Page 38, THISDAY, ,,01
15~_ No. 5~13
Tuesday, F!bruary 16, 2010
FAD Lauds Nigeria's Cassava Processing Project he visiting Food and A g ric u I -t u r e Organisation (FAO) Representati ve Dr. Adam Prakash has hailed the Cassava Processing P lant project established by Common Fund for Commodity (CFC) in coll aboration with Federal Ministry of Commerce , and Industry and International Institute of Tropical Agricu lture (IlTA) in
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By Crusoe Osagie Masaka and Kuje area of FCT and Nasarawa states. Prakash praised the Project Coordinator Professor Lateef Sannl of UTA and officials of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for their commitment and excellent execution of the projecl, adding
that the next line of intervention for the project will be facilitation of use of alternative energy such as solar for the operation of the cassava processing plant. He made the statement during the inspection of the processing plant in Masaka and Kuje area of FCT and Nasarawa State . He pointed out O,at therewas hope that cassava pellet would be used to fire the dry-
ing process .of gari production instead of using wood which has e nvironmental impact. He expressed satisfaction with the q uality of cassava fofo flour produced from the processing plant. Speaking further, Prakash disclosed that FAO would ensure that free interest loan for the 2nd intervention of the project stressing that
organisation is more interested in the happiness and fair treatment of farmers in the whole chain of Cassava value. Earlier, the proprietor of Joe Beg Baliu Cassava Processing Plant in Nasamwa state had solicited for financial support to expand the production of cassava flour, and expressed his appreciation to CFC , lITA and
Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry for the actualization of ' the Cassava proceSsing plant . On tlie entourage of' the FAD representative were Professor Oladimeji Sanni (IITA) , Mrs Omololu Opeowe FMCl , Mrs . Oluwatoyin Adetunjr (FJF)and Professor Gbolagade B . Ayoola President Farm & infraslructure foundation
... Frets over Lack of Support for Haiti
F
ood and Agriculture Oragnisation (FAO) Director-General Jacques Diouf has expressed alann at the lack of support for
Haiti's immediate agricultural needs. Speaking at a high-level meeting here to coordinate the UN Rome-based Agencies' efforts on behalf of Haiti's
medium and long-term recovery, Diouf said:
"At a time when Haiti is facing a major food crisis we are alarmed at the lack of support to the agricultural component of Ole (United Nation's) Flash Appeal.' The $575 million appeal called for $23 million for Haiti 's immediate agricultural needs. "But only eight percent of this sum has' so far been funded,' Diouf said. "The economic and social reconstruction
of
Haiti
requires a revival of food production and massive invest-
ment in rural areas," he said. Right noW;- he continued, "the immediate priority is support for the fann seasen that begins in March and accounts for more than 60 percent of the country's food production". FAO has already started to distribute seeds, fertilizer and tools to enable Haitian fanners to plant for the next harvest. Planted now, horticu ltural produce would be ready in only three months to provide beneficiaries and their communities with nutritious food for several
monOls , the Director-General said. Looking further ahead, he noted that a multidisciplinary team of FAO's top experts was about to leave Rome for Haiti to help the Agriculture Ministry formulate a medium and long-term agricultural recovery progranune. 'The Repub~c of Haiti will be requiring massive sustained international assistance for a long period in order to ... bring about sustainable growth that will dramatically reduce hunger and poverty: he declared. This would require the UN's Rome-based Agencies to better coordinate their efforts and to develop ex.isting synergies. ' In this spirit of enhaneed collaboration, 1 propose the creation of a Tripartite TaskForce grouping FAO, WFP and !FAD ... to support the
Government of Haiti in its efforts to revive its agricultural sector," he added. Before the earthquake, the $49 million programme implemented by FAO in support of the Haitian Government covered a whole range of expertise . which the organization offers in serving its member countries. . Other participants at the High-Level Meeting included Haiti 's Agriculture Minister Joanas Cue, WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran and IFAD President Kanayo Nwan2.e.
• L-R Manager Category Sal'oury; Nsima . " Supply Chain Director,Arthur Mamuvra and the Brand Building Manager, Bukola Sowumi, all of Uni/ever Nigeria Limited at the Knorr Cooking and Win Promo Family Picnic . . . recently in lAgos PHOTO: Olumide Hammed
Banana Yields: UTA Study Advocates Moderate Fertiliser Use
A
n International Institute. of Tropical Agriculture (UTA-led) fertilizer-use study _on East African highland bananas has shown that moderate application of mineral fertilisers could do uble the production of the crop. However. the study also found that majority of the banana grower.; in the region
ILRI, Others to Boost .An.iIi.tal Production housands of herders in arid -areas of northern Kenya will be able to purchase insurance po~cies for their ~ vestock , based on a first-Qf-its-kind programme in Africa that uses satellite images of grass and other vegetation that indicate whether drought will put their camels, cows, goats and sheep at risk of star-
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valion the International Live Stoch Research Institute (ILRJ)has said. ILRl said in a statement that the project was announced in northern Kenya's arid Marsabit District by the Nairobi-based Li vestock International ' Research Institute (lLRI), microfinance pioneer Equity Bank and African insurance . provider UAP Insurance Ltd, According to the institute, the index-based ~vestock insUrance programme will use satellite imagery to determine potential looses of ~vestock' forage and issue payouts to participating
herders when incidences of drought are expected to oocur. "If successful in the Marsahit District-where few of the
86,000 cattle and two million sheep and goat populations, valued at $67 million for milk and other products, are rarely slaUghtered-the {"'Ogram would be offered to millions of semi-nomadic pastoralists and ~ve stock k~pers in other parts of the east African region." ILRl said. ''Our agents will begin selling insurance po~cies baeked by UAP that for the first time will provide pastoral families in Kenya's remote . Marsabit District with a simple way to reduce their drought risk -the biggest threat to their cherished herds of catOe, sheep, goats, and camels-from devastating ~ ves and ~velil1oods," said Equity Bank Managing Director James Mwangi. "Livestock is 0", key asset for families in this region and securing this asset is critical to their ability to obtain credit and investments that can allow tl",m to grow and prosper." ILRl, which is part of the Consultative Group on International Agncultural Research (CGIAR), developed the project with partners at the Ministry of Development of Northern Kenya, Cornell
University, Syracuse University, the BASIS program at University ofWlSCOOSin, and the Lndex Insurance Innovation Initialive (14). , The project is funded by UK's Department for International Development (UKaid), United States Agency for International Development (USAlD), the¡ World Bank and Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSD Kenya). Jnsuring ~vestock <If pastoral families had been considered impossible due to the formidable challenges of verifying deaths of animals that regularly are moved over vast {mots of land in search of food. ILRl and its par1l1ers have overco<)1e this impediment by combining satel~te images of vegetation in the Marsabit District with monthly surveys of livestock deaths to pinpoint the , level of forage reduction that will
cause animals to rue. This program is different from all oO",rs because it does not pay clients based on the actual loss of theii ~vestock assets , but rather on indicators that the . animals are at risk of death.
do not use fertilizers, missing out on the opportunity to maximize the crop's food security and economic potentials. Over 70 million people in the East African highlands depend on banana as their primary source of food and income. UTA says.the USAJD-funded study carried out by UTA in nearly 200 fanner fields in Uganda - the second largest
producer and consumer of bananas in the world - showed that modest fertilizer use can significantly increase the crop's yield . . In Central Uganda , for example, annual yields doubled from 10 to 20 tonnes per hectare with modest fertilizer application. The research was led by Piet van Asten, llTA agronomist based in Uganda, and Lydia Wairegi, a PhD student at Makere University . "The application of fertilizers not o nly increases bunch weight but also shortens the crop cycle so the plants pro-
knowledge on fertilizer use , and the perceived negative effect on soil quality and on the taste of the bananas. To debunk the fatter, a related fanner sensory evaluation conducted by UTA and Uganda's National Agricu ltu ral Research Organization (NARO) showed that fertilizer use not o nly increased yields, but also improved the q uality of Ole fruit to make matooke - a popular local delicacy made from steamed bananas. The results of the evaluation indicated that fertilizer
treatment actually improved
packaging as the main reasons
the appearance, odor, texture, and overall acceptabil ity of the steamed bananas. Although, the study showed proof of the positive effect of fertilizers on banana production. van Asten cautions that fertilizer use has to be very strategic. For example, the practice only becomes more profitable when it is specific to a crop and a region , and targeted at only those nutrients that are most deficient. "Most farmers fo ll ow blanket fertilizer recommendations which can be very inefficient and therefore expensive. Fanners sliould apply only as much nutrient as needed for a realistic yield
for riot using fertilizers . They .al so indicated lack of ..=s' to credit facilities , limited
locality,' he says . . He added that another
duce more bunches in a year ll , says van Asten. ~ However, the study also found that less than 5 percent of the farmers apply fertilizer on their banana crop. The farmers cited high costs, erratic supply, and inconvenient
increase for their specific
consideration is distance to the markets . rrBananas are perishable and cosOy to transport because of their bulkiness. One needs to be close to the market to fetch a 'really good price. ' . " Uganda's production
zones are too far from markets, some more than 150 kilometers away. This leads to low banana prices at the farm gate. Fertilizer use in such cases becomes risky and, . therefore, may not be recommended." , he said. Fertilizers also help replace lost soiJ nutrients. For example, the study estimated that more than I 5 miU ion tons of potassium (K) are removed from the rural areas where the bananas are grown and transported to Kampala where most of the markets are. These nutrients are mined by farmers. but not immediately replaced . Over time, this could diminish the sOil's ability to profitably sustain banana production. To guide East African highland banana farmers , UTA and its partners have developed several site-specific recommendatio ns for the application of fertilizer based on the region and the distance to markets. The institute is also encouraging the private, public, and non-government sectors to address fertilizer packaging to suit the specific needs o f fanners .