THISDAY, Vol. 16, 1\0. 6042, Pa ge 39
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
9
BusinessW0RLD industry SMEDAN Partners Finn to Boost Agribusiness, MSMEs
T""""'"'"
he Small and Medium
Agency of ~ Nigeria has partnerM the Volunwy Service Overseas (VSO) to boost agribJsi:nc:ss and Mk-ro SmalI IIOd Medium Emerprises (MSfoo.1Es) in the. counuy, The Di~ General, SMEDAN, Mr. Muhammed Nadada Umar, said for Nigeria to become econooticaIJy .self(tliant and be me or the. runmt challenges bedevilling it such as unemployment, civil UIll'CSlS, and poYtr1Y,theagricullUr.ll seclOr and the MSME sub-sectofR15l be revr.'td as a m.1Uef of
wgen::y.
Umar made the as.smion while mziving a team from the VSO, an organis/llion v.hich was es&ablished to fight po\'Cf1)' IWI protectlhe rights of the disadvanmgcd in the socicsy using YOIunlCaS and suppon partners fi'om 8a05S the. \O,uk! III comIOOflIty exJenSioo services. This is expected 10 bring about tapid development in area<; of educalion, IIgriculrure. hc:aI~ and tcOOOmic emflO""-mnent. Umar pointed w[ thai de\oel-
By Crusot Osagit oprraII of small am !Tzdiwn entel'prises (Sfoo'IEs),c:spc:ciaIly in areas where the counuy has romparaDve advantage had Sllffered ue:mendous set-back aNing 10 NIgeria's O\w-n:liance moil. HoY.'e\'O', he said SMFDAN has flX:llSed on CfTIJIO""-mng tar-
get
uncmpIo:,'td groups sudI as
rural wom:n, wKJa.\'S, youths, f~ graduates and othe~ through its variousnureprc:ncuriaI training ~ ··We III SMEDAN have always WIlCd that PO\~ is exacedxuerj by the Iac:k. of access 10 inccme-generolJing oppxtunitics and the I:dr: of capacity 10 takeadvaruageofthc.m,Heoo:,a weU.deve1opc.d SME sector can hclpoornbatpovcny. ThaI. iswhy our Industrial [)evcloprnall Cc:nms and traditional clusaer grc.upi arc periodically impo\"Cd 10 ~ our trainees 10 C39C the bar.tiog of unemplo)"Cd ~ pie in our he said. ··Withoul B skill 10 fall back on,manyoftheman:leflwith no hope of surviv:ll and wwk! do
an)wg 10 pll food in Iheir swrnachs. Also, those who c:ngagc: in specialised WJ..Is, su::h as fanners and artisans, noed 10 be enc:ouroged 10 improve the SWIdard of their poduas and services 50 Ih:u they can earn more for Urirc:ffau:' he said, Eariic:r in his rtmarks, the Assislant Counlry Dim:tor of VSO, Mc. KayodeAkUvola, who led the delegation, poiruc:d OUI that it ~ imperative for VSO 10 paI1l1O" SMEDAN [0 explore opportunities for deYeloping a SlI'llIegic ool1aborudon twk!ing on the established JIII'lnership betwcaJ the: ' ~1aking Marlc:1S wort. for the Poor (MMW4P)' approach and SMEDAN's core goaJs and
-.
He said VSO, which has II \O,'cll-estllblished SC:QII~ Uvc:lihoods ProgtamlN and promotes moelihood opponunilies for the poor 10 bn:ak the. cycle of PO\-eI'1y, needed 10 c:xpkK the ad\'OC3C)' cwatunitie5 ....'Orkin! \O,~th the FMI::r.d Government and the Cc:ntral Bank of NiF. (CBN) inilia-lives in AgrirulllR; lIS well as shall: plans and ideas with sup-
pon """",. Meanwhile , the Markel Coordinator. r.. IMW4p' Ms. Bola Ojo, said VSO aims through i1:5 partnerShip v.ith SMEDAN, 10 play II key role III the agric:ul1Ur.ll scs;:U
ch:Ingc.
This, he~, \O,'as in life wilh
!he pesc:nt adminisU1uion's Trmsformation Agenda Ihrough marker deo.oelqJment approod1c:s and 1lSSCSSI'mtIS, irtJtnoentioos 10 address identified barrie~, ellCOW1lge en~pmx:ur.;hip, knowledge llWliIgement and impaa~
"Mae yoong people shook! be~ 1Otakc: B business
appuadt 10 agriculture just as fanners shook! be given all lhe necc:ssaJ)' support bocnuse despite all dE hard wed;. they put inlO fceding the nation. they remain !he IXJOI'eSI set of people in !he alumry. ~ don'l ha\oe any training on finaro; or insurara, and an: Id nbIe 10 kocp m:ord ofhow mu::h they expmcl on !heir businc::ssc:s or how rroch
they en;' she~. Sh.: Idio..I: HWe \0,'11111 them 10 m:NJ how importlilu they Bn:. TlCY neOO 10 be: appecia1ed an J compcflSlltcd, m3de 10 tmo:b:,und th.1I they can perram <J:'ner in their fields and impro\'t their yield Ihtough anm mily agriculrurnl eximsian ~!I'\'ia:s. Cons.equerdy, we need D 5C'!e how the pm"alt seclOr em be poised 10 become Imf'C ci\oe III ngnculture:' SI>. """""""" SMEHAt'\{'s business extc:nsion sr::rvlc!S :uK! 5Up(Xlf1 oerures. infom1alion suppon aftIU and ~ring and calJ'lciry blildmg. an of which address II-.c: barriers &ad by the poor in esmbI. sting!.O\3ll tusinesses.
society:.
Group Seeks Loans for Farmers to Figh t Poverty
T he
Di~tor GenetaI,
Nigerian
From TIll/de SQlllli
Capital
Devdopmenl Fund (NCDF), Babatunde Oro1lusi ,has aillcd on the Fcdc:rnI
In IbodQn
GovemmenIIO provide v.ocr'Cng capital for farmcn ard anisans in the COlliill)' if it is SCIlOU5 about aeating empIoymtnl and fightingpoveny, OraIusi, in IUs I:eynoCe address
1M II one day 5ClSitisation seminaT in Ibad:In foc b\ISI groups and woper.W1.oe societies, dcsaibcd farmcn and artisans as !he .. ~ drivM of Ihe economy v.'ho toil day and nighllOadd value 10 the productive sa1Cr" . He: also lisled four cribca.l ~ ()f intetvention by the Fund as provision of micro CRdiI, affMiabIe housing, heallhc:ar"e and lelecommuniations. ·'We ~ the govemmenl for lhe Youth Empowerment Scheme (YOU\VIIl) rcccu..ty bwdled by !he ~ BUllet INquid:ly add that thequid:esl way 10 alleviate PO\'Cf1y is 10 give loans as working capilllllOthe millionsof fanners and artisans in our viJ.. lages and rural CO'TlIOOnities" the [).G Wi in his ackRss ~ cd by an Execuri\oe Direccor of NCDF, Alhaji TaJudcal AbWlkarecm. OraIusi said the NCDF was fourKled tv.,!)'e3I'S ago top3l'tflCf the go\·e:mmenl as a privllle ~ agency with the mandaIe 10 creaIe emplo)'JT1aIt and alIeYi:lIc: ptY\'eI'\)'. Head ofFarmm Group in kio Local gO\'eI"TU11efIl in Oyo Saue.. Twnlyu Taiv.'O, described the NCDF as an a1lO11alive 10 g0vernment, and noted [ha[ the fail~ of govemmmI has made the !ic:fVias of the group very attr:K:Q\oe 10 people: in the runlI c0mmunities. Secretary Oyo Suue Agro Allied Coopamive Fannc:n Union, r..k Marnof Olawale, p-aised the SD'3lCKY endcned by the fund on JIO\'ef1y reduction. He said fanners an: discowuged \o"hen loans purnisallhon were 001 a\'3il:ible 00 time and ~ thai many )'OQIg people would be amaaed 10 agriculture with fa\'OUf'abIe conditions. " M lIII)' youths are llUrC:5led in farming WI they are dlscour-
Nestle, IITA, Processors PaJ.~er to Boost Starch Production
N
c:stIo! Nigeria has partneRd It-.c: Iruc:tn:uiOflal Insti:IuIe ()f Tropical Agriculrure (lITA), cassava £armes, and cassa\'3 processing in:IusIries, 10 boost smreh prodlK:tion in the counuy, In a suuemen[ made available 1.0 11llS1lA.Y, the company said olE
""""",,,p ... "''''''''' ,
1()1Ig-term and 5USIainable commercialpmduc:rionoChign.q..Wify cass;l\'B swdl in Nigeria. NCSIIc said !he project woukl focus on increasing the in::ome and food security of the rural pooc by lC:dtnically supporting smallholder formers in targcI 1XIfIU'TIWliric:s 10 ircea<;e ~lim per wUI area Ihi deo."eIop efficicnI martc:ts for cassava.. "1l1is couk! be: acruC'iat tIvoughtheSUSlainablesupplyof
By Crllsoe Osagit rutrn 10 targeeed asslwa swdl production industries 1.0 ena/:1£c: them 10 s:tIisfy NestIC's n:qu~ meJllS. Thv Iarge--scaIc industries _ MIUna Foods Company lid in Ai-ure, Ordo Stale, and Nigerian
Statcht.-Iills, llli,Anamtn State,
.ilJ"'~_;'''''w1~
chain project:' Nestle said. Accarlingto the manufaaurct, IITA \YOUki back-slOp Itae indusoies by developUlg cJUSlm of fannas and supplying them with cassa\'lI vanelies, which oontains the high smn:h contenl 10 less lhan 20 p!::fcenl dc:sUuI by It-.c: szan;h poducm. Ncsk $IlIIOd thai Ihe muki-
~ pannaship would fllClli&alc. ItE nuItipIicaUon and dissc:tninationofunptr.'td,hlgh
yielding, oommerciaIly \iable. disease resistant \'llrieties 10 dusIer Iim'Itn and Ihe associaI:-
"""""""""
It 5IrCS5t!d that the project \\'Olik! nlso expose smallOOIdcr fllfTT1CfS in mrgeteomrTllU1i[ic:s 10 improved managemenl practioes, saying all these \YOUk!
frican De\'elopmc:nt Bank
A pcr1
the impkmenaatioo of
the on.going A~ltwul
Transformation Agenda of the fi:daaJ Goo.'eI'1IfTW:tIl in ill; 2012 -
2O~ProgrB:k~·Resideni Repoesc:nwive in Nigeria: Ousrnane 1kR, made this known when he visited Minister of Agriculture: & Rural De\-elopmem, Dr. AkInwunmi Adesina. in his office. While m'iewing the Bank's existing SIOOm support for the agriI;ullllle SCCUlf in Nigeria. the
From l'ellli AkiIlSIlY; inA.""",
ro:um-
'"".
In addition 10 improving food SttUrity,NestIesaKI the: project is
flO''Cfty and by adding \-aJUe
expeGxi 10 r!duoe ~1o)m::11
1OalS5l\'a. 1b ~ !aq:t;-5Cl1e ernerpriscs
will p,vvide • martet for !he IUbers pro.:I~ by small-saJe ~,and thc~fm! raise pm. doctioll III aa: gr..LWOOCS \eI.-eI;' Nestle: <aid.
Agn·c Funds: FC Seeks Efficient Impl'~mentation
T"" """"""" ""'-or
Federal Minisuy Agriculture: and R~ Drevelopmenl. Dr. Ezeltiel O)'emorru, has c:aJled on the farm:n v.ho had earlief benefilltd from IIgritu1tun: inIen"mia! fundslOefticiendyutiliseil forltE gra.o.lh ollhe seaar and ensure adcquaIe food for bodllocal con5lIITl(Ition aid imrYYI Oyommi this is
m:dm
ADB to Assist Agric Transformation Agenda (AlDB) has plcdgallO sup-
address C'OfTlmOIl agronorruc in mia Ii) inc:rc3se yield per ht.aar"e as \\l:Il as creating dfc:ahoe ll:nkagcs and guar:JI1ll:C a sustainable SUWly or f'3W aJs 10 the cas.53\'3 5IlIICh indusemJI"S
From )'em; A killstlj'i lnA.bujQ
10 re:dn.u IWmpIoyn-.c:nl.deYel()pnem ()f va uc chain for staple ~ lOr whidl the n.Yicrl has COO1(IL'3lin~ advantage in Iem\5 of pnxluction c:qxaciIy and yield, He adecd [hal food and nutrition ~" job allJ wealth ~im, i!I1d tr.nsfMTlllim of Nigeria 10 a Iead.ng pI.ll)~ n the. gkblI martel. tap.lble of growing ~ 51..11bs&:wially for millions of th: fanoos wwk! abo be ~,
Fa- lhis InIIlSfonnation agenda 10 CQI1lC 1.0 rc:aIity, 0)'emOfl1i opined t/ul1h::re Wll5 need for an etWrir.g il'lSlilUtiooal ~, ~ of liIplieation. Hit j, for lhiSR!aSOfIand as pan of the CWlt!I1I go'iemmenl's dfCJl'1S :f I1lDonalising pnrast:nals, thai the on.going realignmc:rl and I!!-org:lnisatioo of departmenl and ag!f1l..ies in Ihe miniYry is being I:ZIIT1ild out as a 'NlIy of enhm:ing Iheir penmnartee, dimiR:H:ing duplicution v.ith". view 10 m3l.:ing !hem 1'DOR fCCUSJOjoo elf1Clc:nt servia: dcliYtty 1.0 Nisom furmers in Ihr:: spirit ofdwe mlll§{orm:uion ~ da;' Ir added