26-Vang u ard. FRfDA't JANUARY 27,
201 2
BUSINESS/ AGRICULTURE
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tlealthy seed yam technique brings benefits to fanners ICE RIA farmen are N getting cleaner seed yams that p rom ise better barvests in thcseasons ahead. thanks to the hea..lhy seed yarn productll9 tedutique by the In ternational ' nslltute of l!OPICal Agncul! JIC. The healthy s;eed yam producmg techn-q Ie m\'olv~ culling lubers 31 yam tnlO smallsi.zes orbet~een SO and tOO grams, treat..~1 Ulem wIth appropnate pe:,tlcides and U1Secucid~ beJo'e planting In Ekili 3tilte, a yam producmg reqlo'ln Nlgena, farmers who parLapated in the hea1tby yinl ~ rcj«1. tn 2011 now have enough seed yams to plant Uus SeasOII. Mr Moses Og lrlfl. a state exlenslorust .... bo 15 partnenng Wlth UTA sCler lists on thl!!: Protect. smd lann!1'i have more than doublec! their seed yams "Some larol m P anling 200 seed yams before now have enough to plant 500 heaps," be said "Also the q'JalJty ollhe seed yam!l15 very goo'ii. nd farm ers love the t~,~h,oiogy. t:e added Prelpfttd b, n » people ~ Wes A'ric 1, 1 ams are Imo." 3n· s Il rces I carboh"d a l "If I I h'" reulC' ",hie,. ace ~lUt ls OT more ihA
90 per cent of production But a major limitation to production has been the high cost of seed production, in additIon to pests and diseases, which lead to poor quality seed yam For many farmers. plant10g for the next croppmg season usually demands setting aside up '. 0 ooe-thlrd of harvest USing the improved technology can reduce thIs proportion. leaVlllg more yams to feed the family, while the better quality seed produces moresUU Bishop Samuel Oke of the Anglican Otocese of Ebu West said he was happy that hIS pansruoners particIpated 10 the proJect , ciling Its empow"rment potenlial especially for those hVlOg In the rural areas "The healthy seed yam production came at the nght tim'!! and It has produced ben-.fits, " he said To unprove the lJvehhoods of menbers of the church, the Angllcan Diocese of Ekiu West has embark~d on several agr cui u·a' programs mci Joe.; c~i'ad~)' buUdmg and tt!il.lO;' On~ ot th~ roo.; ules tor Ir~.ung planned o~tm ~ isUIE:healtnyseed ·dT 1~' nolo9"
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A fe w people that p articipated last y ear got benefits and we want more to benefit hence the need for training and awaren ess O(f this technology
,.<\ ew people that parlJClpated last yel!lr got benefit! and we want mor~ to ben"'ht hence t:'lt! need tor lIlUIllnr and a~'a·el est: of tlris tf" .. hnol~gy." Ott'sa.d ){Ptu·r.s from \'4015 hlllve bee:un presslve '\"erlheyears
as demand for the cro? cor.tinues togro"•. "Evervbod) 10 =kiti loves rams and the-i '!is! th .. crop mostly In pounded for. Again, we have neve. ex ~nence glut tn yam pn:jucbon which IS why we ;ee. most pe:lple should b~
encouraged to grow It," he explained Elsewhere In the state, farmers are equ611y reaplDg tbe benebts of thtl lDlproved techruque. Farmer AblOdun Falaki. a father of 3, SaId he could not be1Jeve lus harvest. "The harvest 15 so bountiful that my Wile and I are 10 awe \\O·e now have enough seed yams to plant next season,' Fatok1so!l1d. The healthv seed "am onx!Jction prOlect 15 suppOnd b} Ihe Uni:ed t\.,ngdom·, Department fc· .O!emall· naJ Developmer. ,C::-IOI moer ~he Rese6r~tl In l.ie (IHU programme
Africa needs 'local content' in diets FRICA need s to A relhmk its food Impor t burden and
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FG '11 ensure completion of ongoing silos projects -PermSec HE JleJeral Government will T ensure the com pletion of all ongoing silos projects across lbe country. Dr Ezek.iel Oyemomi, the Permanent Secret ary. Fed era.l MinhtTY or Agriculture and Rural Development . has promised Oyemomi. whfl made this known in #:buja , s41d the mmistn' had ordered cont actors han1fling the P"'I' cts to
go back to Site. "As you may have known, contracts were given out but we discovered that they were not executed with the speed we had expected, so we summoned the contractors and they had their own complaints" H e said that the government would pay them as soon as it recelved t.heu certificates of satisfactory completion of their jobs
Accordtng to him, the muustry has put in place a system for adequate monitoring and supervi.loD of tbe projects to ensure that they attamed 70 per cent completion by February. He also said that the co mpletion of the silos was part of the government's transformAtion agenda aimed at revolutionising agnculture to make II respond to emerging challenges.
consider 'local content· options. such as the Inclusion of cassava nour In wheat to reduce the rising import bills. says the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture's Ambassador, Former President Olusegun ObasanJo, The IITA Ambassador \!lews the 'local content' option as part of efforts to (ree up resources lor infrastructural development and poverty aLleviation in the continenL In 201 t, estimates show that Africa spent more than $50 billion on food Imports. The riling prices of food does not make the situation better in the years ahead, according to Dr. Akin Adesina. Ni!1eria's Agriculture Minister who 15 also an ecoooIDlSl "U we want to develop, we mu.t change our
consumplJon habIts We must consume what 15 our own. wha.! 15 around us m Africa . In Uus way. we will be able to make progress ," ObasanJo added As the President of Nigena between 1999 and 2007. Obasanjo promoted a 10 percent cassava inclUSion pollcy in wheat bread in an effort to promote agricultural growth And di.versify the economy The poUcy, backed by improved agricultural practices from rITA and national partners, increased cassava production in Nigeria by 10 million tons within 6 years, malang Nigeria the world's top producer of cassava. Building on that success, researchers [rom lITA. working in a pilotbakexy,haverabed cassava content in bread to .0 percent Wlthout compromising quality. Upon tasting the 40 percent cassava bread , Obasanjo exclaimed . "The taste is goodl"
"We need to p romote It to make people adopt and cOllSume It ~ he saId Besides rehe\'tng the burden on food imports the adoption of cassava flour offers several benefits to Africa It proml5es to make cassava competItive by creating markets for the root crop and offering faIr pnces to farme rs Wtth climate change taking a negallve taU on most grains, cassava production IS fast beconung an optIon. The crop's tolerance of extreme weather such as drought and Its ability to thnve on poor sous are increasln!11ts appeal. tn Nigeria. for mstance. the government estimates that the 40 percent Inclusion of cassava [lour in wheat bread could help the country save about N254 billion ($ 1,7 billion) annuaUy -But more than savmgs, thiS will also provide Jobs for our youths," said Adesllla