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JUlV 29. 2. nJ
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Leasing industry targets agric development STANLEY OPARA
T
HE leasin& industl)', lhrou&h th~ Equipment Leasing As5ocialion of Nigeria, hBS mO'o-ed to massh-eJy S\lpport the agriculture sedor in Nigeria in lin~ wilh Its de\'elopmentai role. The 1J\O\'e is Bimed al contribulin" to the repositioning or th~ sedor in line with Ihe transfonnltion agenda of gO\'Ul\m~nt 10 shift from IBditional farmin& to modft'll .&rkulture. ElAN in a statement on Friday described agriculture as a bwilness that would ensure: food security and promote export in value chains where Nigeria has comparative advantages. "ihal would crealejobs and ....-ea.lth in the eronomy,-il
Lawanson, while briefing members on the activitlCS of thl'! leasmg industry, lamentl'!<! that agriculture as a mBjorcontribulor 10Gross
Domestic Product, had been nqled.ed for decades. While commending thl'! Federal Govem!Tlel1 on its policy initiall\,!!, he stated
Ihal the leasing induslry was wimng and ready 10 support govemmwt's devdopmental initiative in the sector, adding thai,
~We
are ready 10 partner with the govemml'!ul and development partnl'!rs 10 facilitale the provision of necessal)' assets and
f!'!de -ariOIl.~ AIX"Qrding tohim, kasin" had the c:;..pacity to suppon the transtormllion agenda of ""emilleni to ma!;.1'! life mor! mlanin&ful 10 the
peojlli. "Otis ":realtve !inanen, aiteln.&liv"!l2n be brought to beal ir thf"agricuituresector throuPt specific suppon 10 1.sstSi Go\"m'Imenl for 1'!Xa1111oe. to creale the n('ol'!(Ie-J infrastructure thlt \\ould faciliatl'! m«hrnis.ltion 10 achteve maxim un" production, ~ he said fX)Jlaining further, LaWaJl.5Ol· said the provision of IraclOTS, hal"YlCStl'!rS, proc~in~ and storace
odd<d_ The commitme.nl was given rettnlly by ELAN at the association's 17th annual gl'!nera.1 meeting hdd in lo.gos. The Chainnan, of thl'! association, Mr. Ke.hinde
facilities as well as othu
a
oL-R: A IJublic health
group of children; and Deputy Chairman, Eleme Local Gouemment Aren- Mr. Ga d Mem e, d uring a de-wormin g exercise for children to mark the un ooling of S h ell R ealth-in-Mation ou treach progrlHllme at Nchia, Ele m e WA in Ogolliland ••• r ecently
Poultry farmers lament dearth of feeds SAMUELAW OYlNFA
EPooltryAwldation of Ni~ Lagos Stale branch, has said Insufficienl supply of soya beans and corn, h"O major ingredients of pouItty feeds, is affecting lheir busiTJl'!SS. and other PAN stakeholders ha\'e,there{ore, called on the slale and
TI
federalgO\~mmentstocome 10 their aid.
~t of the association, Mr. DotUIi Agbaja, SOld the only way the} oould rmlte up for Ihe shortfall in feeds supply was lom;ort loimpomlion from United Stales, an option, hI'! lidded, was cheuper. He spoke al an emerJ,eocr meeting \~ilh the slakeholdns 00 the issue be:1d in Lagos. Hi! said tlle pnces of .50)'3. beans and conI had suddenly skyrocketed In the market because the poultry
fanners we.re competing wilh big companies and multi·nationals that were: purchasing those ingredients 10 produce their products. lie said. ~ lt is now vel)' difficuJl to 10 buy soya beans and com, because big companies thai produce beverages and oonfeclionaries a~ equally oompeting for Ihe little that we have in the markel cUrTenl. So, we need to look forwa),sloaddressin,lhis situalion by putting our desliny m our hands.. -If we do not do something now, many poultl)' fanners might out of business ne.-« year. That is the fuct, bec:atLSe the countries from where we import the 5O)'a beans and maize are heine hit by noodinganddrought: Agbojo who staled that Ihough the stall'! and
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federal gove.nllnents had "ood prognmmes to assist genuine fal'1lll'!:ni, noll'!<! thaI the problem was wilh the 'political fannl'!l'S' ...·ho had hijacked the whole process. III'! called on the statl'! government 10 build silos ror
kS
Ihem, 80 that they eould buy soya beans and rom will'!" the prices are cheap, and keep them in the silos for f\Itllre use.. nle Senior Special Assistant to Governor Babalunde Fashola on
IE Federal Gamnmenl has released two new maize hybrids thai can provide more vitamin A in the diets of millions of people.
This has thus raised optimism about stemming the menace ~ vitamm A deficiency in the years ahead, esptriaIly among children, pcq:nant WOIIYII and.
-.
prvoitamin A is by the body inlo vitamin A when the mame is
The
OJn~ed
,"'-
A stalt:ml'!nt by the Intemalional lnstitu~ of
........
-~ bybrids. which ~ the first
generntion VTtanun A-rid:!
maille, were released on lrv the National Valiely Rdel.l'! Commlltee of Nigeria as f~ maizehyb 3 and lie matzlCt.} 0 4. They are naJ&nisl!d. as
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IITA hybrids Aoc)o5-28 a.nd
"The hybrids are a product 0( nearly a decade ofbreeding for enhanel'!d Jet.-els of provitaminA,· Dr.Abebe Menkir, a maize breoeder with the lITA,
Agricllilurl'!, Dr. OI.II¥lInmi Funso, said the state govemml'!nt hdd Ihl'!'poultT)' sub-seelor of a,neulture in high estl'!'e.m and had PUI some measures in place 10 assist tllem to bone;[ thl'!ir business..
Institute, Bio Organic sign MoU on wealth creation
pan of 1'!f{0rt5 to auppon thl'! ransformation agenda of the present admlfllSl'raLion in thl'! area of weallh creation and emp1u).-ment opportunities, Fl'!Cil'!ral InstilUl1'! of Industrial Research has signl'!d a Meml)randum of Understaudill' with BioOrpnies Nulrient Systems Umitl'!d. The MoU. which lI1as signed on Thursday at FIRO had Ihe leaders
of both orpnisations 10 attl'!nJance. Attarding to Ihe management of Ihe institute, collaboratioll institutions, agencies and pri\'3.11'! &ector orpnisations had become Ihe bedroclt for sustainable nillionol developml'!nt and ,Iobal compellth'e.ness. Sreaking al the signing ceremon,", thl'! Director General of the research institule.Mrs.GloriaElemo, uplained lhat through the Federal Govt!mJm'.nt's
between
Nigeria releases Vitamin A maize for improved nutrition
'n
inf" structure for a more robU;1 • cthily in Ihl'! 8gri.1I tut"~ seclor • \JT"elq' pllns are beillJ made to introduce agric II'!a5inA $I. heml'! across Ihl'!
who led the development of the new maize hybrids, said. The hybrids 0lI1perfurrn1'!d local chec:k:s with yields ranging from six to nine tons per hectare compared wilh two lolls pet hectare recorded on IT105t £a1lnlCl'S' fields.. II said thai the vitamin A hybrids were <bcloped by IITA in partnership with the Institute of Agrirulluml Research and Training. using oom-entiona.l breeding in a ~ funded by the UllI"\"I'!SlPIus-a 018l1enge Programme of the CGlAR as
part ol strnlcgies to address
the pn!\-unce """"",,,,Other pBttner3
Instilute. RegeIlrch,
0(
\itamin A
collaborating listI'!d wm!! the !'or Agricultural Zaria; University
fA Maiduguri; Inn:mational Mailr and Wheal Centu, Unr.U"5ity fA Illinois. and Uniwrsity fAW"lSt'!OO5ln. In
~ligeri3,
vitamin
A
deficiency afflicts aboul 30 pI'!t" C'erli
cl d:tiIdreo below
five )"!!8J'S d age. almost 20 per eenl of pteplant women. and t3 per cent of nursing
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Public PrivatI'! Partnership inilmti\'e, instilution~ such as FlIRO had bl'!t'n givl'!n thl'! leverage 10 t':(1"Io)re all available opportumlie5 for oollaboration She descril~ Ihe sigmngoflhe MoU asa vital development SII'!P (or thl'! market She said, lhis ..... casion is an qlOCh e"\t'nl m our quest 10 l'Olllbaratl'!' wilh pri\'8tl'! set'tor m broadl'!ning the 5C('pe of FlIRO's COD\~uoIJ(l1 wa) of lransferring tech nolocies and research outputs relevant 10 human needs. IlIe Insrilutt' had engaged in Ihe promotion of its resean:h results transferrin" same to thl'! invesling public. Notabll'! amon, the Il'!Chnologies bein, Innsfl'!m-d 10 the public are: bouled palmwine production and preservation, Instanl pounded yam flour production, Dlt!(:hanised cassa\'a pfOClCSSmg into pn, fufu, starch, bread and oonf«lioneries baking. among othl'!rlii. ~
equlplneDI Ind machineries to ilDJ.'t"O\ e the \'alue chain
III lilt sector woUld boosl trenae'ldoasly gOYlCt1lment de'Yf"k pmema! initiative in III'!' sa lor, which would lead 00 e:tSier IICC1CSS 10 produ~\~ assets, more inw-stmellt in the sector, produ-tion Ind economic ,rohtl. lb,' ELAN chairman mel tiJne::l th.1 Ihe Il'!lIIh nall:)l',aJ ~ conference 10 Ix hi. III In NO\-ember this } eal would focus o n Ig.n"liltule to provide the plalio'ill for stak.eholders in t II'! st:\ tor to discuss Ihl'! issueun< laYlhefraJIle"\'l"Orlc for iusir g SUI)"ort in Ihe
"'"III'!" IMkt!d. 11le future of the Nigelinn economy lies ....ill easing ,..lei such Ihe g"'" 'rlml nt should pf'OVlde the ne essarv suppan In ,u~taln Ihe oonlinul'!<! ,rown 01 thl'! Induslrv" should, I :o,"'erllmenl for IO;t;)nce, p1'O\'idt' apr "OJri. Ie ieasin, illfr I5'NI ture IlQrticularly in "~ I sw a oonduove I'eII,lI tor" I'!nvirnnment ror Ihe ;lIactlce of it'asioli.a '1lr;'llln rommendl'!<! Ihl'! I'! Tor.s of !-In'emment in thi! rq"ardl'!d, notinglhat 5tl'!) s hac begun to achievl'! a SJlI'!( ific Il'!1ISing law for Ihe indluny lIE said thaI a bill for an 1ct for leilSlng had been pa.ssed by the House of Rt"'PresenlntiYICS and is pre:-.e.ltly before the Senatl'!. Hf !h.'re:fore on Ihe gO\f<rnm.'nl to expedite the I'!naclml'!nt of the hill 10 .st -enl:then Ihl'! leasin, mdllstry to contmue 10 COin-bull'! mort! 10 the dl'!\t.JrlPn.ent oflhe Nigerian !COliC my
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