Can mechanised farmi ......... work in FCT? Enhance:ment Scheme. BesKles, lIlere Is also plan for an e -W'Sllet system which was targeted at ensuring Ulat Ule subsidies on fertiliser and Impro~ seeds gel 10 the ngllt ranners In the arca and It ls scheduled to begin nat month_ In effecting the Implementation or all U1CSC. FCT admlnlstrallon said It was confidelll that the cr· (orts have the capacity to tran!'lform the agricul tura l sector and boost food production In the lem·
tory.
Government- led Community Cooperallve Tractor Instalmental Purchase Scheme. O( course. the package Include 80 Ho lland lradoMl whJeh were pro cured and dlslrlbuted In conjuncUon with the private SeC10f" at subsidised rates . The UlIctora ~re dlstr1buted by SCOA ~C at a unit cost of N7 millton a n d wen= aubsldlsed by nny perce:nl by fCT Administration The tl1lletOMl. according to t h e ehalnnan, SCOA Nigerian Pic , lIenry Agbama. ill a product of Exquisite European Engineering T«hnoklgy which I!'I a comblnatlim of nal or haJy 8J1d ford of t h e UK and wry (amlllar 10 N~rla farmers They were billed to be glyen to the farmers through the Area Coun dIs Chalnnf'"n and Farmers Cooperatlye Society The dlstrtbuUon of the 80 tractors wu only Ole nrst phase of the programme as additional 10 were being expected Aparl from the tractors. tllere were also othef" Accompanying Implemcn15 which were being dtstr1buled 10 J.-cT fanners' coopenlilve groups_ Additionally, II was learnt thai 14. 800 melrlc tons of assorted rertiliser has been procured for distribution to farmers in Abuja under the GrowUl
Christian O keke, In this reports, hlghllghts the need Cur modern farming to be adopted In t he Federal CllpitaJ Ter ritory (FCT) and the steps taken b y the a dminis t ration to encourage it.
Lau n ching t h e subsidised traclors at Gwagwalada. the Minister of Slate for FeT. Mra OlaJu moke AklnJlde. whose office supervises agrl eultun= and rural developmenl said the prngr.mme wu In line WIth the present admlnl.$lntion's car· dinal trarnlfonnaUo n agenda In boosung food production and sU!'ltalnlng agncl.Illuml developmenL The minister stated that agrlcullure. being the largesl employer oflabour. should be made the bed rock of economic development o( the nation while disclosing thai fCT Admlnlstrallon has already put In place. sc:hemes to enhance farmers Input In Ule tenllory She ob5c.rved thai food sec urity was or priority to Ule preac:nl admlnlstnUon nol only In booetlng rood production but aJ!'IO In enabling the country to reed the rC!lI of Mtiea and beyond She said. Ihe buslneM o( agncliiture has been left mosUy In the hands of peuant and small scale farmers While their eITorts may ha~ largely mel the bastc food needs of the nalton. Nigeria Is yet to rully lap abundant potentials In agriculture for wealth creation and economic: development "In reeognlUOn o( this fact . here In yer. we are determined to ensur e thai our farmers embl1llcc modem (arming and form formidable cooperative groupa nils will aITord them the chance to (ully take advantage or the va.r1ous Fedel1lll Govemment programmcs aimed at boosUng the economic baK of our rarmers "It ls our convicUon that agriculture. like so many olher faceta o( our economy. should be pr1vate-.seclOT driven with government making sullable policies and providing an enabling environmenl for pr1vate cnlerpr1sc8 to Ihrlve "FeT ls already partlc.lpattng In Ule new Imnsformation .geuda oCMr President . 2012 larmlngKa. son marks effective take-off or the new agricultural transrormaUon agenda ~o empower fanners In feT for greater produc· tlvily. weallh and job creation. we have commenc ed the Implementation or the GroWUI Enhanc("ment Scheme of the fcdeml MiniS!!"), of Agr1c1llture and Rural Developmenl Currently . under this programme. Ule fCTA has concluded the ((:glstra lion and validation o( fanners' data 01 wanl to a.5!'1ure our rarm("rs Olal FCTA 15 com milled to the tmplementallon of all InIU.Uvea and programmes In Ihe Agneuitural Transformation Agenda, starting (rom the 2012 (arming .season
T was a ~ 'ar back as 2008 lhat lh~ federal C.pl ~ . tal Tcn ltllT)' 1FCT1 Director In charge of Agricullura ' J)cvclopmcnt Project IADPI. Dr Mike Uwattk Wfl1l quoted 85 having sakit.ha! fanners In AbuJa .vcr~. lOf1lng about Nlblilion annually over thdr ~run.J to adopt wash -bore technology In dry scnon far n ng. lie saki then thai the amount was minimum ~tlmated gains or (anncn! who embraced Irrtgall~' n ISing the l«hnolO(l,Y The cUre Cl o r, who wamed that the tcrrttory must opt for m. chanlscd ramllng system to bt: able to r~ nol JII51 the city but the nation a' large . 18 mCllled th II Ihe' fanncrlI had shied away from IITI galton 'vh tch could hdp to austaln Incrc~ produMJon Ihn:ughoul lhe year FCT M n .ster. Senator Dala Mohammed an nouncc:d Ih It heclar" of land "cre to bt: made available Iw agricultural dCVf!lopmCnl In the lcni10" TIle mlnitltcr subsequently announced that the admtnl!<ln lion had commen«<i the dl5trlbuUofl of N2 blll'on a~ son mn to fanners wlUlln Ihe lertl101')'_ 111:- .. ,I(llhe klan would help to Improve fann Iflg syt ' en In lhe area Olr.e1 _"1l~Jbo. AbuJa operations oItuWe In- ollief" matcr1als. powa-blocIn agr1Culturai IGERIA a n d India dU(ltf"Ie8.. emphasis on He, h o_evef". dl(l- acOvities In the conU O nlyre.e-'lly. AbujaX t ragalheredff"omlhe Se-c- N retnry. FCl· '.gm:ullural a ..d Rural Ik~lopment Secgrowth f"elarla l. ('hadl Madayl thal the secf"etarlate has have Ilgned a bllaland hygk:n~pro- pe!kd the: notJoo on cot- oent. hu ~ things plaM to cI~f" and develop 1000 hecta res or land In era.I agreemen t on cellll ing of eot to n lint ton contamlnation_ suy- in common With Indla in eat"h 01 til ' JIX area councils. She said land would n!suacllallon or cotton "'8S In top gur for com- tng. -the~ b-such the af"US or food and be all~'al ,-d to farmers ' coo~raUve socletlc-~ and uport and productJoo (or me rclal pf"oducUon of Is very mtnImaI due to Its cash crop!! producUon yo uths In f e T a s pan or the dellbc:f"IIte allempt to maximum uLU15allon In quality c;oUon. transformalh-e nature as Also commenting the Inc rease t I( number of land under cultivation In textile Industrlea beTyanl added t h at to the present governmenl I...eader" of Ule lndian CotAbuja tween lhe tMJ countries_ achleve this. boll) Gin- attac h ea value to Its ton Omdals dclcgaUon. S he eqllaUy dlaclosed thai the sttrelarlate was Addresalng a flve - n us and all categories growUl In the country.Of" (Mrs) Milan Sharma. In the rnror mnl of encouraging lhe growth oCaquac- member Indian Cotton or cOlton rarmers we're Speaking earlier. the Mid India found It more ulture lIlll llvuloc::k In Fer. In collaboration 'W1th Officlals led by Dr fMrsl given the oc:ceM8ry en· Indian High Commla · bene.Odal to eotef" tnlO the prl"at( sector Mrs Madayl a5Sured larmers that Milan Sharma. accompe. couragemenl such as sloner In Nigeria. Mr partnerahJp With the NIIhe admll18 traUon will continue 10 support lhelf" nled by t.t.e Indian Htgh mlcro ..credit and quality Mahesh Shanlu. . . Id geriangoyemmcnt due to effo rts Wl lh whal she dl"5Cnbed as Infrastruc lu're. CommIssioner to Ntgerta, seeds. to guarantee lhe delegation was In the high qualily cotton ~'"l ry Inputs as ~II 8!J othu asslStanCf' thai Mr Mahesh Shardev. In Umely cultivation and Abuja as a follow-up to grown In the countJy. as would " n' ure Ihe suslensnce of a<rlcultuJ"a1 de- his ornce. Minister of growth orlhe rtght prod- the last meeUng held In the coUon textlk: acetor velapm"n! II t he tenitory. State. Agriculture and Ru - uct in ~ WIth high 20 I I In Addis Ababa. In India rormed the largFrol11 I el revelations. it was glilrlng Ihal her ral Developmenl. Bukar yield ror both Nigerian Elillopla. so u to a«.k e&tchunk of"llS economy. serrel a rla r was rocuslng on mechanised fanning 11Jan!. described the YeP" farmers and mark e~rs _ys ofensurfug partnerShe also announced Accfordl ll! tf) her. lhe "Inc 5ec:retarlale has the t I in the work1. ship on the C4-Pact au that sa a lOUow-up m a nda te '0 develop and dlssemlnale technology un: as an BYCnue or prolhfou<h a n vitaUsed research. effic ient Inpu15 sup moUng agricultural actfYlThe minister also COllon Transformation eomc!!lded. Atitcan (DlIJ1(lly and el ' e ~Uve aten!'llo n KrvlttS She described ties between the two opined that despite lhe belW"ttll Ntgerta and In- tnes. a TechniCal AsslsaC"hlen ml 111 of Ule aet mandate 8iI breaking the CommonweAlth nations cllm.aUc candlOon. of dia. courtesy or the AU· tance Prognlmme(C -4 Jlln 0( ''''''''I(onnlng tht" Agriculture sector lie atnssc:d that In as Nlgef"la aa a coastal. Indian Comml5alona_ TAPl,ha5beenpt:paredilr It 15 If' line wllh thai the YCT administration . much as dons were be- aaheUan and aeml-and Shante. dlscloaed ~t d the COlton r ecently . launched the Subsldlaed Tractora for Ing lntensiIk:d by the NI- Of" .a •• nnah zone. that gl.en lhe c;ommlt- aector and Nigeria Is farmtTS. I .nlpo1Vennenl a nd officially kicked off lhe gertan government as part Nlgerla'a cotton IS aUn menl of india to trans- amongst the target na .. 2012 larnlng seuon The occasion . according to or the TranS(Of"maUon adjudged the best to pro- rormlug coUon as a fOf".. dons. whAch COlton Indua-th(" admtl 1",lratlon_ was a milestone In Ule d~l - Programme of President duclng quality rabrlcs, etgn exchange eommod- lTIca need to be re5U5d. opment 0 lI~rlcullun= In FeT. It was part : o~r~th:::eJJona==Uw=:L:..:to:..:':w:l~y~"",::::"",:::_g:._~ ~._,~a::.:U~I~e.::...:.=D=d:....~I~ly:.::...:N=lg:e:'=I:.:.~.::...:"':g:::lo=n=.=I_~ta=
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India, Nigeria agree on resuscitation of cotton production
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