Vanguard.. FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2011 -45
BUSINESS/ AGRICULTURE
TEF to
in~est
$500m into agriculture
nence a revolution as the Tony ElulIlelu Foundation (TEF) is set 10 pump in $500 m.illion to boost actlVlties in the set.1.0l
cant percelllage 01 the teeming unemployed people. In tus WOlds, 'The world IS loong a potentially food secunty Clsis and I said 10 my tnends a.nd assOCIates 'team up wnlt mE: lets neale an lI.gr\c:uJturai revolution . I am 1'101 just telUng you to come
Totrus end, the Foundation has
and Invest; I am aJ.s.o [eddy to co.
enler-ed Into partnerslnp WIth some state governments for !he
investWllh you. Team up with me lets see bow we CAll do thiS ' and they are responding to IL Elumelu staled !.hilt the Foundation has appointed II consultant and spoken to m state governments who have promised
By ROSEMARY ONUO IIA .,.., [E lI.gncultuJal SeclOI
1.
In
Nigena Will soon ape-
~ocllnon oIlallds to cmnmence large scale agticu1tural aCDVllies In the country Mr. TOllY Elwnelu, Founder of 1"EF who disclosed tha to journalist In Lagos stated thut the world is polefllially faang a food security CIlsis ULe.'Ulwhile NigerIa hilS land that can feed the continent of Africa as well plOVlde employment to a Slgruh-
M
10 give 50 aaes of Lmd each, adding "And ow consultants are worlnng With the variow stille ministries to see how we can
make it happen. The Central &Ilk of Nigeria (eRN) c.ovemw
and 1 spoke, we have a milSter plan fOI agriculture revolu!lon In Nlgenll &0 we are llylng to see whal we wanl to do, so that together u '. a Win-Win fm lIyncu1ture and the country ElumelLl also 5tated that he hilS foreign lISSOCiales who hDve indrcated mterest thaI they Will like to Invest m Nigenan agncu1nual sector, as such the Foundabon bas been laUcmg to them, telling them that Nigena has III 101 of valuable 11lDd, water, the right chmate etc and they should come and invest III Nigeria, stabng MOtu land IS huge, come so that we can collecuvely delll with the wue of lood security and also engageoUl people.." On what thegovemruent should
do to make the country an attractive destmalJon 10l invE:5 tmenl, Elumelu stated that the government needs to tum Ule enVironment o!I;round. stabng that II IS po5Slbie and ocluevable \0 do so. ·'We hilVe to COnsider a1l the factors that can make us an atbactive deslUlation 101' investors wbo have capital 10 mvest; fOI lounsts who wants to VIsit the country, I!S wei! as IOf workers who want to work and grow a Cdleet' , My hope IS thaI In the neztlour years, the new government would pily strong anenlion to lhe ISSUe of competillveness and ease of doing business so that Nlgella Will become a good dE:5rinalion for investmenl," he stated
Rising cost s: Poultry farmers to hike prices of eggs, chicken By MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO
F tile threat of Poultry AssOCIation 01 Nlgena PAN to IncreMe the prices of thei, ploducts IS anYlhi ng to go by then the massa should gel ready to face conespondlllg increases in othel produclJl PAN on Monday alerted on an Impending ensis In the mdustry follOWing the ",,'jug (05t of leed and raw matenals III the country, which Iheycould adver.oely affecl the Dllllon's lood sectlnty In the 20 II season and beyond Lagos, South Wesl PAN Chairman, 01 Ayoola Odunllm while speaking with newsmen on the developmeDl_ ezpllllJled that the pores of maJor raw matenals used to make poultry feed had gone up by 100 per «nl In Ihe IMI SIX months, stating thai the anomaly mighl kIll the mdusll1' illIOI 'llllddy Ilddressed lIe sldted lIIat the poulny fllnuels hold enduled the Illcease Wlthoul nece$SiUiiy 1Jl creilSlng then puce.! of eggs and chicken, but might be forced to jack up theprice5 of Its produceil the situation pefSisled.
I
Major raw ma terials
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Oduntan who listed the major raw malenais to IIldude maIze. soya bean seed, soya bean meal, Wld the pnces hu slDce 111ceased Irom N44, 000 per lonne at the begmmng of the season 10 NIIO. 000 in Mily He said, Min the las t four mon ths, the poultry 'lldustry has loced a lot of uncC!ftajnty illld today il IS on the verge of collapse.. When we consJder that leed makes up 10 70 pel cent 01 the tolill cost of produCllon, II Ulen becomes clear that we mllY nl!t!d 10 Illcrease Ille pnces of eggs and chicken_ OdUDllI.Il said Ulat If the trend continued unabated most, If nOI all poultry filll/lli would have to ,oouce operations or close down with OVet two million NlgeriaJls III Ihe buslness of poUltry reanng sllllld to lose Ihen lob N
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"As busmess owneJS, we may
nol hllvf; other opllon than til lllc,ease the pnce5 01 ~95 and chicken to .emllln In bllSiDe5S, hesald. 'The pouluy Industry conSlimes about two million metnc lonnes of maue pel annum with the largesl quaJllity comJnglrom the northern pw-t 01 the country but Ule recent low pcoducnon 4Ild cost of tJdllSportal'Dn Irom the north bas afleeted poulll1' business, NOdullIan Ildded. The iUSOClallon, however called on the Federal Goventment to design lllld Implemenl a price guill'dIltee mt:chanism lor farmers 10 encourage high prodUcllon of the ce!em IlDd ban 1l'0zetJ cludt:en as Ihe Nigerian poultry Industry MIS potenlllllly major employer of labour in a condUci v e economic environment.