Injecting over N60 billkm Into the nrJ.ioo5 agficullurc sector to support tht SUNtilLilion of ..o percent ofbfesd wheal
flour 'PIlth :asAW flour programme. Aooml said that tm new fundtng w;u pm of dTorts I ,divnsify the tcOnomy and ~uce ovndtpendtna on oU as wellu ·revarnp the agrlcultunJ 5«(Or. enlure food security, diversify dLI:' eco nomy and enhanu fordgn uchangc w tamings. The: pm pmme is elptClleIf 10 grnn1Itt (JIIef NJOO bUIi( n ~tioNlllncom($ in lhe hands of Nlgttian rmrn.. Speaklng .. t Ult just condud«l 0-8 Priwte
r.
Ikvdopmcnt and Managcmmllnd Investment m Fertilizer Production 11\ Abu]&. the Minister Aid Nigeria hu C'mbarked on • trvl5formaLton agenda th ..t fOCUKdon IhC'd~lof agrlcuhural valut chains, including pr0vi5ion and affilabUity ofimproffli inpuu.lncreased prodOOMty. as well as the establishment of staple
crop processing ZOIlCS.. "Ova N60 billion is being in;«ted into th~ «onomy from Government 1m; alto ~d .dequal~ all~ntion to J«d and fertilher distribulion and marUting not only in th~ proviSion oflnfn,structunl facilities such as mads. Wilta supply,· h~ added Adt$Ina ~ that govunme-nt would cxJ»nd KCC'$S to financ~ to rura1 farme-n by reducing Igric int"at rate to 7 ~enl. ·In ert~nding financial Incentives through
19ro-dulers. ~~ are rroviding them with bank facllitics at the" reduced int~ rate of seven pC'Kenl and 70 pC'Kent guanmtC'C' on the loan pnnci~1 unMr the new policy,· He "id the' gesture were aimed at usisling the agricultul'lll inl'\l1 supply companits and apand tlltir market network up to the wardJ villagt' levels 10 filable farmers accC'SJ the feni · Ilu:n and ICC'ds allhcir door steps. He caJled for $trollg public and privlllte sec· tor pannC'fShipwithin tilt D·8countrics which include Bangladesh, ERrP'. IndonesIa, Iran, Malaysia. Nigeria, Pakistan, and TufU}'. Ptrmanent Secretary, Fc-dt'nl! Ministry of Fordg" Affai.rs. Ambassador Martm Uhomoi· bhl. urged (Of Impl"lMd mC'thods of practicing agriculture such as has mecharuud Carming and better rc:soean:h for improve yidds and food security.
Australian firm to explore minerals in Oyo from Veni Bfm ~ Ibadaft (J'{O&akI:;c...'tmrnenl hUSlgMd
Tht rdmonship woukI ~50 involvt' the pmducdon offruit juice.
dcvdopmcnt of farm settJements
a Memor.mdum o(~
KJ05Sthc:st.te.l$~ as ~
(MoUl with an Australbn Consor· tium fortht c.tpIontioo cL mincr..l raouras ir\lhe Illk.
tnininglOrstudcnts in tertiary instj.
~AbioIaAjimoblaa:om
pan}' b)' other top government om· dais s.iiJncd tin bchalf of the bte' pwamnent. Dr. Dapsy 0Iat0na sip:don bd\aIfofMM&E Austral· ian Coovany.
Iutioou. SpcaIr.ingafl.ersignlng the MOU Ajlmobl said thai with the sign. ing. the: \'1lrious minC'ral fC'SOUlU:5 which abound In the state woWd
'" fun, ......... ""
m. ,..,..m
and~cLOyoSUte.liC' told Ihr iDWSUJn 10 fashion out a
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to enhance the aplomjon of the """""'Gov. Ajimobi. who described the signing cL the ""k;)U as a right .step in tIw: fishl dir«oon. CIJnUnC'nded the iDYC'!!lrn lOr their inlCl'eSl in the arns of agriculture and mining. In which he said the stale hadaxnpara·
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arlkr in his renwit. tbr: SpeoaI Adviser 10 the Governor" on SoUd ........ lIon. MathnoOyalolrun. hid said thai. the ami cLintcJ"est of the imaton cnended to the pm-
ductioo oHrun juia.devropmellt
cLfarm seltlements, as well as voca Ilona! trainillg. liC'SiIid thal thecoingof the inva IOr$ ~-ed recenl visit by Ajimobi'stoAustrUa. The Head of MM&E Coosof· liurn.Dr. DapsyOblona.hadcarller"
expres.wd hiscornpanyiwillingneu 10 include education and vocational training in itstmlS ~interest..deI ins that IDs compa"f' would abo ....... modm> tedmoIogy to productioo r:Lfrull juice.
m.
lliE UnitaJ N..lioru Devr:lopment Programme (llNDP) said In its annual AJ'iica Hwnan DeveI· opment RqxJ:t thai. whlltdrooghtand aop f.tiJI1I"C' often [rip- food c:ri5n in Afnca, the actual tazsaoffood Ill!CCUI'itygocs much deeper.
yeseenky in Abuja.11ut radbnlllJdi II$klw agri. rultUfl\l. pmductMty, which C\I.I1llih the avail-
ability of rood. leading to trade imbWnces and a rdianuon Imports and humanttuian aid and persistent. wide-spread. and atrftne poverty
From Hlr Jo~h. ~fi .. NASARAWA Slate government and Olam Nigt'ria Umiled have concluded arrangement 10 lign an MOU on • USS9Q million rice fann investment In Rukubl· ODdorie area of Doma Local Government Area o(the stile. Olam managemenl led by Rcgl George, hC"ld ofthe project. met. last wttk with G(wc:rnor Umaro Tanko AI- Makura, and laler, with a team led by the Itlle Commissioner for Agnculture, Ahmed 11jjanl Usman. In Wa, and di.scu~d modalities Ihal would lod to the signing of an MOU between the state and the Invtstors. The commi$$iOller lold Daily Trust on phone:, yesterday that the meelings between theState and Olam were 5UCCeJIfuI, explaining thai ·we met and had frUItful discussions.-Ile said the 119m 5C'1C'Clcd by the !OVC'r· nor 10 WI'llP up modalillC'5 for the expected MOU. had alreatl y lubmitted lu repofllo AI -Makura. for onwnd dlreclives. He added thai the leam would bC' visiting the farm this week, to ascertllin the level ofpreparcdneu by the company George. liead of lhe project., told DallyTrustthecompany was O'o-erwhelmed witb the reception of the govemmmt OVC'r the- inV'f:Sl· melli, and .dded ,owe arc' only waitin~ for the lca.m 10 vblt and sec what work ha~ so f~rbl'mgcar. rled out allhe site ofthe pr vJect.· The In\ \ ",\1 by lile ~inga. pore basftI mVQ,t)f in oIgncul ture had alrca.dy allr.llCled a pledge of mol'll! and tnstitution~1 ~upport from the Gov~nor Olam has already cf'llun enlcd work on a 590 million inV'f:Slment pmJ«led 10 be Africa's largC<oI ric..: fum covenng 10,000 hectnnof fully Irrigated and precision lev· eled commercial farm . Head (If the: prOJect. Mr, Regi George had "Jd that work has commenced on the project with the ongOing work entailing land precis.ion leveling, construction oflrnga.lion canal5. mads and dT1linage:s. an ainlrip." well as a secondary school for the community. ,oWe are also going 10 put up a rice mill there:~ GWfgt: had said. Rukubl· On<ioric. a Farming community. has a large C'lI"panst of fadama running beside the Beoue River in the southern zone of th~slate.
UNDP report lists causes of food scarcity in Africa 1bc: UN agcocy said in its 2012 rqxm endtkd: Towards a Food 5ecurC' Future- launched
Nasarawa to sign pact with Olam on rice farming
which makes getting alOUgh rood unatJordab&e and markets inaccessible roc pcxw- people. The report abo said almOli. half the population in Sllb-Saharan Afrla conUnues 10 live' 00
unda US$ ,.25 P" <by; "'" Ut1l< poUq ""'"
on the' Imporunct: of nutrition, whkh cnabks ~"ide-$PfUd and chronk m.alnutrition topcrsbt.
Dally Trwt visi ted the farm. recmtly. and observed thai the 18m-based finn has started work on the fint ph&SC'.offann. 11 has. as part of lIS social J'C'.Spon$ibillty. constructed II secondary school in Rukubl, one of tho: communilies adjoining the fann, with plans for a dink also IUd' advanced stage.