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FG earmarks NlObn for construction of fisheries harbour terminal in Lagos By OlASUNKANMI AKONI 'T'HE Federal Government .1 has earmarked N 10 billion for the construction of fisheries harbour terminal in Lagos aimed at boosting fisheries agriculture in Nigeria just as the sum of N3 million will be ·spent on establishment of farmers market. The Minister of state for Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Najeem Awodele disclosed at the weekend when he led a delegation of the ministry on a courtesy call to the office of Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State who was represented by Permanent Secretary. Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Dr. Yakuh Olajide during a one day inspection of various agriculture projects in the state. Awodele, accompanied by his large entourage of senior officers of the federal ministry who were received at the state ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative sald Lagos is too ,important to be left alone in the economy of the country, especially in the area of agriculture where the state itself is already doing welL He noted that the era of mono cultural economy had gone, where oil was the main focus, saying that there is no alternative to generating employment other than
agriculture. Awodele said: "The 'Federal Government is very keen about agriculture development in Lagos State, especially within the sub- sector of the state appellation as aquatic splendour. We are putting on
board Lagos fisheries harbour terminal, a project that will gulp over N 1 0 billion. "We are on the board with the dotting of Is and crossing of the Ts with the Federal Ministry of Transportation so that the necessary land will be released
to commence the project." He added that aside that, a contract was also awarded by FG for an input one stop shop at Ibeju Lekki saying that it is also on advanced stage of implementation which is aimed at developing input aspect
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Farmers more than double cassava yields Stories by
JIMOH BABATUNDE with agency reports
IGERIAN farmers have N more thal! .doubled the yield of cassava, tHanks to the Unleashing the Power of Cassava in Africa (UPoCA) project that is being implemented by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. Farmers in Ido communityin the southern state of Oy<>say yields rose from an average of 10 tons per hectare to more than 20 tons per hectare. "With local varieties, I used to harvest 10 tons per hectare but now, it is more than 20 tons per hectare," says Bashir Adesiyan, Chairman of the local chapter of the Nigerian Cassava Growers Association. "During the harvest period, other farmers accused me of applying juju-supernatural or magical powers-on the farm but I told them it was the improved cassava stems and tralning I got from lITA that has made my farm better," he adds. like Adesiyan, several other farmers in the community that participated in the project have witnessed increases in cassava
yield In 2009, the Ido community became a beneficiary of the lITA-UPoCA project which was part of the United States Agency for International Development's response to cushion the effect of the 2008 food crisis that resulted in riots in some parts of the world. Apart from Ido in Oyo state, other states that benefited from the project were Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Benue states. Farmers say the project has boosted the production of cassava with the avallability of improved cassava stems, making food more secure and generating wealth. Dr. Richardson Okechukwu, Deputy Manager for lITAUPoCA, says the success in Ido community is a replica of what has happened to the other states where the project was implemented. The lITA-UPoCA project's success coupled with last year's release "of new improved varieties gives Nigeria a positive outlook for cassava production. a country that is the world's largest· producer of cassava roots. The increase in yield has led to calls for increased processing machineS in tqe Ido community. The British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF)
has responded to the call with the donation of a cassava processing center to promote the processing of the crop. Mr. Benjamin Isola, Oribiyi 11, the Onido 01 Ido Land (Le., traditional chief of the
community) says, "This processing center came to us because of the intervention of IITA-UPoCA which led to increased cassava prodUction in our community." "The project has also benefited individual members of this community and we are happy," he adds.
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Awidele continued: "If we have this, the farmers will not run helter, skelter because they will have a place to get whatever they want or need and this will enhanced their own productivity, so we are mindful that all the states should be assisted in the area of input. because it's in the adequacy of input that will bring the required outcome. "Recently, too the FG awarded another contract. the farmers market. In the farmers market which is to cost about N3 Million, is a combination of input and output where you can get agriCUltural products. This is what is ohtainable in all advanced countries. What we are doing is an integration of intellectualism because we want each area to be developed. so that if you are talking about fisheries. yes you are responsible for developing fisheries and if you do not have them as ministry you have them as department" Be commended Lagos state government for blazing the trail in agricultural development and assured that the FG was ready to assist other states including Lagos to further take agriculture to the higher level in this present dispensation. Earlier, Dr. Olajide, while receiving the minister and his entourage reeled out various agricultural initiatives on course in the state which are currently generating employment for the teeming populace even as he stressed need for FG collaboration with the state government to further boost agriculture in the state. He said:" We have over a thousand viable agricultural cooperatives. our traditional cash crop is coconut. Agriculture is very important tools of the administration in ~agos state. 60 percent of Lagos is rural while 95 percent of the occupations of these people in the rural area are agriculture. thus when you look at these numbers you will see that in the 18 million population of Lagos state. we have over 10 million farmers in Lagos state who are directly or indirectly involved in agriculture .. " .
UK Government, Gates Foundation partner to support agricultural research Mitchell.
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HE Department for International Development (OFlD) and the Bill & Mefinda Gates Foundation recently announced a coordinated effort to reduce hunger and poverty in developing countries by supporting agricultural research projects to help small larmers increase their yields and incomes. DFID and the foundation will work together to identify the projects, and the foundation's Agricultural Development initiative will manage them. The collaboration will focus on dealing with the most serious threats to lood production in the developing world-such as crop diseases, pes,ts, poor soil quality, and extreme weather-and tackle
these threats from multiple angles to develop long-term, sustalnable solutions. Scientific research that helps fanners produce more and better food using fewer resources is critical for combating hunger. Fanners also need -access to newtools, better training, reliable markets, and supportive policies. However. insufficient attention and resources have been given to supporting this key poverty- and hungerwreducingresearch. "For many of the poorest people in Africa and Southern Asia, the crops they grow not only provide most of their food but also an important source of income. It's these people who are hit hardest by food price spikes," sald the UK's International Development Minister Andrew
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.., "Working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we can drive new ways to make direct iI.Jlprovements in people's lives, whether by making diseaseresistant crops more widely~ avallable so that small-scale farmers can grow and sell more. or by developing crops with added nutritional benefits that will give their families a better diet" This co-funding partnership comes as escalating food prices are putting millions at risk of hunger and malnutrition and threatening economic and social stabiliiy throughout the world. In January, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's price index hit an all-time high, with prices lor everything from rice to maize to sugar to meat surpassing 2008 levels.
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