THISDAY · THURSDAY,JUNE 21.2012
36
BUSINESSWO RLD
DEVELOPMENT
DIGNITY INFARMING
--------------------------------------------------------Stakeholders Highlight Agricultural Sector Revenue Potentials Ahlmbola Ak1Isilf ard
day. m a country
Comfort Umoren
with the largest arable land in suboSaharan AfrioI_ natwal re9OW'Ce placEs the (WIlby m 11 vrtaI platform to engendeT sodo-eronomk de\~ in order 10 reYelie
Stllkeholders rea ntly can\(' together to rug IUgh! the
cruaaI tmpoWJ1Ct of gm~ menl and pCl 1\1' J'H"eStment
in agriculture as I polt.'ntiaJ fe','enue earru~r J ntl means of generalinE efrlrloyment
Eor millions of ftTiployed youths in the colirllry_ "The role of a81~JJbJre in rransJonnmg lU1d jevel.optng Ihe economy nC1\
I~eria
and
manyroore .....ere tlJ'c!highbghl!;
al thr BUSln·~I)1\I Agric bUSU'1e5S and fo¢:f SKUrity sumnlil. lhe e\'tnl,' hi~1 1 ....as supponed by Bntislf -I,mmcan TobiJCal Nig~,1 IBAlN), had il them,. • Enhimctng Agricultural \ :ham for Eronomk Pm-pef tty", which tooK pIlla! 011 \ 'i(1I ora Island, Lagos, ~t1 RecEnt studies 1)1\1' shown thai around 70 t'J cent of Nigerians Ii,,! be 0''' 52 per
al,l ...
t
bl~
nus
... """""",,",,"'-
almost e\'8)' food ilen-~ of exporting !oJ other" nations of tlw world. • Agriculture is said to have
tho.-
~'e"
of not only provid-
mg employmmt opportunities but aI!u has a poImtia1ly streng linkage effe:t on the re5t d the l!WIuny as it provides it5
m:.n
pr>""Sl'QSOO operabons to
post
Netherlands include the resu:s-
Itt 8Kh prodlx:l' and mapping out w;,ys to use JlliI.'ICimalIy !hi.' ecmomic advantnges derivable to drive growth and ~ Stakeholders prere11 at !he
The Nelherlands govemmmt at state and federaJ~. with latmer.i. production bodies and civil sodeties coming together to put n'SOUm'S on how to
d~ how the coontry can go be)uld just depending on oil and explon! ttus nch but neglected sedor In his goodwilllt'leS&tg'e.lhe Ambassador for Netherlands
enhance the sector Vlil trauung farmers, provkI' I for farming.:l~
sununit also
in Ntgeria. His ~ Arie
Van <ler wiel. stared that the agricultural sector was one of the top ten sectors to be expbtl'd by oiIJ1y IXIUIlby wttiI desires m:nomIC growth and de\'elopm~t.
!Iei'I:Sm aperaticlm. engagement
He itdded lhat his country
for suppt.lrt services for land
has a good relationship and co-operation with Nigeria
pn-parabM. seed prodUCbOll,. pliml breeding. Iabow: fll'lilnCt',. transportation, marketing amnngsi. others. Therefore. Ctlncerted effort shuuld be put in place to de'o'elop and use the sector as of platform for attaining t.'OlnCmiI:: success especially in
i..-Ientifytng Ct!rtain vaJue dlam
on ime;tment, lIIgricuiture. and food productIOn ISSue; by working closely with the Nigerian go\-emment and other pri"'a!l' bodies on a Public-Pm'ate Partnership (pPp) programme_ The "greement. he .$;lid, had been embarked upon by
- --I _____,____________________
.~
This, he said, has made the country number one III the exporting el horticulture and nunb!r hYo U1 a:griruJture and food production worldwide. "Nigeria is iI big country that has a huge potenb.al to . provide worldwide needs, it ~
I1l'8:is fT1Cft' impnJo.oe:I
and sustainable food production faCIlities and proper soil management in place b:t crder 10 increase its production output and that is whot we intend to bring to Nigeria via lim pdrtnership," he added.. lHlSDAY gaih'm:l IhaI Dne progr.unmes put in place by The> Nethedards 10 eMara: the sedor ~ alreJdy in progre!5 in
Nigeria. tn' d which is the c& SilVa ~
implemented by DATCO, wtuch deals with
big mobile processing Wlits
Gombe Approves N588.8tn fur Rural Devt ~~.ofad eJi
c.ume 5&a1l!::,
If'll$l(n!J"
for Rural [)ey, 10 mt!nl and Cooperall .. es. H 1 Hassan Ahmadu.. I'l'I.:edy n ~ the apprt'\'al 'J: 8 miDion for the procut>'mll 11 o}f "Iral JeI'elc:>pment • qut ;'lIlenl. The
madllllt?i!-
II,)
b.!
procured an: 1Jlick' ler5. roUer<;, gradt.!'" l\c" nltors.
loaden. trucks. cranes, \Wlrer tanJ.ns. Toyota Hilwc va.ll5. 1net;11 panels ror culverts and tools U ooJ\'v duty mac:tur.s. P.•.wrding 10 the Cotnrn6sioner; punnaslI1g IIliIChinerv would help gCl\'emment S1\·e fun.;b .IS they ","WId
be han.I)
for r J'OSeo."llting <.('TI1f: nmd W(\T k! Uut lloukl have ~ cof\uo.c~ .:out H., :>i!Id the ITIolIfunes w,JUld a!sl. t'oust >jO\l!nUTlllt ~ e/mnoo;
job CIftltlon as indJgene 01 illly particular;llre1l WQUId be engage:! anytime Ihere fi waX to do. " More communities would be opened up with IOiIds am:II!i5 the state 10 spee::I up ~I effC'rts borne lit
out
ellhe G;,.,1!UlOf" .. p.:!!tSIDI"I
to iITIf'tm ~. t!1l' :..dha:nJflUc: well ~n .:: o r the ~ lple and in ke.:pUlg Jlllth It ith his ekctianeerin~
promises." expl:llned Ahmadu
"""<On ........ the orgarusaIn this ~
tim gee 10 villages in Nlgrria to gather and pnxe!i5 OiI!l5iIva ~ to cassava cakes. which extends the durability of the cas5J\"a from 2 days 10 2 years.
which can be used M cassava flour. gfucose production. etc. N'"rgeria was formerly tn' d the highest cocoa producers until the dtslDvery ol oil whim It'd to the abandonment and collilfl'll' of tht> nx:ua mduslly m favour of qUickt!r money and a Ol'Wet resource Somt' mllJOr prqec15 embarked upon by The
citation of tht, oocoa industry via the oocoa programme, whidt would lake 5 years; 1111 investment faOlity programme wherr the European country provides subsidy (OJ" small PPP in poultry. horticulture, slaughter houS!.' etc_
Speaking on fre oYer.lIl rost of these pmjects, the llJ1lbassl. cb~that~s
im"eStmmt can be valued at 40 mIIIim eutU'l. adcfing that otre private bodies like DATeO, Nigeria 8rewenes PIc etc have invested more. As pirt of its socialmvestne\t in agncultwe., the &erutrve 0lrect0I; Briti:!;h.Americ:an Tobacco Nigeria, Foundallon {BA1NF}, M< """" ........" discio!lt'd thai the fuundation has taken a slep in the right dil'1!Ction by investing in the agnculturaJ sector. He advised that the positive results and acJueyemt'flis
--"'" ""'"'" be""""..-d_"" by government at all leveis,
the organised private sector oper.ttOfS in order to adtieve a broader and wXie- result for the benefit of our COWltry. "'Our approach I!I in aduevIng a value adding and \·alue chain development, and we have ~ed in ~ up 101 (OtIage ~ industrie5
for C3li5ilV/I and pillm oil processing In 11 slates in the country since OUf nine years of existence.
he added.. Tbikunle spoke on the agriculturaJ tl'Chnology transfer and Cilpadty building whKp invol\"e5 the Introduction of new and impn;Jved agn:uJtwaI
''''''''''og;"
According to hllTl. this is adaptable and easily adopted r.nd also involves the provisial of impnwed agro-inputs, te:hna:aI ~ sIDr.rge. and market intelligence. In the BATNF programme. farmers are grouped and trained on an on-farm field With distributed inputs and C05L Upon harvesttng and rna.rketing. the benefitttng
farmers pool their
ea~
together 111 a group bank account in preparation for the next season. This i5 repealed O\-er ill period of J famung seasons, after which most of the fanners will ha\-e enough resourt:t:s to 5lart up ill project of their own. "ThiS appro.1Ch has been earned oul successfully in Ago-Are commurut~.. In Dyo sta~ faJ"lo'l CXJmmunity in
N"rge
state. Onunwakpu-Igbmgu in Ebony{ state while projects in ZangtHIl·o community In Kaduna stillte. Kamba and Zagga communities in Ket>bi stires are on-going. ~ Iblkunle
"",I,,,,,,, In enhancing and further
engendenng G1ptKlty buildIng in the sedor; BATNF had partnered with \'/lnOl!:; ~tur.llI'eSl'iUdlInsbtua5.
"'ll'rShas~Tlefi'e:ts
agencies. iIInd organisations
in areas of prumotmg Uldigenous agricultural equipmell fabncation. seed and ~ prcduction enterpriJe as _II as providing indirectly, ~ to dean .....aler and opportunities to eslablish businesses. ~
~ of which include tlw !ntematinru\l IMtitute of Tropical Agricuih.lre ( IITA )
In Ib.adan. imd the Nabonlli Cereals Research Institute m &deggl among othef5.