24-Van9uard~ FRIDAY~JUNE 1~2012
BUSINESS/ AGRICULTURE
------------~~~~~~~~~~-----------BRIE F
Farmers need inputs now to avoid food crisis -Mafindi BABATU :JE JIMOH v.'ith OgEnCCITeport
A UiAJl Jlbaji Thfida Ma I he owner of FAMAG-J 6.L farms, has commended the Federal Government's Crow h Enhancement Support Scheme (CESS) or thee-wallet programme The large s.:ale fanner in the country S&d u laudable as the program 15 lb.lt lhere is need to pay attentlon to distn"bubon of farm input:; to fanners this year. In a mo"e ;timed at driving the transform IlIOn agenda. the agric mill!5tr I is focusing on ensunng tha! larmers get the agncullural irputs necessary to increase their lroductivity. profitability and laave the poorest of our people out of the shackles of poverty Accotdtrrg t) :be Mirusler of Agricultural Lnd Rnra.I Development. AkillWUOmi Adesina. "Under til!" n..... ' fertiliz.er poU· cy, we have n oYed away from Oat price subsidy to targeted support - W let we are call Growth Enha Kernent Support - directly to -each 20 million ~indl,
the pnvate sector and the dIstribution will be done and the subsidy will get to the real farmers Before now, the subsidy gets to 11% of fanners while the remaining 89% goes anywhere. All this is go1Og to change with the new policy AlhaJi Mafindj said with Ute good intention of the government. that a big llllStake as been made for this year which need to be rectified on tune to avert food crisis in the country "We have made a mistake this year; becausethehandllngwas not done properly, we bave to qwckly call the altention of whoever is concern to look at it in such a way that agriculture can be readjusted quickly, becauseweexpected rain tocome in June/July, but the rain came early, He said the fertilizers are not available for the farmers to use now that the nUn has come ear1y Just as other fann mputs like tbe seeds and tractors are not
there. "so Uus year. though we are not praying for bad luck. but we may end up not producing what we use to produce.. "And II we don't produce what we use to, it means, the consumer or the common man in Nigeria will forthefint time know that the government bas not taken careoflhern. because beforewhen agncultural products come to the mark.et, nobody cares wbat the government Is domg or what they are domgWlIhOiJ. revenue, because the common man is satisfied with the food he IS getting." afimti explained that a visit to some farms will show the enormity of the problem at hand "if you go to ten fanns today, you will find that about elghl are not cultiva\ed up till now and you know that the nulnent we get come from the hannatlan and so grasses havegrown where you
M
are suppose:i to have mau.e, groundnuts and gwnea corns and we have no fertilizers to supplement when the farmers areable to fann .. H e added -roday, there is nowhere you don't h ave grass grown to half a meter. we are supposed 10 have crops and not grass to thaI level If you go to Katsma where the rain used to come in JuJy. It came in April and may, not that we are not informed as the meteorolDglcal unit bas informed since December that there will be early rain. and they advised those 10 charge of agriculture and fanners: to take note, but from look of things they dId not act He. therefore. appeal to those lnvolved to mobilize whoever IS given the authority to provide the fanneB fertilizers, "so that the farmers can get the fertilizer as we are ta.Uang and not wait tillJillle or JuJy as they are expected to get It through ewallel"
fanners," The rrunister revealed that the
Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) is a policy and pragmatic sh..ft witlun the exIsting FerWiz~ Marltet Stabilization ProgTilDlme that places theresowceomstrained farmer at its centtr through the pl'OVlSlon of SHies of incentives to encourage hoe critical actors in the fertlliz,';I' value chain to work togethe to improve productivity, bou:.ehold food security and income of the farmer.
In
tus modem ebattOlr in Ahuja
'0'
H", <ldd""CI 'j[ there 15 a' subsidy, il wiil go to the re..J user of the sui s.d\" Dot 011.511\•• Uon wbe..~ sonebody IS glv!':t contract 10 sUl'PIy fertilizer 8.,1 he ends up u ppJ}ing rubbls~ and pocltt"un'l :he bulk of the monE\' "Today, be r!rli1z.ers and olll· !'r fann mIJuls come throuqh
ProJecL -nusapp~chtogobackto
agriculture is sometrung that this country should adapt; I trunk that agncullure should take its righUul place to this country," He underscored the need 10 give the sector priority attention and to Ir8lJl people to produce enough food and generate employment for people. Tbe envoy saul that the younger generation in the country needed to understand that 011 and gas would one day dry up ~One day all wells will dry up while agriculture will always be a source of livelihood to the people of Nigena"
U AD U N A State Commis ~ioner lor Agnculture, Mr
Commerdalising
weekend, Mahndi said th~ govemmeut JoOlicy should be commend~ as .he pnvate sec· tal will take' hE! lead m a9r culture deve.o,ment in the rounuy "When"\'ie s'i~ agnculture IS g0l119 to be C( lLDlercall:z.ed It is no longer to be In concurrent list whert" tl.e three tier of government iJIT into it, but the pnvate sector -Nllliead the way as we are do ng now, so that wbalP.'ver!j 9 ling into the a'. "culture umt -rill be account'!d
"T'te Israeli Ambassador to 1. Nigeria, Mr Moshe Ram, bas commended tbe Niger Government's efforts to revamp its agricultural sectOt Ram gave tbe commendation in MIDna recently dUring the transplanting of the first seedlmgs under the Israeli Agricultural Humanitarian
Fertiliser: KDSG distributes 65,000 tonnes to farmers
o f agticu1 h..re Speaking ..... ilJ. Vanguard
Agriculture: Israeli Ambassador commends NigerGovt
Fishing: Chinese gradually taking over Nigerian waters " "e ChIef Execubve Officer 1. of Fib Marine, a subsidiary of Fikl 8al Internahona , Mr Taofiki BalogU.'I, has berated th"! rate at wtucb Chinese are commg to tbe Nigerian waters to fish at the expense of Nigenans, urging Nigerian government to explore its potential to the fullest for the benefit of the economy and J!~ -ttlzenryHe Said. -rhe Crunese are coming to fish in Ihe Nlgenan sea and it's unfortunate that they arl' cotrunq all the way from China to catch our fish When you get out Into the ocean from the bar-beach area about HX miles dow., Ihe
waler becomes navy blue With big sbark ,-n~lde "The fish catchtog boat are common in South Nnca, I am trYing to introduce it to Nlq~na, and I hav~JU5lthr"f fish..ng boall, we also havt: passenger boats that to; lake.. to tte beach, all our bNllS lH" well eqwpped, It has aI.! thf' navtgatlon aids, lh- VHF radi>, compass and all Olh,.safe'Y measures you can trunk oL \,~ also ensure that all our boa.5 hi!\'e more than one +;>nglne Incase one break down ~ Hf! said ~uslomerot who rented the llsh.mg boats are orondPd Wlth the rf'quued
personnel and eqwpment for the fisb catchIng tour, saflng thai the capaoty of passenger on the dual station-equipped hshlOg boat IS eight O8Ssenaer< Speaklnq With journalists TeC'e11UV Ul Ul'JOS. be dISclosed lbe' his I"ompa"y bas three fishma boats in stock. wruch are re;'led out for those who are tnleresl~ ut catchina fish. addmo tbat the boat has a de\'lc~ HI::J~ Definition System) utldem~ath With a morutor tbat made It possibll!' 10 s"e th" 11')wn of the sea clearly as aqdUlSl the orthod'lx method 'Jf thrOWing nel Into tbe water to catch fish
Ramalan Giwa dunng tbe week said that the government would dislnbute 65,000 tons of fertiltser to fanners in tbe state Giwa, who disclosed thiS ID Kaduna, saId tbat the fert:tl1ser was procured at the cost of r-n.2 billion Glwa said that 14,800 tOil:; of the fertiliser worth NI ,6b~1 110n wouJd be dlStnbuted W! der the Federal Government s Growth Enhancemer: Support Scheme ICESSI (>1 the e-wallet programme He added that the remaIn mg 50,200 tons would be solt' dIrecUy to the farmers The commissioner recalle' that the state governmeT' bad also . I'rocur ..... 65,000 tons of 'h .. :'ommod bes last yee.~ Already, Gov. Patnck .,." kowa bad launched the SClI., ofllie commodlfV for the 2011 farrmng season at a ceremOf'\ on Monday In Kaura Loc, Government lu'ea The gov'!mor assured fam, "'fS that Ihe statp had coouor fernltser tor sal"'O lannE"1"'l and 'hal Ihe ptlre had been Subsidised bv 50 ner cent