THE GUARDIAN, Sunday, December 4,201!
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BUSINESSAGRO
Govt Agric Enterprise Changes Tactics In Imo, Dreams Food Security By Qlukayode Oyeleye
NE of the states that seem to be keen on revitalising old projects and injecting ne.v lives into them is Imo. Through the state's intervention in agriculture, demonstrated in Agronova, some old, non-functional agricultural projects have started coming back to live, but -this time with a new approach. And, within a year of turn-around, Agronova seems to be showing signs of life. The chief executive of Agronova, Prince Victor Mbalewe. informed The Guardian that, "one reason most government projects don't work is interference or bureaucracy,"But, his expressions showed that things are different this time as he disclosed that "we have been able to get the project running" as "the owners of Agronova made necessary resources available to u5 and gave us free hand to deliver on our mandate. Agronova, he said, was incorporated in 2009 and he commenced work as pioneer CEO in March 1,2010. "The centres were agricultural projects that government started but could not be l u n successfully for various reasons." According to Mbalewe, "I saw fresh opportunities in some governmentowned projects that have been there and proposed a lease arrangement on those projects. Thai is why we took over the development of Songhai project in Nekede, the ultra-modern hatchery in Uguta and Umuna commercial fish farms. Today, all the three projects a re revitalised, running at almost full capacity." He vouched, however,, that "they have equipped us sufficiently to succeed." At
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Agronova. "we pay ourselves. We meet our overheads from the proceeds of our business activities, unlike most government projects that gel subventions and aids," he' said. "The original concept of Agronova," he added, "is to acquire 521 hectares of land and do our own cultivation under irrigation foryear-round production." Among the projects Mbalewe had to showcase are poultry (broilers and layers), pine apple, plantains, banana, orange, guava, garden eggs, fluted pumpkins and pawpaw in a mint-orchard. He talked of plans for expansion, explaining that "we have fish and table eggs. We have the capacity to control a reasonable market share of poultry and fisli in the state. We have got an approval to start our own feed mill. That will give us impetus to expand." He talked glowingly of some categories of manpower just as ne complained about some others. "Presently, we employ 17 students on industrial attachment and we rotate them round different enterprises. Most of them are students of agriculture. We give them opportunities to have handon experience on commercial agriculture. They are trainable; they have good education and passion. It is something you can build on. However, Mbalewe noted on full-time workers that "limited supply of skilled manpower is one of the major constraints we have in commercial agriculture in Imo State. Most people have not worked in successful large scale farms. We are gradually hiring qualified people that can help our programmes. Agronova conducts monthly trainings for farmers in Imo and we let our
Mbalewe
Pawpaw trees bearing fruits a! the mini-orchard of Agronova in Nekede.
PHOTOS: OLUKAVODE OYELEYE
staff benefit from it" He did not restrict employment of staff to indigenes of Imo State. "In Agronova," he told The Guardian, "we have people who are not citizens of Imo State. We need competent people to make a success of the programme. He stated that Agronova's "primary mandate is to accelerate agriculture from peasantry to commercial value-added status in Imo State. Part of what we do is to produce fingerlings and juveniles. We train the farmers and prepare business plans for them. We offer to ouy back fish produced and smoke them with small charge. To help those who don't have capacity to add values to concentrate on production while we take responsibility for post-harvest processing." On Agronova's core areas of interest, Mbalewe stressed that "we are not all about production. Our main focus is on value addition. We intend to show farmers, by our activities, the enormous opportunities in agriculture. In future, we will build brands. We believe we can help farmers add value." He explained this way: "With our newly installed fish processing facilities, our efficiency will go up. We can begin to smoke fish from four months. We have banana and plantain in Nekede. Although hectarage is
still small, we are expanding. By 2012, we should be able to do at least 10 hectares of plantains. So, we will be able to supply plantain flour to meet the demand of diabetics, of which there is a high population. We have good varieties and we want to supply Imo farmers with their suckers." Going further, he noted that, "in Umuna, we have over 6O,000 kg of fish in five months. In the first cycle, we stocked 95,000 and we made a success of it. Now, we are going into the second cycle. In Oguta hatchery, we have capacity for 60,000 kg table size fish. We can make 20,000 juveniles on monthly basis. Now we are 60 per cent successful.' Agronova, be observed, still grapples with problem of land as "the process of land acquisition has been slow even though we have identified places. "Toovercome part of this challenge, ne said the company wants "to use nucleus estate initiative and get outgrowers. A n u m b e r of companies are already showing interest in partnering with us. We believe if we position ourselves, with huge processing capacities, there will be a guarantee of year-round production of agriculture in Imo and will help to achieve sustainable food security.
Ekiti Farmers Use Water Melon To Replace Hemp Farming By lunde Akingbade T * jnVTERMelon Farmer's lA/Association, Ekiti
V V State (WAMEFA) based in Ise Ekiti 15 embarking on a working relationship with the government of state to carry out series of farmers' festivals in the state soon to sensitise the people on the nutritional and cash potentials of water melon. The programme might also help find a way ol dissuading the farmers from cultivating illegal and dangerous can nab is, known as Indian Hemp. Chief Olatunji Falana,a former consultant to African Development Bank and now director-general for |ob Creation and Employment in Ekiti State, disclosed this
recently in Ado-Ekiti, adding that watermelon is a fresti fruit that contains many hidden nutrients. Falana, who is also the Chairman of WAMEFA, said that the water melon association was formed in Ekiti State to sensitise the people on the great health benefit of the fruit which is low in calories, thirst-quenching and nutritious. Falana said that the primary objective of the water melon association was to support the state and federal government in creating jobs for the teeming jobless youths, through seminars and practical farming. He stressed the need to educate Nigerians and the people of Ekiti in particular on the
cash and nutritional benefits of the crop as well as the social dimension which involves drawing farmers away from cannabis cultivation. Falana thanked Dr. Adio Folayan, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, for supporting
the association and farmers' accessibility to him. He said Ise Ekiti was chosen for the project because of its agroecology which gives it a comparative advantage over other areas of the state. He said "no investments on watermelon should be considered too much when
viewed against the social consequences of using tbe vast areas of land (especially at Ise) for the cultivation of cannabis. It is the quickest means of making money," and "our youths can be turned into millionaires within one year." He called on the state gov-
ernment to assist the association with boreholes, hybrid seeds, tractors, herbicides and insecticides because water melon needs intensive care during the three months of cultivation, noting that this will make farmers to plant throughout the year.
Yobe Sells Fertiliser To Farmers On Subsidy the 17 council areas, where Yobe and Kumadugu rivers and N THE Yobe state irrigation projects, under Fadama III their tributaries flowed through. The commissioner added that the state government, has World Bank assisted irrigation project., 23.1 metric tons (4, 630 bags) of fertilisers have been distributed to also procured insecticides and pesticides and to be distributed to farmers this year. He said desertification being farmers at subsidised rate of 33 per cent or Ml, 900 a ba^. Distributing the fertilisers on Friday at the August 27tn experienced in the 10 council areas of Yobe state has stadium, Damaturu, the commissioner of agriculture, Idi spread and extended to Chad Basin Areas, urging farmers Barda Gubana, warned that no farmer should divert the do reciprocate government's efforts by being more productive to achieve national food security and improved farm input for profit making. He said the distribution of fertilisers has covered 15 out of farmers' income. From Njadvara 1,'usa, Qamaturu
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