'tuesday, July 19, 2011
THlSDAY, Vol. 16, No. 5930, klage 39
BusinessWORLD agnc Agric: Minister Promises Youths Employment rma Nillional Co-onlilllUoe Nwional Prog~.unme for Food Security (FADAMA UI) , and the new MinisU!r of SUlie for AgriC1J llU rt:. and Rwal Development, Alhaji Bukarlijani lui<; promised to ensure thai N igerian to:rning unemployoo youths are employed. lijani, who explained thm the emplo)'I1I01t will come mainly frum agriC1Jlt un:., said
F1
From Yemi Akinsuyi I.AbY>
by the. time the fedcral ministel" re5umes olfioc:, the duo will stwt the. implcmcntlllion in essence. In his ...."O!ds: "1' m u good team player to tOOse who an: playeJ!i. I am here to muke II change in agric sector because 1hiNe alW.l)'s I»."fl pan of yoo and I UIIl say t~ I know
some of the major problems the ministry is fa:ing. We should WI)f\: togdhcrto make s un:: thai. our teemi ng youths are enlployed to the rune of 78 percmt." Speuki ng on the ultrunment of the Vis ion 2020-20 Goal Wld Millennium Oeve\opment Goo! (MIXi) Vision 2015, the new Minister of Stlle said si nce
!!II
ot ha- ministries and Fcdc:rd! Gov(7nmalt agencies
an: looking up to Agric min· istry, al l stnlf, from the dim::· tors to the lea<it, should all \\'01\: togdha to ensure thill the \'ision is ochic\'oo. Be promised his ministry's nalines.s to change the livelihood of NigaiatlS, especiuJ ly in the area of food serurity by
~isting bolh small ax! large. saJle farmers, as well as cnooumging local production o f rice, texlile rotton, wheat, and s ugar for export. "With the 10GlI production and <!"(jX)I'l aLion of some of lhese prodUC1S, the lXluntry will benefit and also rob off on the citi1i'nS' wdfure. This will be a:hieved by the co-
oper.ltio n of us al l and I am promising you thai llUJ still wil l be gi\lal ino:nti\·e. and proper wdlilre prlBge". While t~ng Pnsidcnt Goodhd JOnolhan IIIX.l Olha well IllCWIing Nigerians for his new ollice, Tijani promisro to puL in his best foc the benefil of the nalion ur.
laE&i!.
Trade and Investment Critical to Economic Devt - FG
T
he Minist!}' o f Tode and Inn!5tmell\ has said thm for Nigeria to achit:\'e any memingful o:conomic d.:velopment , it must a1dn:ss the d1aIlenges facing tr.ide and im'cStme::nt in the country. Mini ster of Tr.llk lind In v..-stment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, poin toJ out thai it ....p,b in oonsiOer-Jlion of this that hts Ministry is plan. ning str.llcgiatlly in wcas to ensure o.:onomil: growth and job cn:aion to Nigerians. lie made the statemen t during the official handing over o:n:mony by the Permanent Scaellll)' Dr. Abubakar ~1uhammad in the Ministry's Ue;rlquartCf5 in
Abuj' . ~ Minister st:f.O.l thaI their miSSIOn was to Lr.lfISfonn and rci"OC1JS the new t-,'Iinistry and CflSun::: that it takes its nghtful plla as the dn'"cr of the Nlgeriatl economy. He said lh<lt sustenance of the cmnomy gro...."lh nod jobs =ion ~uin::: a new way of th inkmg, so me reforms and s tructural dlilll~(:$ lIS wdl lIS finding cn::lhve solu tion to challenges. Ao.::onling to him , ''the Mini stry shoul d be. the hi:!rt o f tbe. economy and in fna: it is the: case in many dcvclopa:! and developing OOW1tncs al l over the world say ing that there is a lot 10 do. ·'We do not have much time which 1llClJ1S tM il cannot be bus iness us usual.
lk worl.:. has to
~tart
now,"
he stressed. In hi s
remarks, the ~linistt2"ofStl.ih!, Dr. Samuel Ortom stated that Nigeria has human and nlilural n:soun:r::s to tr.llisform the mu nt ry into amiable st:lle, addill~ that everybody in the M tn ist!}' has to brace up to the dt.:t.llenge oftnillsfumJal ion agen. da of Mr. PR:iidenl. Enrlier. the Permanent S(Odary, Dr. Abubakar Muhammad in his hiloding 0\'<3" address said tll.:W. the tr:dc: and indus tri al po licy of the:: Ministry ""';I.) aochoiW on ilJl."ll"aSC in tlk: produC1ion capaci ty o~ the m~uficturi n.g Soctor, 111= no n-oil export earnings 0Wld decn:ase in impon of consumabl e items. He noted t hai. the Ministry'S mandate was to address the dlalknges to tr.a inlq,or,uion and ind ustrialiSalion with a vicw to gena-ate employmalt, 1«100::: poveny, oeaIe weal th and altrdl::t inves tment. Dr. Muhammad infomu:d the t\\o'O r-,'li nistCfS thai tbe. M inis try has an oulstanding liability of N2 15, 10I,446.03 011 sta/f's 0'10" time daims, tax liability, repatriation allowance and ht 28th days . He disclosed that the b<mk balance in the Mini stry'S ittOUnt as aI April 29, 201 I for ro.'linistl)"s personnd oost. O\'Oheai, C1pit.al, FPIS overhead lICCOUnt and Ministry's graru ity was
N2.n ,863,340.63.
• L·R; MarI.zJiJ,g MWlllgrr, Classic Btn~ragn Nigtria umikd, Bt lWl11 AbruJlIIlII;-C'*fOFraJiJ'g Officu, Clauil::: Beruugn NiguUJ umiud, I'rn},/mJ I(. GWlgadluuum,Mr. Ntl"Wuio E~kdih andGillual AlulIIIgu Muriaorillg, I)a.'!! \"tm R'"rburJ:, as .. cht qut ofNl1ll il.' Iuullf JlnUu/· td ((J"~ M iss l.aaiRra by Illt mlJllIIgt"~11l oj of /~ compw'y ill l.ngl)J ,"I'lu/y.
South Sudan Naturally Endowed for Sustainable Growth Through Agriculture
F
AD land rover survey s hows just 4.5 penx:nt rum:ntly used for fann· ing As South Sud:lll cclebrJles
World Food Prices Climb on Sugar, Dairy Costs, Stoking Inflation Pressure
W
orld food prieo> lOS<:: in June as the cost of sugar, meat and dairy irxn::ased. aiding to infillionaJ)' pl\!Ssure tM has promp t<:d ttn tral banks IOOSS the world to r.u se interest r:ilC;;. An index of 55 food oom· modi ties rose to 233.8 points limn 231.4 pointS in May, the Uni ted NllLions' Food and AgriC1J lt ure ()q;anil'llion said in Ii R.-pon on ilS wd:lsite =tly. 1llc gaugedimbaJ to an all· time hi g h of 237.7 in Fi::bru:uy. Food will remai n ros tl y in the ncJ(t fcw years and pricx: swi ngs will be around "fol" a long time," Jose Gra:riano cia SilV:J, the FAD's director-genera.l had said. The Europe.1n Centro) Bri: raised r.lIes today for the second ti me thi s yl:OJi"aod China did so for the thin:ltime yc:stmlay in a bid to oontrol inflaion p:u1ly bl:JffiOO on
food rusts. ·'Y,\:;'re 001 yet SC!eing any
break," Abdolre:t.aAbbassian. a senior cmnomist at Ihe FAD , said tllelt. ·"Almost in C\'cry wunuy, including in Europe, the issue of higher food prices has already bcmme tangible." The prioe of staple foods includi ng wm will more than double in t.....o decades wit hout action, Oxfant Intonational said in May. World food OUtput wil l have to ri se 70 pero!IlI by 2050 as the global populillion dimbs to 9.2 billion from un estimated 6.9 b illion in 2010, the FAD I!5timall'S. Agricultuml Output Growth in agricultural OUtpul will slow 10 1.7 per-
emt a y!:a: through 2:020, wmpam:! with 2.6 pacx:nt in the previous ~, FAD :lnd the Paris- based OrganiT<I1ion for Economic Cooprro!lion :md
[)e..'dopment said in a report las t month. " The questioll of how to s:lIisfy the food nctds of an expanding popul ation wi th ever more so phistiCllcd tastes and an increasingl y unified mode of consumpti on is gel ting even more pn:ssi ng," analysts Venlnique Riches- Flores :Iud lnic de Gaizaill at Societe Qnera.le SA WTOIe in Ii n:pon yester-
"y.
TIle FAD sugar inde.~ jumped 15 pennLt to 357.7 points, us production in Brollil , the ,",'Orld's hugot produa::::r of the sweetener, is fonx:;ast to full below last yea's It:\'d, the FAD said. That lifted the O1tire food index, Abbassian said. Raw sugar futures j umped 14 per. emt in Ncw Vort.: last mooth. "1b!! sulprise VI'aS SlIgar," -; Abbassian said. "If it wasn't for sug:ll" we would Wlainly sec:l docIine.
ilSiT~,theworld's
llC'o\·est naLion f.u:s many dtallenges in building a s trong and st.able OXl/lOmy tlla s upports the food SCUlrityand livel ihoods of its populillion. FAD h as been :JL1ivcly wort.:ing in Sou th Sudan und s tands ready to funhtt ~ ist the world's newest n:w.ion to lkvdop Ii strong lind sustain· able agricultural sator. The UN agency has dmwn up a $50 million Interim Assistance Plan ( lAP) forthe agriC1JlturuJ sector that will build C:iplDty in ministaial :JLld Sl<I\e ugriC1J ltuml eJltension offices, mediate to pn:VOlt wnnil.1 oYer waler n!'iOUltlS and Ut:velop the li votodi: sectOI". The l<\p will contribute to ttL.:: new governmen t's ovoail development ploo for Sou th SI.Kbl."The interim plan also includes the est:mlishment of :I :>o:::d produaion 5eOor and an wban and peri-UIban agri· C1Jiture component as many relUmees 3/llve ill the CVital Juoo :mel OIha major towns in South Sudan and will tia!d to produa:: as mudt as their own food as poss ible. ' South Sudan is eno rmously ridt in tams of naturd! resoun:es, and with 95 pc:ttUlt of tlte popU lat ion
depolliem on them fOI" sur"ivai, it h.a$ huge pot(Sltiai for suslainable g rowth through agriC1J itllle' said George Okech, I·lead of Office, FAD South Sudan. FAO C1Jm:ntly manDge5 a $61 mill ion emagrocy JdLabilitOlion programme in Suuth Sudan that: h as already
hd perl 250 (XX)
rttUl'TlOC
and
internally displaw:l households who f10J thei r farms during the oonflict Mum to agr1Q1ltulC. as ....-eJ l as vulncs· able households who are hasting the relUmoe.s. The suppo" offered includes training young pMpic in FalTner Field Schools and building administr<llivc capacity. In addit ion, as pat of the Agenl.y'S s uppon effon to the new naaion, FAD rW!luly auried ou t an /:.I(t=iYe SllId· lite laod oover s urvey thlll showoo just 4.5 pau':nt of the available land was curII!fItly underC1Jlt.ivation. ·Cbis dala was then verified on the ~mund by local etperts usmg GPS. 1be sur\'e)' \\'as CIlried OUt wi th the s upport of the €20.6 million EU· funded Sudan Insti tuti o nal Capa..ity Programme: Food Sa:urity Infonnalion for Action. The objeal\"C of the landro\'er survey wa<; to identify
the dis tribution of majol" agnC1JJturJ land, as well ~ o ther nOlural resouro!S, includi ng for.!St, grazing pasture:. and ri\'as. "TIle launch of the landCOVO'" dalabasc could not hav.:oomelll a bd ta time ior tlte new nation of South Sudan' , said Jolul ChllOl Dhol, South Sudwl's Direcl.or G.:ncral for Agriculture Production. Not only is the survey Ii new robust method for devclClping an intpro\'~ agrirultural dala coJ1 eaion sys tan, it could also lay the foundation for a new SySt011 of natumJ resourt-es monitor· ing and a.:l as a useful tool for food l>CO.lrily monitoring. A ....'O!'kshop to prescntthe outputs and re5ults of the Innd-rovO' d.:iJ.abase, organiz.::d by the South S udan Go\,anment and FAD, will be held in Juba, South Sudan, in AUgust 20 11. FAO ""'ill be discussing its 550 million Int erim Assistance Plan (lAP) for the agricultural Sl2:1or with tlollOlS in Augus t in the. hope of .so:uring funding foc thi s imponant progrnmme. FAD donors in South Sudan indude Canaia, the EU (Edlo) CERF,lheCommon Humanitarian FWld, Fr..dKl:. Spain. Swiru::r1and.