THENATIO
17
FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2012
AGRO-BUSINESS
Dearth of bees may affect food production, says expert AN) a};ril; ulturai crop,s depelld .Jfl arumal pomnation rUf food production. an expert has said. As a mull, a m.?p in bees p?puLatioo will affect fOud production. A forml!f" hc-ad.Apicultu~ Unit, National Rout CfoJpS Research InslitulelNRCRJI,Umudike, lmo
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Stale.Mr Victor Obi, said agrictlltu~ depends mairlly on bee pollinatiun lie said the drop in their pnpulation CQuid ha~ a major effect on food pr& dudiaL
Storip by Dan" e.INlI, Avril: Corr ••p ondent
Acx:ording to him.. oops such as apples,. blUeberries and coffee de-
pend on animal pollinauon. and ihal domesticated honey bee is said to be the most im~t. accoun~ fur an average of 80 per cent of inima1 pollinalion. Cl>i said insect pollinators are an essential part of af,tricultw1!. ln pollinating crops plants, he said they ... soft &ul~
su_ "'" ana
incfUSby. !-Ie said Rigerians enjoy
different \·egetable:5. fruits and
nowers daily because of insect pollinators. sUch as bees. He said bees are clficienllll pol-
lination; besides. they produce
!alP quanbbes oll'loroey. Obi Sud a drop in bel5
popula.
lion could cause a pollmation shortage lind. impact on yields from polhnatioo<l<p<nd<nl """'He said the economjc im~ of a further decline in bees colonies may be heavy, adding that the tide must be lUtTV!d.. He calJed for mort! ~tion
among the academics, govemmer:tt
institutions and companieS to sole the problem. While the Impact 01 pollin!ltion varies by crops, he explained thaI pollinalDl is essential as ~ p0llination would at1Se a railed 00-
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bees toboost lOOd ~1..I:IJm. He said production of pollination-dependent crops has grown at an acCelemled rate relative to the overall growth in food production. Q:.i o.11ed on the s:ovemmenl to increase biodiversity in agneuJ(WI
tural areas to provide greater nutritional variety for theOe:es pothnating the crops and to promote tJle right living conditions for at· tracting wild pollinatmg ~es that coUld take pan of the pOllinalion job, He called on the Pemn"If!flt to
implement strateg_il'5 that would ensure thai the pollination of agriis cultural and horticultural pro"'<Ied Although"'" licidc:s cannot always be avoided, application shouJd take place in ro-opcr.lbon with beek£q)e:rs.
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How to run farms profitably, by expert N agricultural expert, Ayo Aklnola, hu sug· ge5ted ways in whicn farms and agricultural businl'SSl'S can run their operations and make profits Akinola, who is the Teclmical Adviser, SU5tainabie Cocoa Programme, German International Agency (GIZ), S.Jid farmers can m.Jke profits by saving and paying exira attention 10 busines5 planning. To increase farm profits, Akinola said it wa5 1V0rthwlule for IIgro businl'S5l'S to take stock of their businesses, streamline financial efficiency and m.Jkl' sure savings is substanh.Jl . According 10 him , gelling hnllncial records In Sood shape wiJI more Ihan replly Itself further down the line The expert saId he ~ tramed local farmers in Cross River State Imd other places to acqUIre and improve then bookkeepmg systems, adding Ihat the skills h.Jsve helped lhem to manage their businesses better_ He urged the farmers to 1e.J55eS5 their budget IR the f.Jcl' incre;ising pressures on costs He said managing their budget ~feclivdy would impact upon the competitiveness of their produce agalRst counterparts, while helping to increase
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'Develop agric tourism plan' HB Federal Government has bftn .uked to develop a master rlan for agri-tourism It) boost e(\-.namic growth. A8ficultunJloutlSm is an>: buS!ness (Ollducted I.>y a farmer for the enjoyment or Niucation of the Eublic, to profflt.te the products Clf the farm and t" generate add _· tionaI r,nn lnc(Jrre. It incIud15 a variely lot riKilitie~ and activilie;., such <IS- agricultuul festivals anJ fairs. fanri VISits tum lours. demoJ\$tration faro l5,farm slays, wineries, nurxry trails and agricultunl museUlIll;. The De'puty Director, Directorate of Grants luiminstratioll, Federai Un j v~lly of Agriculture, Abeokuli, Dr Kola Adebayo, told 1.,.' N.'ion thaI an .Jgri-loilJUm pfo-~ramme wouJd support existing and new aJ1f1cultunl enter-nnses whIch could invite vii'll tors to thl'll fanns py chart;lllg them fees lor their ~rvicn. He said there are many benefits in the _Sri-tourism lndustry. These ,"dude the promotion 01 "acti\'ities that could Iud to the developrrent of agricultllft' in the tounby, mo~ jObs for run] dwellers, p'rovi5l0n of fannen with dtJjUonal income through devel~men l of I.o urUm opportunities without requirin, thf.m 10 Kl1 or develop the- I."d for lIon-airicultur.d \15ft and J"'O"kllns the publk an opportunity 10 expe-d.rnc:e-
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rural legacy through first hand expe.nences. Acconllng to him, the nation's famu refJect. a great diver.;ity of agricultural endeavours. Some of the fa.rms, he explained, are unique with historic structures, suCh as fann houses, bams, sheds, log houses and rock fences and more. Adebayo S.Jid the rural landscape is histone and Important to preserve, adding that agritoutlsm presents a tolal picture of Ihe nalion's farm-based economy, cultural heritage, rural lifestyle, and family values. Combining the large tourism Industry With the uniqueness and dhretSlty of loca1 agnCu.1ture, he noted, would offer new opportunities for farmers to diversUy thrir oper.ltlOn5 andthelr revenue sources..
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RJQDexpert, Prof Stephen Fapohunaa,. has called r~r
more ,"Vestment In technoiogy to help firms increase outputaN:I ~leeloodleCUrity. Ounng .JJl1ftterview with Tht NIthan , Filpohund.a.who is of the Department of Bioscien~e5 .nd Diosciences, Babcock University, IIesan,.OgunState,sa.id many foOd ingredients were okayed 6y the prIvate sector, without govern· ment'slopul Though !he National Agency fOf Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAq ensures that food ingredients are safe, food compMUes should be able 10 classify an i~ient as" safe" for use in a speo'Fic product, he said, adding IMt producer.; should ensure that logredlents classified a5 safe undergo ngorous tests to build consumer cOOfidence. Hecalied forcn!dible testing. saying that l"'OO!IUInI!'I" would be more comfortable with ~ or the vlsibWty of logn!d.ients that go
'More investment in technology key to food safety'
fa~cO:::d farmers rouId take some measure5 to protect their busine:s5es, iodudmg ,""iewing the cost of ope:r.llions to benefit from economies of scale..
through the Pr()O,'5!... He said they need to establish He said there have been growing !'1arketing strateglf~ .for their comconcerns over food safety as the in- Ing cmp to.secure pnces. dustry faced qUestiOf15 on the qual:w.w...a~~tion ol upw.ard.s ity of Input I..l5OO duringpnxluction. pnssW1i5 on costs and nuctuating "'osaf~uard the natiorl s food sup- currencies, he noted tholt il is ly agamst unintentional and de- imper.ltivethat f.Jrmen reassess roii:ieTale contamination, the expert then budgets ;lnd ensure they are called for S.Jfety plan, whicfi fo- takmg acbon to protect their bUS!· cuses on risk-baSed interventions and rapid response when problems To meet all the needs of small are identified. farmers, he noted that Institutional He added that operalor5 should finance through the rural banking protect consumers from dangerous system has not proven,. practical ~ported prod_ apF'roach. for this reason, he fapohunda call1!d on the govern· Slid partiCIpation In oucro credit ment 10 deploy inspecton; 10 the . flerangements will help the ports to check food produce be- farmers ilCCl'lS credit and log shipped abroad. promole saving culture.
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'Farmers exchange programmes will improve local capacity' HE introduction of fannerto-fanner exch!ilt~
T thea~~ema~l
tural technology which wiU II'.Jd to higher/roductivity, an
_haS";.
0. DaruelGw''l,. o(the~
ment oI~ Prokctioo. Uruver-oily of MaidiIguri, Mid, ~1houId
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beaJmeonr ao.Nnant _hlRoi apullunl
extension service delivery if any meaningful change is to be achieve In food proCJuction. Gwary told The N.lion, said such exchanges could accelerate the~tionol modem agricultufill technoiogies and pr.ICtices.
opportunity to adopt skills and share lessorlswith their more experienced coUe.Jgues..
lie said exchanges complement government'5 extension servIces. He suggested that more atlention s h o uld be placed on strengthening s uch practices ilnd ChampioiUnf$ the dev~ ment of inlemational farming
He said he was part of a fanning goup, which paid an rx· "'""'" _10 N · . He Mid ... ptop..... ~ brmen an · Accordi,. to him, better links
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between agricultufill researchers and farmers are another lonn of co-operation ~ expansion. Instead of having farmers participate in researcn. he said researchers should par· ticipale in farmers ' experi-
ments. He added exten5ion workers w,,",
bring depfo)-ed to live m
:!:rttwi':~,::nnen who