T H E NA n ON FRJDA Y, MARCil 16, 2012
AGRO-BUSINESS
Fadama III regis ters groups
Expert predicts rise in food stock CONSULTANT to AfnGll\ Development Oank AIDB). Prof Dlyl DanmoLJ. has predtctlKi I me III food Itock beca~ of filvourable ramf.. 11 1l\,e stock,. he wld.would me III the next few mon~ when the rams stut Oilramola told Tkt NlitlOn that the government', efforts to booiot agni:ulture would lead to good harvest lie silid the government II makins effortl to boost cultlyalKln of major oops ,uch as millU. nee, mnlet. iOrghum. potiltoes The massI .... e Nrvelt 01 Ihese produce expecled in the coming months will bong dOWll their pJlces and m.ke them .fford.ble. Daramoll added Ilis fear, however. WJlS tNt the proposed tnCTeJlSe in energy !JIx ilnd mcrened transporfiltlon C06IJ will have ~ .. h\·e ImpKt on the Riltkwtl foOd production efforts Commenting further on the luue. D.ar.mol. said trlnsportllion II key issue In successful food production man.agement. He explllined thilt where the cost transport is lugh mrt.llon will go up . Th!.s, Dar.amol. wid. will rontnbule to higher food prices Dlumol.a ildded Ihill higher energy pricel will erode Ihe
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et.nlel Es ..... 4 9 , 11: Corr •• pond."1
purchulllg power of households Ind undermme gllns from the agricultur.al Iransform.tion .agenda On the whole, he s~lId the m051 comprehenSIVe way to deal With high food prices. hunger and poverty is to IllYHI III Igriculture Ind rllse food I?roductlOR. Meanwhile, high cost of feeds. ruing m.ar1.e1 laxllion r.tH by kx.J1 luthonhes .re affl!ClIng IN poultry Industry A slltrufic&nl nse III aruma.1 feed Ingreaient prices. pilrtlcullrly corn and lOy has pushed the poull ry anduslry to cIIi on the go .... ernment to declJire • st.. le of emerR,ency In the country 's .agncult~ ledor EscaLabng fuel priet'S have .also had I negiltlve tmpact lince farmen are spending more on chick wJlfmmg and ha tchery . According to slate Chan"",n of Ihe Poulfry ASIOCI.rion of Nigeri.a. <>gun Stllte Q\lprer • Dr Femi F.aniyl, diesel hu gone up 2S per Cftlt. groundnut ake 40 per ceru.soybean 55 peT ct'I1l Ind maize 36 per cent...It IS Impomnl tNt food maut be made aviodab1e cheilply." wid Flntyl. " But the biggHI challenge we .are NYing islhll pnc.... of feed m.tenll5
_Oa.a .. o la U'I."p goang up and thus .ffectmg the price of egg "The prlCH 01
egg5 Ind poultry .are n5ing to combar C05U. bur. Icconhns 10 the mdustry willchen. tlw pnce5 are growlOg be.yond con5umen' abllilies to pAy He l.tid fortune!i were filII waning. The pnce of corn and olher staple crops hu illm051 doubled o ver the Pols t yur. resulting In .n increase In Ihe cost of aruma.1 feN As feed 15 responsible for the majority of costs Involved In pouhry, the lise hu hold I .. gnifleilnl effect on commercial pG\i:ltry fannen. Poultry f,umen Mid they Ire IoslOg money. and could to qUlr the bUsmeM If they do not get a better price from the markeCFarmers wy the Sltualion il worse.when food inflltion eroded their profits
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Farmer calls for law on agric lo Odr-lrele in Ireif' Local Gov.. mment Aru 01 Ondo State. Dud Adeyeau Alunde, has Clll1ed on the Nauon.&) and State HOWft of ug05 Asliemblies 10 01 enact legWilUon that wUI bo05t olgncuiture 10 the country AlU"lde lOud m Ode-Ime that the .Lttion IhouJd al50 ~ the pbghb of fannen and enhMw:r blotter piri, ,rOlanol!'. ~el(iIr" and Impro\'e lhell status. "The f.artne". who ta the Co-on!.tnltor 01 A~o)'e FiIffIlII"ni AS5OCIoiItKln m the sule. loiIId such .aleglSlalion ,,"ould 1«,nI thftn the O('porturuty to perlonn beller And Improve the ('('OnOmy ,. 50. let our If'gislalon corrte up With I.lwa that wall ~ve wlY for ~ fu.,d oalloaUOfl oINt opporturubel tNt wall ooliUlte our growth and improved produc:tIOR " He noTed that flnncrJ m the country had nut been ~ thar nghl fuI poilIlClnl. J'ft."OglUtlOn and rl"5pf!Cl by the poernments .t the ~ 'lilies and loc:aI government ~eIS. " It is unli.i-Iunate that filf1J\ft$ in tlus country hlYe not been gettlOg !heir righl ba~I" And alloc;tuOI\$ U being Prc5eRt«i by the gOVetTUnCnl. "OUr Sovernments' UOCAnnS .attdudes to Igncuhura/ practice Nve no! been help~ us to develop lib other RIItions in filmunS ilnd it is tugh tune we .all d\.lngtd our aIUlude." He obIe!ved thaI ItmOtit all ~ RilleS w~ 5lwrt funding tht agriCultural leCtor. oiIddmg thai 5OfT\e J~en.n ihould ~ "'nctKJri«! by the Ipproo pn.ate government .gl"llClt'S. -rht F..ronomk .aNt FinancuJ CnI1lo'$ CommlJalOn 5houJd ulYesltpte this alJeK.aTIORI and ~te emng govemn·.ent offio.Jls that Ire foUnd gUilty 07 .appropnatlng funds Illocated to IJlIcuiture in pilrhcuLa,"he
A FARMER
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Alonde. who .. the &uoru" of Ode-lrele. howf'vet, noted that lhe Ondo Government wu milln!!; I poIildve Impact m tho.. Ines of filnrIoeB and the agriculture 5ectOr wllh Uw esUlbl~t 01 'l.fIn settlements.
Farmers cultivate 1,700 hectares MORE thin 1. 100 hectares Ire beang cuhlII%ted by lumen al the ibiil lmgation facility in K.1SlnI. Stilte. tt,.. I'roted "Manager. Alhall { Vldil Y.al:ubu. lwi uid YaLubu IiIld in Jib ... thiat eftorts were on 10 cover.aU the 3, 500 hect.an.'5.' the 'Ite by o...1lber. when work on the inst.al1.ation of new filClht ..... was completN He. however. Wid thai lhe ans!JIllatlon had cut Ihe number of fann · en mgaged II the site from '. 200 filrmers d unng the 1ut arriS.a,1On IeoiIson 10 leu thAn 2.000 folrmen lo the curro",t .RUOn. "The manitger.also attnbutlKi the reduction III the number of pa.rtKJ· pIIlang farmen to epileptic power supply and .high cost of dlew:1. which bmlti!d the opacity to pump needed Wiltet" 10 ..11 the Cilnals He Slid tbal tM: pfO!<!Cl, eslilblished 20 y... .f 'i IgO, Nd Cleilted tab opportunities. reduCed the rail' of poverty . ",oog the rurJl dwelfers prevented NrJ,I·uroan dnll-on portablt> I, .ater supply, the man· ilger di5c1osed tha t the dam hiN:I more than ~1 million i:ub.c bien of w.ater that could provide dnnlwlg w.ater to Jib ... Ind netghbounng communities Y.kubu romm..-nded the fflteral. sUIte and local go ....emments for their support to the pn::lf«t Ind urged theln not to relenl. 50 as to boost fOO(l producbon. SOme of the f..nnen lO!en·-...wed commended the efforts of the federal .nd stilte go .... ernments in I1\IlOtilirung the Site, but IOUght foe exlension ~kes and supply oIll1lprovfd .eeds, chenUcali Ind fertiliser". They illM) urged the govemmmi to open up marlds for thetr prodUCIS to nunimlSe post hirvHl loses and to pm mutmally from that efforts.One of lhe hrmen. SamaIIJi Umar, calJ,ed for the edUCiition of flnnen on new fillnun,K method. and other reLaIIKi Issues to enable them match in Slep With modem methods and Slanduds
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. F.o,", Id~ lin ,h.. buk,' o.. ndl Slula.C""lnl Ma.a,.u r.h " .. un .... Nw ....o; rrojld OlftflOI lac" Wlllla ••; Ahlft.. ", s.,,,lo, SpedaJ A... b lan t on 1.... u ......1 10 Ih .. c.nmor. Oa;uftAhola. It.. ....lnln. !hot rompl" pia..
Kwara to build $150m agro-processing complex hu T;
KWiITiJI Sbte government II.~ I Memor&ndum of Underst .. nding (MoU) wtth the MOIII_ Group Umited (MGl) for the esloilblUhment of iI ~tonne Agro Processang Com· p:lex in Share in Ifelodun Locoll c.o-mment Area 01 the SQte.. The finn is to take advililtage 01 the state's huge ~mtW an cu. saV.l fannlOS: by addang value to CoiISAya derivatives. MGl Chltrm.n Mr Moses SWII. who signed on behalf of the comp.anr. aaid the complex would be buill lo lhI'l'e ptwes. He said an IS-month period h .. been eilrmarked (or the comp&etion of the 6rst phase 01 the pro,ect .t I COlt ol5lSOm.ilLion. He explJimed that the sute wu chosen lot the Proi«t bec.aU§e of
ItS tremendous JlChieYements in A~ lure and investments. ~king on lhe OC'CUUJI'I. the Rille Govenww. AlMji Abdulliltah Ahmed, sW the Agro Procestiang CompleJr. will dumge the slatus 01 Nigena u the lMgesa producrr of assaVA in thl!' world' Without ildded yalue "Our purpose is to move Ian· culture from the farnu 10 the In· dullries through well co· ordanilled commerciill .nd an· dusuy-bued agricultural prutices," Ahmed s.id He Added that the complvc WtU be I big booil (or the realisation o( the villues of the c.a.nava ref· OImJItlon .agenda of the ,loIll!' and
Federal R,ovemment5. According to Ahmed , Ihe choll:e of KwoilR for the .gro processang complvc wu apt u the IUlte produceJ 40 tonnes of c;u1iI~ per hecutre which would be ready made raw millen.1 for the complex. The governor added 1n.1 Ihe 'Ulle hid well-aHMdiRilled polio CIl!S III agnrulture wtudt InclUded the ~611Shmen1 of agncuJtu~1 hubs m parts 01 the State WIth spe011 focus on c;e:rtun filnn products. Ahmed. who decnbed .gncul. ture as the future 01 Niger'~ wKi Kw.ara State, through YilOOu:o poIi. oes and partnership With the pn. VAte S«"toe. w.u emerging AS the change Igenl .... agncult\lial practice III the country
Fed Govt invests in aqua-culture THE Federal Govemmenl hu fonnuLated pohoes and progrolmmes to gu.trJ,nlee profit.able investmftlt III _qua-<L.lture Ind boOt;l agn· culfural sector In the country. The Otrec1Or of I ashenes, FlKieral Ml"" istry of Agriculture and Run" Deyelopment Mr Frednd, Adeyenu. disclosed thiS .at • workshop 10 Enu8;u. Ade,.eml, who descnbed ilqUil-<ulture as the best w.ay Of prodllOng fuh III sufficient quantity. a!l.Sured potenlial lO .... estOI1l tNt With the new policy. they would produ~ mouR,h fISh to meet the loe.1 dem .....d Ife! .dded tluit the policies would trilnsfonn the nalion 1010 the stltUI of the lolrgest exporter of fish In West Afnc:a.. Fie exlr lJimed that the nl.llon'l contlnuow. d " pend~ on ImpcM' !alton 0 fish WoilS not susl.inable becliWoe fOlYlgn exclYnge wu becominS 1CiIf« d.tlly.Accordang to hun. under the Ignculfure transformauon .agendil of the government, roruooUlo effort .. bang r;n.ade to ensure that aqUil-<ulture 15 SUS!JIined for Ntlteriol 10 oiIdUeVe fuffioency III fish producuon. 1be tugel is for nery local eroducrion 10 be able! 10 reiiCh 250.000 IJlogrammes of fISh Innually