14
T H E N ATION FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012
AGRO-aUSINESS
'Fanners have no succession plans' A
N agricultural ex-
.t"l."ert,
Prof
Abel
Ogunwalesald l'Vny fanners do not hlwe succession plans in their organlsatiOO5. The former du,,,, Faculty
of
A~ricultuu'
Sciences,
udo1:e Aki"lola Univer-
sity of Technology. Ogbomoo;o, "lye' Stale siud the impomn ':'e C'f grooming a !lU~50r :"annnt be underestimated He said Hu)!e who do
involve llleU successors in the runnitg (If the farms untillhey ill"! S)f"1!: are en-
not
Storie, by Daniel Esslel, Allrle Corrll!1po"d*"1
dangering lhe bUSIlle5S TIus prOblem. Ogunwale t'xplained. could impact n<:>gatively on the firm. Attributing the problem to poor education, Ogunwale urged farmers In run their ranns as modern OrganiSlJ.lions as iI is done abroad According to him. farming is a big business and
as such requires responsibility lind proper assets management, ai::lding that they should be confident
about Ihcic fUhJre and that of their farms and encourage their children to be involved in the business On the econolny, he explained that the trend was 50 bad to ilwcslnt5 lind thai it is creating risks and innation. Ogunwale 'laid many farmer .. could not draw enough profit!; out of the farm dunng lheir retirement and that fhis gives their children the h'eling that they cannot m1'lke a living from the orsanisalion. He said big time ral"Trul
could not attract more capit.11 and skiUs to boost their businesses. As a result, Ogunwale urged the aovernmenl to support bWIIlC5s-oriented agriculture to encourage rarme~ ' family members 10 develop interest in agri· cullur.., 50 they could be brought into Ihe family busines .. He said succession should be a product of a heallhy businCSS,1'Ind nol an individual decision basedon theowneroflghe business.
STATE FOCUS
A
Howagro business tluives in Kebbi
GRICULTURIi Is plays a major role Ke6bi Slate. Many 01 its people are farmen r-anning iIInd Iiveslock r.tISiog art'The main ~ oJ livelihood for nbout 70 per cenl of ils working population. • diversiRed marke.t-on· The food crops include enled economy based N\ an gUin('a com, rice and miUet efftoent agncultuntl 2(1mwhile thecashaops include. capabl~ of supporling groundnu! and coUon manufactllring Aboul 200,000 hl!Ctares af This will mCilll supportfertile land is Fadama land. Ing urban .... nd rural farmmilml)' situated on the ing programmes to mcourRood plaiN: of the Rlma and Itge agr:o export and reduce Nigl!r \·alle),s. The hmd fOod iiilles. The slate is open area is suilable for agncul- for ~.tarian restaurants, lund development and per- health food stores, garden mits both agriculture and supply stores and' more herding by nomadic tribes. fanners' stalls 10 stimulate The farmlands support economic growth in th. large scale production of downtowns. crops, SIKh as millet, guinea Demand is incT9Sing for corn. rice, wheat, 1i~IIJls, fresh, high qUAlity. locaUy grOUndnUI, cotton,. I~. grown v,,"&e."tables. sugar ClUll', sweet potatoes, The go\'ernment wants .na vegetables, suCh as 0(\- farme~ to dh'ersiIy, grow ion, pepper and tomdtoes. fresh "egelabtes and fruits Cash crups. sud\ 8S Rnd connect with grocl!r)" 5u&,arane- pelIInuts, citrus stores, re.-stauunt. and frulls. yflms, tomatoes, other buyers mangoes and coffee can be The administration il gtlwn. It is th~ sante thing posed to becommg a sucass withsubsi5lcNrcrops,sucli story by building on agri· as sorghum, wheat, culture. cowpeat'i, beans, pulses, Given ne ..... UI"estme:-n~, com, and b.uley. the Slale's ligriculture in· Crop cultivation has been du.slty h.J.5 tile polentiill to divided inlo it modern, become a major source of market-oriented ~eclor emp~ent, es~y (OT compri5mg mechanised the thou!!3nds 01 wonlen large--'lCalr Irrigated and rainfed farming and snlaU- and substa.ntial 5cale farming following amount of land suitable for traditiona.1 prnctlces thnt fUIun: cropping were carned on In other The state natural reoparh of Ihe state- where 5(Juras; and can be ~ major rainfall or other waler producer of many source5 were suffident ror commodille5.l.arsel ~ cultivation. lapped Uyestl'lClo. arid ertil~ Rainfall Is Sl'a50nal, a .. lana point 10 the potential such. farming is carried out of i15 people. during thl! wet seaston on 110",""...,.., constr.mlll to Ihe upland during which agricultural production food and cull crops such as and marketlng Indude: millet, .. orghum, malz:e, poor mf:raslnlctun:, lack of ri~, bearul, caS6ava, collon. IIcee" 10 upHal and lownnd tobaccu are cuJti\'aled level techmcal .ffici~ncy During; Ihe dry seuon, and skills in productlun . farmmg 15 QlTied out in the marketing lind busille5!l \'a5t Fadama hmd5 when!: manag.menl.The stat.'" ~,sucha! lomatoes-,Ollpopulation 15 growin~ ions, pepper. sugar cane, . M a result. then: will be "!!gelablE' and sweel pota- more mouths to feed . The toes and wheat 8re culti· WAy fOTWud i!l to further '-aled impro\'1! the seclor's effiIndi~enow fomlS of culcllmcy by using better tivalion are. huwe\'er, meUlods. gradually giving wny, as These de .....lopments cremr;>r{' Cnnnen now I.L.~ im· ate imporlant opporhlnl· pruved set'd varieties, Lies for the ~e..:for, espechemical fertiliser, formal cially on n.w t.chnolocredit facililie!and ploughs gies and trac.toro Opportunities for invl."!l· Livl'stQCk farming Is is ton can be found in ~ dOlle In Ih~ Slal~. Camel ho~ tcdtnolosies, trTigllfarmillg i.'I populnr. It has lion, sustillnable agriculpro"ided employment fQr ture, food proces .. ing 50 many people. Modemi(valueaddedlindustry, no-<;<Ilion proposals have been riCUltUIC and ne~- (plllnt) based on Improving ~)<ist- varieties.
~e~~-""
nilS
r.
• 80.110 SlJot~ Go '~",o. Kuhim Sheulm., preqnllnll • I~U~. of ftllI.s"ment entr~p~~urlhi" I,alnlnlln fi8h .nd routby pfOduclion In '-'bidulud.
10 .n unemploye<l youth. dunnl
Ih~
launch of the
More slaughter plants needed for local meat NCREASE;) dl!mand for nM'IIl "qum:s the • 5t.ablishmI!'111 of modem ,b"gh'CI facilities inthecounlr)",Ptoi Abiodun Adeloye, of 1hE' '1!'partment of Animal Pre·duchon, University _ of IIorin(UN1U'RU-l) hassaid. lie ~d prod Iten need to access RaJ·dal~ !Iftughler
I
and proce5.SlIlg facilitie5 in e\'err part of tht' country to booSl l.ht' II1iI:rkning of me;IIt and poultry. I fE' said the availability of slnug~ll!r and pr,?,."~lng macfilOes to h".slode rro..lucer5 !M'lhng inlo local mMkets, could lie h ..lp Ihe growth 01 the loea. I marhl fl'f mellt producls
The maJ0rlly IIf livestock and poultry 'tfuughtl!T in the loaIr gO\'emnte"1 areM are dOflf' to ~JrulII facihlJes. Bul Adeloye ~.ud !l-Iaughtering animals al .. mailer plants. should bI! dOflt' I\t ltie OI~ appro"ed by Ihe government He .mrha~iSE:J the need lor IlI'W method .. for animal
slaughter ,lIld processing alm,--'il al local markets He urged tht! gO\'ernmt!nl to acqulle mobile slaughter ulllls ( ~'15U5) thai can help meet Increast! slaughter caracity in local areas and enable Ihe growth of ~m~1I livestnck prOdUCft"S who sell the products to COO$umers in then communities.
Poor funding hampers IFAD-assisted programme, She pralsed Ondo, Cross large says co-ordinator realiSing imporbudget, IFADlance: of the programme to
D
ESPITE
~
he aSSi<led~commu oitv-Based Nit!ul Resoun:e ProgrsnlnH! (eli IRMP) is suffer,"! from pl'q. funding. For ~ump1f. itl~ '11'Cei\.t!d and dlllburlil!'-.1 NI.86 bi.llion lC!dtnl and S'atr q unterpart fundS out cl till' billion budgt!tcd f~m inception in Noveilibli r 2005. In lhe same pi nod, the programme 6lsbur-sed NS67.88 millio,", I,t tht! N4 biUioncouniefpa'"\fund to be provkled by th~ rarlicipating Icxal gO\'enlm~ts lhe NatJonal ~ogramme Co-ordinator o f the programme, Mn IrI're JumboIbeakuzie, who d,,·105oed this in Port Harcourt,Sfid thetigures represent., .Ir;,oor performilntt of 39.J1 per cenl
,"".74
Ri\'oer (or
and 14.18 per ~t She said the programme dl .. bursed $S.3 million of 11' ,\0 funds out of the $11.4 million budgeted from inception of the programme, whidl repr~nts 47.7 per ttJlt perfonnnnce The programm~ costs $84.8 million with IFAD pro"iding StS million 115 loans. and Niger Delta ~velop- ment Commluion(NDDC) SIS mUlion gr.mts. TIle federal , state! and local governments il.Te to contribute 510 .2 mllUon, 58.2 million and 532 million_ Th. programme I!I being Implemenled In Ihl! nine Niger Delta stales of Abi.:t, Akwa [born, Cross Rive:r,
Delta, Edo, Imo DIldo and IUver Targeted al the poor, espedally women and youths, it is betng implementt'd in 80 local government areas romprising 243 communilie!: and estimated to benefit 400.000 runt! hOU!eholds. But in ~ite the huge figures the programme has not Pl""formed as exp«ted beaU5e of poor fund.!! by ~ ('5.peci.:tlly ""Is and local guvemme:nts. which failed to ful61 their wunterpart fUlld obligations.. )umbo-lbeaku:de identified fmo, Akwa lbom, Rivers, Della and Ba)"'1sa 5tat.esunot demg ....ell in th,· ..... mittantt of their counter-rart funds.
Ih.
their people and responding 115 expected_ "l"he rrogramme ill domg well in these states becaUSt' they are paying their count!!!"· p"rt funds . Df:lay in funds relea~ by partn.~ hindeTs implementallOn of timebound IIgricultural activities,~ sill! said According to her, the-' programme has done ......11 for the rural dwellen and thrit.5CtVice providen to Intervene in their development.. Rellcling to the progf"llmme's J"!rform.ntt report, Prof JO!IeJ'h Yar.""'- on IFAIJ consultant. cal !I for ilIl enhanced advoc.:tcy to Ihe. stules tha I W~ not meeting up with their obligations.
IIlU:e1...~~"
rear 0111](', !hl!er and ,&Qals 10 augmm their mcome. These an'mal~ are fed with Ihe o;:talk or grams, and leavl!5 of legume For the m~t pari, animal5 are grazed In the open fie ld around the village IUId in th~ Fadama fa rms Animal waste! ar~ In tum used for manure. The slatl! has ahundant IIvc.stock, which Indude attle, sheep. goats, amel.., horses, donkiys. pigs and poullry II ranks among Ule five :llates With Ihe highest number of Livestock. The stale. e.'l: po rtll quitl! a !ubstantial number to other ,tatn. The "talt! wants to crea le.
· Co .. ~mor U.ma n- Oaklllga ri