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FG Distributes Free Agricultural Inputs to Smallholder Farmers in Borno

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 The Federal Government has distributed free Agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers in Maiduguri, Borno, to boost Agricultural production in the state and Nigeria in general.

The Chief Information Officer, Mr Ezeaja Ikemefuna, in the ministry, made this known in a statement on Tuesday, in Abuja.

Ikemefuna said  Minister of State, Agriculture and Rural Development, Mustapha Shehuri, disclosed this at the roll out ceremony of the distribution of free agricultural inputs to farmers in Maiduguri.

He  quoted the minister as saying that the smallholder farmers operate on little but very significant plots of land for which they toiled all year round producing basic food and cash crops and contribute over 80 per cent to the national food supply.

Shehuri said the Federal Government would continue to support smallholder farmers as well as the physically challenged farmers in Borno, to boost Agricultural production in the state and Nigeria in general.

The minister added that the smallholder farmers would play a major role in ensuring food security and towards averting food scarcity in the 2021 dry season farming which is on-going.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that smallholder farmers must be supported with seeds, Agro chemicals and small Agro equipment to rekindle their hope and accelerate their recovery process from the economic loss suffered during the period of Pandemic.

“Extension Services has been rejigged to serve farmers so that there is seamless and unbroken food supply chain across the country.

“These efforts had since paid off as our food requirement is mostly produced locally with little or no consideration for food imports since COVID-19 set in,” he said.

The minister reiterated the commitment of the ministry towards making the country self sufficient in food production through appropriate Inputs distribution which are available to farmers on subsidy that ranges from 50 per cent to 100 per cent.

According to him, this initiative to a large extent has helped the farmers to increase their profits and earn income to families economically.

He observed that in spite of the security challenges in the state, farmers had demonstrated resilience by optimizing productivity to contribute to national food security.

Shehuri said that the Federal Government would continue to provide the much needed support to further encourage them towards boosting food production and providing rural infrastructure to support their efforts.

The minister further said that the Rural Infrastructures were mainly rural roads, solar boreholes, street lights and rural markets were distributed across the three senatorial districts.

” The items provided for farmers are ; certified Rice seeds – faro 44(24MT), Maize foundation seed (15MT), Cashew nuts (1,5MT) Groundnut foundation (2.5MT),Cashew seeds (1.5MT), Castor foundation (1MT), 3HP irrigation water pumps among others.

“It should be noted that this is 3rd in the series of the distribution of the Ministry’s palliative incentives to farmers in the North East after Gombe and Bauchi states that were just concluded last week.

“So far 12 states have benefitted Nationwide with quality Inputs to sustain the food production, create jobs and the grow the economy from rural base,” he said,

The minister disclosed that in the roll out distribution exercise, “at least 35 per cent of the agricultural inputs were targeted at women farmers in line with the targets set in our National Gender Plan and Policies aimed at ensuring increased opportunities for women.”

“This has been communicated to the Farmer Associations accordingly,” he said

He said the Lake Chad Research Institute, located in Maiduguri was available for state government and other stakeholders in application and updating of knowledge in key areas of Agriculture and also centre of excellence designated for wheat research in Sub Sahara Africa.

In his remark, Borno Gov. Prof. Babagana Zulum, represented by the Chief of Staff, Prof. Isa Hussein ,lauded the Agricultural policies and visionary leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari in the sector geared towards job creation, food sufficiency and economic growth .

He appealed to the farmers to make judicious use of the inputs strictly for farming and not to sale the Agricultural Inputs.

Speaking, Director, Federal Department of Agriculture in the Ministry, Mrs Karima Babangida, thanked  Zulum and other stakeholders for their support.

She urged the farmers to key in the value chain policy of the Ministry which is aimed towards achieving food sufficiency, increase earnings and job creation for the farmers.

In another development, the minister inaugurated the Bolari Rural Modern Market in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council.

At the event , he said that the modern market would ensure that the farmers had their food production at identified spots which would increase sales and earnings.

He also visited the Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri whose mandate is to improve the yield and disease resistance of Millet, Wheat and Barley and experiment different systems of farming in the north east to identify which one is suitable for each crop.

The minister asked the management of the institute to be self sufficient and explore alternative financial options of funding beyond focusing solely on budgetary allocation. (NAN)

Agriculture

Experts urge Media to Present Information on Genetically Modified Foods Objectively

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The  National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) has urged the media to stand in the communication gap in favour of biotechnology development n Nigeria, re-affirming the safety in the consumption of genetically modified foods.

Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, affirmed this during a one-day media field trip to NBRDA FARMS on Monday in Abuja.

The trip was organised by Open Forum On Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), an initiative of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).

“Today, you shall be visiting our TELA Maize farms. This provides an exciting opportunity to see for yourselves what we have been doing here and equally gather your findings on what you have seen today and then take back the message to the people to quell some of the miscommunications about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) crops.

“TELA Maize hybrid varieties were developed to address some of the pressing challenges facing our farmers, including pests and diseases that can significantly reduce crop yields,” he said.

According to him, the production of the TELA MAIZE hybrid was done through the combined efforts of scientists at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria in collaboration with stakeholders in key institutions such as NBRDA, NBMA, NASC, and the AATF Research Team.

“We are here to showcase our demonstration farms of genetically modified versions of commonly consumed crops developed by our  scientists that have enjoyed rave reviews from the global world of science and the agricultural sector.

“These experts have worked tirelessly to ensure that this crop is not only high-yielding but also safe for human consumption,” he added.

He noted that the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has been instrumental in ensuring the safety and efficacy of TELA Maize which is believed to have the potential to transform the agricultural landscape in Nigeria and beyond.

Dr Jean Baptiste, the Regional Representative of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, said that GMOs were aimed at leveraging the potential of biotechnology to develop a system that will help farmers.

He said Tella maize is a variety, developed using biotechnology methods to control insects.

“It also checks the resistance to drought and controls army worms, and stem borers in maize.

“At the end of the day, the benefits are enormous because it helps farmers increase yield and to be able to meet food security issues.

Dr. Francis Nwankwo, a TELA MAIZE developer from the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) explained the processes saying Tela maize passed through  a genetic transformation that happens at the DNA level .

“They are not manufactured. What happens is we identify genes that can inhibit the infestation or reduce the infestation of some lepidoptera pests that affect some crops.

“So when we identify those genes we incorporate them into the DNA of maize thereby making it the maize, plus the genes.

“That way we increase the genes and reduce the struggles that our conventional maize go through on our farms like the stem borrower and others,” he said.

In her presentation, Dr Rose Gidado, Director, Agricultural Biotechnology Department, NBRDA, explained that many countries have derived huge benefits from TELA maize citing countries such as the U.S. and Canada.

“We actually brought you here so you could see the disparities between the TELA MAIZE and the non-TELA MAIZE species, and the environment which is far different from what we see on social media.

“We have other crops like beans that have actually been through the same gene transfers and are doing perfectly well and are safe for consumption,” she said.

She, therefore, urged the media to be on the guard in view of a lot of misinformation going round on social media and take responsibility in providing related information to the public adequately and objectively. (NAN)

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Agriculture

Epe LG Empowers 200 Farmers to Boost Food Production

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Ms Surah Animashaun, the Chairperson, Epe Local Government, has empowered 200 farmers with cash and other agricultural inputs to boost food production in the area.

Animashaun distributed the agricultural inputs to the beneficiaries at the council secretariat in Epe on Thursday in Lagos.

She said the initiative was aimed at supporting farmers in order to boost food production in the various communities of the council.

Animashaun said the farmers who benefitted from the gesture are expected to be considerate in their price fixing after harvest to ensure the affordability of food for all Nigerians.

“With the economic situation now and the support being giving to you, farmers should be reasonable in fixing prices after harvest to ensure that ordinary Nigerians source food at a more convenient price nationwide.

“We are here to give you support for your farming activities today, we expect that you reciprocate tomorrow by selling at a more affordable price to the people tomorrow,’’ she said.

Animashaun explained that each of the benefiting farmers received N50,000 and essential grains such as maize and sorghum.

She said the council would continue to support the farmers for them to be strong in farming activities.

Animashaun also used the medium to highlight her administration’s ongoing efforts in the extension of palliatives to other sectors of the economy.

She urged the communities in the area to maintain harmony, love, hospitality, and compassion, particularly in the face of the present economic challenges.

Also speaking, Mr Sikiru Owolomoshe, the Vice Chairman of the council, urged the farmers to take advantage of the gesture to improve their activities in order to encourage others.

Mr Olayinka Kazeem, the Secretary of Epe Farmers and a beneficiary, expressed gratitude to the council chairperson and her management.

“This is the first time we are witnessing this kind of programme and it is coming at a critical period when many states are facing food shortage,’’ he said.

He assured that the beneficiaries would do their best to ensure the objective was achieved.

Mr Ahmed Surakat, the Public Relations Officer of Lagos State Fishermen Cooperative Association, and Mrs Kafilat Animashahun beneficiaries, extended their gratitude to the council chairman for her unwavering support to farmers.

Earlier, the President of the Epe Farmers Union, Mrs Aminat Shabi, lauded Animashaun for the comprehensive support to other agricultural value chain such as fish farmers and livestock producers.(NAN)

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Agriculture

Food Security Achievable Through RAAMP, Says National Coordinator 

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By Tony Obiechina, Abuja 

The Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) has been described as an appropriate and very effective means of realising food sufficiency and security across the country.

The National Coordinator of RAAMP, Engr Aminu Bodinga Mohammed who made the assertion  during the 7th Joint World Bank and French Development Agency Implementation Support Mission of RAAMP at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, pointing out that most urban centers derive their supply of food from farms, which are located at the rural communities.

His words: “the primary objective of RAAMP is to improve rural roads and trading infrastructure through to boost food production.

Therefore the successful implementation of this project could go a long way towards guaranteeing food sufficiency and security across the country”.

He solicited for concerted efforts by all stakeholders to ensure an all-round success of the project.

Aminu noted that the mission was to evaluate the current implementation status, milestones as well as challenges faced by the 19  states participating in the project and announced that arrangements had reached an advanced stage for the commencement of civil works on agro-logistics centers (ALCs) latest by September, 2024 with 23 major contracts that would be awarded across the states.

ALCs refer to market hubs that have been prioritised for transformation to ultra-modern standards at various locations across the country , notably in rural communities to empower and enhance the livelihoods of the people.

Also speaking, the Task Team Leader of the World Bank,  Mr. Rakeesh Tripathi hinted that a scale-up was being mooted for the project but emphasized that only states which must have  established and operationalised the Rural Access Road Agency (RARA) and State Road Fund (SRF), backed up with the required standing on counterpart funds would be eligible to access the scale-up funds. 

He therefore advised all states to take advantage of the mission and get the needed support to tackle every challenge facing their State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU), adding that all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory would be encouraged to embrace the scale-up project.

Highpoints of the exercise were presentations by the State Project Coordinators of the respective participating states, question and answer sessions, comments and observations, among other inputs by the stakeholders.

The Task Team Leader of the French Development Agency, AFD; Consultants from the World Bank; the Federal Project Management Unit, FPMU as well as State Project Implementation Units, SPIUs of RAAMP also attended the mission.

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