Tuesday, March 8, 2011
THISDAY, Vol. 16, No. 5797, Page 39
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BusinessWORLD agric JNigeria Cassava Output Rises by 100 Percent' igerian farmers have more than doubled the yield of cassava, by leveraging on the Power of Cassava in Africa (UPoCA) project that is being implemented by the International of Tropical Institute Agriculture (IITA). The institute said Farmers in Ido community, south of Oyo State, affIrmed that yields rose from an average of 10 IOns per hectare to more than 20 tons per hectare. "With local varieties, I used to harvest 10 tons per hectare but now, it is more than 20 tons per hectare;' says Bashir J\desiyan, Chairman of the local chapter of the Nigerian
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Cassava Growers Association. "During the harvest period, other farmers accused me of applying juju-supernatural or
Stories by Crusoe Osagie magical powers-on the farm but I told them it was the improved cassava stems and training I got from IITA that has made my farm better;' he adds. Like Adesiyan, sever-d! other farmers in the community that participated in the project have
witnessed increases in cassava yield. In 2009, the Ido community became a beneficiary of the IlTA-UPoCA project which was part of the United States Agency for International Development's response to cushion the effect of the 2008 fond crisis that resulted in riots in some parts of the world. Apart from Ido in Oyo state, other states that benefited from
the project were Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Benue states. Farmers say the project has boosted the production of cassava with the availability of improve4 cassava stems, making fond more secure and generating wealth. Dr. Richardson Okechukwu, Deputy Manager for UTAUPoCA, says the success in Ido community is a replica of what has happened to th~ other
states where the project was implemented. The IITA-UPoCA project's success coupled with last year's release of new improved varieties gives Nigeria a positive outlook for cassava production, a country that is the world's largest producer of cassava roots. The increase in yield has led to calls for increased processing machines in the Ido community. The British American
Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) has responded to the call with the donation of a cassava processing centre to promote processing of the crop. Mr. Benjamin Isola, Oribiyi 11, the Onido of Ido Land (the traditional chief of the community) says, '''This processing centre came to us because of the intervention of IITAUPoCA which led to increased cassava production in our community."
'The project has also benefited individual members 'of this community and we '"" happy;' he adds. The community leader called on the state and fedel1\l government to establish more cassava processing centres in the community. In the meantime, IITAUPoCA is upgrading the equipment donated 10 the community by the BATNF for greater efficiency.
Migrant Rernittances on the Rise in 2011-IFAD
M
igrant workers around
the world started out 2011 by sending home more significantly money than they did in 2010,
according to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The Fund said that initial reports for January from ten
central banks in key home countries for the world's migrants show remittances have increased over January 2010 in all but one country, Brazil, where the decrease was three per cent. Pakistan showed a 34 per cent increase over last year, Armenia and Georgia showed increases of 23 and 17 per cent respectively, and Guatemala, Honduras, EI Salvador and Mexico showed increases of between six and 15 per cent. Bangladesh reported a two per cent increase. IFAD said part of the rea'on for remittance increases in Central American countries was due to significant decreases that occurred last year. The agency said that current growth in that region will likely keep pace through the first quarter, and then moderate for the remainder of the year. Meanwhile, much rides on the rate of recovery in the United States, the largest remitting economy. While short-tenn migrant laborers tend to be the first to lose their , jobs during an economic downturn, they are often the first to be rehired during a recovery, so there is hope for continued improvement in global remittances as the U.S. economy continues to emerge from the crisis. Each year, migrant workers send a total of more than US$ 330 billion to their home communities, an amount that is critical to lifting millions out of poverty across a wide range of developing countries. When used to their maximum potential, these funds can also drive economic growth in the countries and communities that receive them. In many developing countries remittances surpass foreign direct investment and official development assistance combined. But while welcoming the present trend toward higher remittance amounts, IFAD noted that often the figures
miss the underlying reality of recipient families in developing countries. Since the outbreak of the financial crisis. exchange rates have been highly volatile. Of the countries for which IFAD tracks remittances information. the ten most volatile countries all exhibited swings of 30 per cent or more between October of 2008 and March of 2011. Accordingly, over the course of 2010, while 70 per cent of countries indicated an increase in the number of dollars remitted, recipients in 60 per cent of countries experienced an actual decrease in the purchasing power of the money they received. The rise of the dollar against developing coumry currencies at the outset of the global recession initially had a positive effect for families receiving remittances, effectively delaying the effect of the crisis in those countries with a flexible exchange rate. In 2010, however, that trend began reversing as developing country currencies have rebounded, leaving many recipient families to face the same financial pressures that have been experienced by migrant workers in more developed economies. South America in particular has been negatively impacted by currency appreciation. For example, while only suffering a 6.7 per cent decline in remittanceS last year, the appreCiation of the Brazilian Real resulted in an 18 per cent decline in remittances in terms of its local currency value. When adjusted for inflation, purchasing power of remittance recipients declined 23 per cent. This issue also manifested itself similarly in the region's second largest economy, Colombia, where purchasing power declined just under 18 per cent. !FAD monitors trends' in "remittances in support of its Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR), a multidonor facility it has administered since 2006, with the goal of increasing the development impact of remittances and particularly the ability of poor rural households to further benefit from remittances in their efforts to overcome poverty.
Commercial Officer~ Wael Ammar; a distribution Lagos.•.recently
~Food
Ehorobiem at the distribution partners conference
Supply Decline Imminent'
H
ead of Service of the ability in the area of geophysFrom Hammed Shittu ical, biological and socio ecoFederation (HOSF), Professor Oladapo in Ilorin nomic systems are susceptible Afolabi has said that to and unable to cope with. decline.in fond production is Acconding to him, .. this He stressed that, agricultrend will be substantially tural practiCe" in the country is certain if the stakeholders in the agricultural development reinforced by desertification, dominantly rain-fed and is fails to address the change in soil degradation or water the climatic situation that at scarcity while drought and soil therefore particularly vulneradegra9ation will result in agrible to the"i!npactsof climate times affects fond" production cultUraI yields". change. " " in the country Afolabi who He said that, apart" from Similarly"he sai<llivestock spoke in 1I0rin during the 14th inaugural lecture of the,"" - this, the trend may also trigger production : which" involves and Rural"' re"gional fond crises and furherding 'pf cattle, goats and Agricultural Training Institute (ARMTI) sheep raise(i."(l)incipally in the northeno . states, "is heavily Ilorin, KWafa state said-oihat.. " "ther undemtine the economic more than 85Qmilliai!J!i'opl~ P!irfl)l111ance of the weak and dependent on iainfall and worldwide are" "ClIl1~ntly. "~_:_. uns~15 !:,~untnes. thereby vulnerable. undernoufished and iI fiii!heL;"~';; .. Af,?labt" added that: the He notei1 that, another scedrop m agncultural produc- "",'< magrutude at which" ~linlate '""~' tiario is where the effects of tivity would" surely "1Iffi:ct the change unpacts Qn any SOCI"~:"' cUmate chanse on the vulnergrowth of the society. '';' depends on Its le~e~.?f ~In~~~ "., a6'jji/y __of' food systems
FAO Moves-tO Conf~j<;at1I~ Epidemic are also parti~;patini- b;, th~ ,,- precise understanding of its tearn of animal health specialists from the Fond _ roj,ssion;"Whichj~'eollabota:' '""genetic make-up will allow and . Agriculture ~t~"('ff'or( -",.North North Korea to identify the Organisation (FAO) and __ Koll'onrea "\'11" ••._," '"' - -, . • most appropriate and effective the World Organisation for . vaccines to use. s Animal Health (OlE) has The aGi; 9fflIe.nri.s(iiiJD·is to The mission, which started arrived in North. Korea to assist assess -the 'si{ua!iort:;'oit tl)e 28 February, will last approxiveterinary auth<iitj~,.Jhere in ground in order 1~:P.ovide's1tmately 10-14 days. respondmg to oudiitllks of uallon-speclfic "gUIdanCe and 'ghly contagious foot-and-Mouth disease technical assistance to North:~ g cattle, bufamong pigs wid cattle. Ko vetelinary officials to.' ts, swine and The group consists of a vetbel . O(ltain out , ., . en-hoofed animaIs. It erinarian specializing in FMD ~d. . _ er spread'o "tht;~. ~does 'not pose a direct health and trans-boundary animal dIsease.'"' i.::"" 'c:fi« ". ___ ~ d,h~l&'to humans, but affected diseases, a logistics officer and The FAO'Om teanF wIll . "~s become too weak to be a laboratory technician fielded used to plough the soil or reap also help the DPRK, with by FAO, and a veterinarian longer-tenm prevenbon planharvests and farmers cannot specialist in disease managening. For example,. testing sell the' milk they produce, ment from OlE. . samples of the vrrus mv~lved which can severely impact DPRK veterinary officials m the outbreaks to acqUIre a household food security.
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become visible when arable land is lost because when the Elli1h's oceans expand, there will be rise in the sea levels thu~ reducing the amount of land available for agriculture. This. according to him. may lead to aridity of the soil or increasing levels of saline and also reducing suitability of land for cultivation of crops. While calling for the international cooperation among the countries of the world to address the climactic changes that affects fond production, Afolahi said that, such step" would assist the famers to be alive to the ranging issue of climatic changes as its affects their productivity. He also said that, public awareness should be intensified on the adaptation of the climate changes as implications of climate change on farming is made available to those who will be first affected. Earlier, the Acting Executive Director of ARMTI Dr. Oladele Windapo said the essence of the lecture is to bring stakeholder in the agricultural sector to brainstonn and solutions to problems affecting the sector . He however said that, the lecture was in fulfillment of ARMTI mandate which is expected to contribute to policy development which would enhance better management of the agricultural and rural sector .