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THE NATION FRJDAY. APRIL 20, 20U
AGRO-BUSINESS
NRI's 4.7m euro project to boost food security in Africa
Scaling the hurdles in agribusiness
A
N agric expert Dr UtianJ Ugbe, hH saJd the itgrlbtisinf!!.!! indwltry needS to overco~~t r h"IUenges to
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Research into OM' (RlU), 5ilid fanners have to be sdl-l.uf~t and helve th;e aJ:tilltv ~ adApt to changes 10 survive In 1M, indus1ry He said the ~emment needs to aealr and maanwn conditions tNt fAvour investment in ilg:ri-busine55 .nd .gm-allied Indu;trif!5 for the M"Clor to experience meaningful growth, adding !hilt vallie chain dial~ ~ arid f;umers ~ W';!IfII 0 get products
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diffICUlt 10 -=hieve set targets without Itrengthming linkages Acror;,s the Hesaid_IlI~.nd~ted
industries develop, they inevitably impact on trAditiom.l (Arming .rut marketing systems. He noted tNl it is ~ 10 illCfl!Me Agricultural productivity And modernise agri-fOod c:harruI to allow efficient ~uctioo. and suJPly of foodstuffs 10 the growing urban dweUer1 The Ode! Executive, Agricu.Itur.ll
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Ekundayo, said agri-busmesses have Given the I'.xishng challengea many dWlmges, including Irl of g1d>ally, he said the ~utry is not _ functionAl lnm5portation~1T\5 WlI!II pl~ to kveragebfr thfo future
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between fwdeB and Agricultural 0pportunities.
MALL farmers are the focus ofa new and innovative ECfunded 4.1 million euro project entitled: Farm Risk Management for Africa (FARMAF), ilial will be testing exciting new financial instrummts to manage farmer risks. A CO/lSOrtiwno' AGRlNAlURAEEIG institutes, led by NRI, is imlementing the projecl with anners' organl.5.ations, including the Pan Altiu Farmers Forum (PAFFO). Erforts to increue agricultural productivity in Afria are often hampered 6y Inadequate public investmmt and rest:riCred Ittte55to fmahce. which make il difficult (orfann~ to take up available productivity-t!llhandng technologies. This lack of financial support can be altributed In pari to Ole high rub 10 which smallholder filrmera ilre ellposed , including droughts, noOdl, pests and volatile markets. The objective of Ihe FaRMAI
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He said the development of agribusiness and agm-industrles will requin' ASUbstaritiaJ infusion of fixed investment and working Cilpital. calling o n Ihe government to IW;:ililil,te increIued investmen~ m the agn-bu.sin1's5 and agro-induslries'
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10 enable them manage these risks. By doing 50, hirmer!l will be able 10 levenge finance, procure • nd use produclivity-enflanclng ineuls ano adoet markeling strategies whlch WIll assure HiI'm or ~tler relunu Output and productivity growth will become
more austalnllble, thereby &puring Improved food secunly and livelihOods of the rural poor in Africa. Special attention will be paid 10 women farmen, who are responsible for a ~e proportion ~~gnculhJraI p uction in AfThe pro;ect will be implemmted in three countries: Burkina Faso, Tanzanill and Zambia_ H owever, in the long-term il is expected that through resson-sharing.. over 285 million smallholder farmers across AfriCil will benefit. The FaRMAf project will promole IIchemes thai will enable farmers to manage pre and postharvest issuea, Includ i ng a weather-indelled Insura~ which will be linked to input credit, .s well as innovalive marketing systems auch as the watehou5l! receipt system, which in T.n:u.nill has Improved marketing and fi nance for agricultural commodities such as correl' and cashew FaRMA! will allO promote col lective marketing by smllllhoider fanner!l 50 they OlIn sell into markets that requITe luger vo lumH than they are able to produce ali individuals. Such groups can even s ell through agricultural commodity exchan,aes, wh ic h will b e promoted In some of the partia patIng countries
'Farmers should be part of strategy to combat drought' N expc;rt in crop SCIenel', Dr Danie l Gwary, has said armen need to be r,arl of the drought pre~tion pan. GWary, whO 15 Ollhe Departmml or Crop Protection, UniVersity of Maldugari, said a drought plan l.s a key part of the agr ic ultural policy. Drought hH cost thi!l country dearly through the 1055 of onfllrm jobs, 5li11hing ' l economic growth, and placi ng individuals. ramilies, bU!linesses,local communities in the north under enorm0U5Stress as fann production has plummeted He said local f&rmef'S are used to clim.tic variabllilr' addmg that getting their inpu into the plan would enl~ local adaptation. He said !he involvement of farmers is necessary from policy development to effective drought pre~rednes5 and contingmcy plannmg.
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·Lasos Stlll~ Dfputr CO'urnor, MIS "'d~lok~ O .... lo~Addull"; Co""nlulon~f for AlriCllllun, iIIId Co...., ... ' I ...... usos SIII~, Mr Gbolahlll Llwll); Olu o( AS.S., Obll Kamila Oy~d~11 Islb. llnd Ch..J S.sun EI.S ... hl llt Ih.
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Delta disburses Nl billion loan to Dr. co-operatives dian
ELTA State emor Emmanuel Ud has disbuned Nl i\Uon agr!culture lOAn to farm 'l:~ with a WMning to them not I fllvert the 10000tounproductivep ~oseS5Uch " .. ;_ ~g new WlV ill\d buy"'1: 1.-... Odualthan, who gay ~e duringihedi t ,{Federal Govunment and Ce II Bank' s Agriculture loans in tJ:I, saiddlverting the loan woul ~e fatal as it would be diffICUlt tfem I?> PilY al the pro;tcted . He, therefore, on bendicaries 10 iudicioUlly 51! the loan in increasing food p that the pur~5f' oJ 1 would nol be defeat He called on Delta 0 take to fanning ~ f producbon. saying "~eryon u.st rann SO that we can 6!ed OUI . Je5. If eYeryone farms,lwe wil ? able to feed ounetveswrhe im---'-I ". ___ .... - ' thing ••b--.~ ani 13tn\ll\g I.a that ~ ~ .. 1iI be able 10 feed ourRIVl'S. Thi.sMri il red~ hunger. 1lw!re will be kd uced angt'.f and violencr. Some . '" the crisi.s we are having iod.y "-'ill not ex:..... he said He observed tNt his pdmmistra. ld ' lion wou conlInllt' 10 eI.'ICOuTilge
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agricultural development prognmmes to build a state without oil, ltating that his administration hu empowered fanners ,L_"gh uuuu the Youth ~p?wennent through Agricul~ (YETA), fannen support progr.unme (PSP) and FADAMA m project. 1hegovemornoted thathls~emment Will encouraging agnculfure to improve on fOod production and diversify the economy, adding that the Ministry of ASricullure would monitor the farmers to ensure that they make judidous use or the loan. He further said if the loan WilS effectiveJy used, the state government would give out more loans to fill'1neQ.. He "p~led to benefi· dwie5 to be focused and pay attenlion 10 the viability of the project re-pay the loan within the specified C period ""of 5I'Ym I '_ill'S. ommlsSloner or Agriculture .nd Nalural Resources, Misa" Ukubenyinje, said agriculture holds the key to rapid economic development through the pro",jlion of" enough food'"" and employmen!. lie.s;ud the loan wal an iruliatlve
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or the CBN in collaboration with the Federal Government and slate Ministry or Agricultun.> 10 fanners ~tive societies, adding thai 934 co>opentive societies would benefit frimt it In the sta~ He .... " ...ed the ~ti· ... .--..:~-t> -.., -r:-- ............. etiC!II not to divert the loan for an)' otherlurpose, stressing that II woul be re-paid wilhm seven years lit an interest ratt' of nine pe' cml yearly. "'The loan ia meant for .gricullund purposes not to be diverted for any olhef' purpot.'lle and oote that the loan rep.ymmt period ACCOrdIng to CBN' guildline 15 seven yeaB from the dllte of disbl1J3emenl." he laid. " You are advised to optimise the U5e of the 101m for illo have a mul· tiplier effect on tood ~rodoctioo in the statl!. You 5hould reciprocate this government's kind gesture by promptly ~ying the JOan 1lIIJi.slance I'lIlended to you." he llaid. Respond,"", a benefidilrv -, Chief FidelLS Ugba thilnked Governor Uduaghan for bel"J5 fArmersfriendly by encouragmg agricul!~?!!ie.l"Yelopment programmes in ..... ,.... H. p~ that he and his coIlea:gUll'S would make use 01 the loon fortheirbendit and lhat01 theslillt>.
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He said the plan needs to be provided through options su itable to fllrmerl and their particular drcumslilncn.. AC'COrding 10 hun, increasmg IPm peratures and frequml drou,gnts m the north has IIUIJe lhlngs difficult for the l'armers. Oimate Change has resulted in higher tem.peraturesand prolonged droughts and has meant that farmers have had to itd.pt along With Ihl'!il'changes. 1lu5 MS Cl\;U!ICd p.stOrsh5ts move to h igher grounds in search of greener pasfures. He said the government hilS developed a plan 10 help saf~rd farmers ill\d livestock dunng such season. He stressed Ihe Importance of adopting a partidpatory ilpproach based on cri-ordinating Ihe efforts 01 diffef'll!nl departments and oper1II10r!I in the sector 10 find appropriAte .solutions to various issues.
Bauchi farmers praise Kafin Zoo dam project
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\RMERS in Filin Shag.rl In Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchl Slitte hAVe expre55e.!l delightllt the prospects of the pro~ Kafin Zalki Dam in their locality by the Federal and state governments. The residents In Kalin Zakl, said Ihey were already enjoying the benefits of .n yeu-round av.i!Ibilily of water, which hilS resulted to the bumper harvest in grains and vegetAbles in the areil_ Mahun Adamu Tungal, the ViI-
lage Heild of Filin Shagui, Jilid the huge commercial activitiH in agricurtuul produce had broen going on in the area in the pHI 20 year!l, when the idea of the dam wu nnt muted by the administration of fonner l'Tesident Shehu Shllgari. He said bU!lin~men and farm ers from in and outside the atate beaieged the village dilily 10 either trade or participate In Agriculture beoIUlif! of the produce and the fertile IlInd.
T II.E Edo to hold summit mlliden edition of Edo State Agrlbu.siness Investment Summit will hold in
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Iy on inontly Munuay A st.tement s.........t by the Commissioner',;: A ~ih.re and Natural Resourcn, ~r Abdul Oroh and 6ecutive Director, Publie-Pri-
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artners Ip , g Inl U the lummil will be attended by lellding international and national professionals in the agribusiness chain. va
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Govemor Adllm.'! Oshiornhole l.s ex;pected 10 declare the s umm it open while the Minister 01 Agriculture and Rural DeveloImmt, Dr A"... nwunmi Ayodeji A e:5IN1, will present the ~ addre.sa.. TIle summit will be chaired by Olid' Audu Oe.be while Dr. Palnck Kormawa, ~IDO Represenlatlve and Di anal Off> ho ' rector, Regi Kr, w 1I.uo the author of. sem.m.1 book on Agribusiness in Africa, will present the lead paper.
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