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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY IS, 10 II
Integrated food production, best formula for food security - FAO RODUCING food and energy side-by-side may offer one of the best formulas
P
for boosting countries' food and energy security. a new
FAO report has said. The report, published in
Rome and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday, stated that the formula would simultaneously reduce poverty.
It is entitled,
"Making
Integrated Food-Energy Systems Work for People and Climate - An Overview", and
it
drew
on
specific
examples from Africa, Asia and Latin America as well as some developed countries.
The report showed how constraints
to
energy crops present numerous benefits to poor rural communities," said
su·ccessfully
integrating production of food and energy crops could
Alexander Muller, FAO Assistant Director-General
be overcome.
"Farming that combine
systems food and
Ekiti professionals shop for Nt bn to develop tourism Ekiti State Policy
The committee said there
Development Committee
was a need to invest that much
set up by Ekitipanupo, a thinkthank of professionals, has canvassed for NIbn to develop
in the tourism sector in Ekiti to turn the state into a worldclass tourist destination and
tourism in the "Fountain of
generate foreign exchange into
Knowledge." According to the committee, there is a need to float a recurrent tourism funds pool to be known as Ekiti State Tourism Development Fund to finance the development of tourism projects in the 16 local government areas of the state.
the coffers of the state to make itless dependent on allocations from the Federation Account. In a report submitted to Governor Kayode Fayemi by the committee, a copy of which was made available to journalists on Thursday, the Ekiti professionals also
T
HE
'Nigeria's food storage capacity exceeded 200,000 tonnes in 2010' HE grain storage capacity of silos in Nigeria in 2010 was more than 200,000 tonnes, an official of the National Food Reserve Agency, has said. The Regional Head (North-East) of NFRA, Mr. Daniel Kakwi, disclosed
T
this in an interview with the
News Agency of Nigeria in Bauchi on Thursday. Kal<wi told NAN that part of the stored food, especially
committee
government, iocal government
councils, banks and financial institutions, multinationals and other companies.
Others expected to contribute to the fund are the Education Trust Fund, government contractors and
consultants, foreign and local donor agencies, individuals and others sources.
The
committee
recommended, a restructuring
etc in large quantities that can ensure self suffiCiency
new economic approach of
and even for export.
government with the body to operate as a full autonomous agency of government. The committee called
produced a lot of cereals such as rice, maize, millet,
"Roots crops too, improved due to government interventions in agriculture through various schemes and programmes aimed at
maize, was released to counmes in need, such as Niger and
Chad. as requested by the UN.
constraints arising from the
"Production last year in terms of farmers' output was encouraging because
challenges of climate change. According to him, the
production was not as drastic as expected. especially in
The
recommended that a total sum of between N500m and NIbn was expected to aCCllle to the fund annually from the state
of the State Tourism Board recommending the establishment of the Ekiti Tourism Development Corporation to reflect the
cereals and grains. "As it is now, Nigeria has
food sustainability." he said. He, however, said that the shortfall experienced in food production was due to
farmers had reported higher yields from the harvest. 'The reduction in food
recommended the restructuring of the state Tourism Board.
government is conducting a survey on the quantity
of crops harvested and the food requirements before embarking on the purchase of grains for the reserve.
on the state government to create the necessary enabling environment to attract large
more than 30 per cent equity in any joint venture project. noting that the major investor
example,
poor
to go in search of firewood,
the study stated. It said that women in developing countries could
crops such as fruits, coconuts or coffee beans for cooking,"
he explained. He noted that other types of food and energy
government to grant incentives to tourism investors, including
systems
use
by-products
the guarantee of investment
from
loans, tax relief to investors, joint ventures with investors
production.
and the grant of land to tourism
integrated systems, farmers can save money because
lIe
practitioners at conceSSionary rates. The committee also
livestock for biogas said,
also
significantly
lower
health risks by reducing the use of traditional wood fuel and cooking devices
Research had that 1. 9 million
shown people
worldwide die each year due to exposure to smoke from cooking stoves, it said.
According to the study, "With
these
they don't have to buy costly fossil fuel, nor chemical fertiliser if they use the slurry from biogas production.
identified agriculture as a catalyst to stimulate the industrial development of Ekiti State, saying there was an urgent need for policy intervention to boost the indu,mal base of the state. The harnessing of the state agricultural and mineral resources, it added, would generate employment for the people of the state, urging government to address the problems of poor road network and non-availability of industrial layout.
women as they can eliminate
farmers can use leftovers from rice crops to produce bioenergy, or in an agroforestry system. can use
debris of trees used to grow
would have paid all necessary cost of land and infrastructure. The report urged
change." IFES are also beneficial to the need to leave their crops
for Natural Resources.
"For
resilience, hence their capacity to adapt to climate
They can then use the savings to buy necessary inputs to increase agricultural produdivity, such as seeds
adapted to changing climatic conditions. "This is an important factor. given that a significant increase in food production
in the next decades will
integrating food and energy production can also be an effective approach to mitigating climate change, especially emissions stemming from land use
change. By combining food and energy production, IFES reduce the likelihood that land will be converted from food to energy production, since one needs less land to produce
food and energy, it said. Additionally, implementing IFES often leads to increased land and
have to be carried out - water productivity, therefore reducing greenhollse yas under conditions of climate emissions and increasing change. food security, it added. "All this increases their
inflow of foreign and local tourism investors.
The panel report described Ekiti as easily accessible from about six states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory in addition to the availability of an airport less than 40 minutes away from the state capital. It also recommended that
M
TALKS
government should not invest
Kerosene scarcity hits Ijebu-Ode
S
CARCITY of kerosene
described the effect of the
has hit the ancie·nt town
scarcity as biting hard on their economic fife.
of !jebu-Ode in Ogun State, with residents appealing to the government to find a lasting solution to the problem. Investigations conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Ijebu Ode showed that, due to the scarcity of the product, most homes in the town now lise firewood and
coal pot for cooking. NAN findings also showed that major filling stations in the area did not have the product for sale to the public amid the availability of the product at the black market at cut-throat prices. The investigation
showed
that
a
also
four-litre
container of kerosene now
sold at N700 while a bottle sold at NI50.00 at the black market respectively. Some of the residents, who spoke with NAN in !jebu-Ode on the issue,
They appealed to the government
to
make
the
product available as soon as possible for the sake of the masses.
A civil servant, Mrs. Florence Ajayi. who also spoke with NAN, described the scarcity of the product as "a punishment for the masses." Ajayi, who said that she had been spending N900 to buy kerosene weekly, since
the scarcity started, also called on the appropriate authorities to find a lasting solution to the problem. "A large number of families depend on the use of
kerosene
for
cooking
and this product is not readily available, it is very expensive. "The
situation
is
now
getting out of the reach of the common man. With the present situation, kerosene
has become a luxury in Nigeria and no longer a necessity," she said.
A businessman, Mr. Ayodele Michael, who said he was also suffering the effects of the scarcity, appealed to the government to make the product available at the filling stations. He also urged the government to set up a task
force to ensure that filling stations that had the product did not hoard it. A black market operator, who spoke with NAN on the condition of anonymity, said
he also bought the product at a high price from the major marketer. "I am not happy that I have to sell a four-litre container at N700 but what would I do when I bought it at a very expensive price as well. If I don't sell it at that price, there is no how I can make my profit, it is my prayer thai the scarcity will end soon," he said.
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