NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA
Economy/Business , Food Security

Agric Institute advocates early distribution of inputs to farmers

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By Mustapha Yauri

The Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has urged government to distribute inputs to farmers early, in order for the beneficiaries to harvest the desired outcomes of such interventions.

Prof. Mohammed-Faguji Ishiyaku, Director of the institute, gave the advice while speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Sunday, in  Zaria.

Ishiyaku noted that often times, the preparations  for the distribution of inputs to farmers was carried out late, thereby  making the intervention getting to the end users sometimes around August.

”By that time (August) the rainy  season has gone far, it will be okay  for  poultry farmers, but for crop  production,  you  have  to start  planning  around  January  to  February.

”By February, you might have finished your procurement; you must have come with the cost of distributing of the inputs to farmers.

”This way, it will go a long way in ensuring that the benefits which government intended is harvested appropriately,’’ he said.

Ishiyaku said that given the fact that the 2021 rainy  season was  around the corner, the institute would not relent on its effort in creating  more awareness  among farming  communities across the country based on its stock of resources, including technology.

According to him, the institute had  improve  seeds  and  management  practices,  which would be presented  to stakeholders at  its  upcoming  annual  review and planning meeting  in April.

Reacting  to the  predictions by NiMET of a mid-season or terminal drought, the director advised farmers  to  plant the  ‘early  to medium maturing’ crop varieties.

He added that  the early to medium maturing crop varieties were those that aligned very well with the length of the predicted rainy  season.

”These   varieties  don’t stay long  enough;  by the  time the  drought  sets  in,  they are  almost  matured, so  the   ravaging  effect   of  the  short  rainy  season  will  be  highly  minimised .

”We have these early and medium maturing seed varieties for sorghum,  maize, beans,  ( cowpea), cotton and  groundnut”, the director said. (NAN)

Economy/Business , Food Security

Group urges measures to tackle dwindling fortunes in oil palm sector

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By Nefishetu Yakubu

The Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) has called for pragmatic steps by relevant government agencies to tackle the dwindling fortunes of the nation’s oil palm sector.

The group made the call at a town hall meeting organised to garner support from the Federal Government to revive the sector.

It specifically urged the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) to proffer solutions to the challenges bedevilling the sector in the country.

In a speech, the National President of OPGAN, Mr Joe Onyiuke, said the meeting was to explore the way forward on the ANCHOR Borrower’s Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Onyiuke described the inauguration of OPGAN’s new liaison office in NIFOR as “key to us as oil palm farmers.

“With this office, our farmers will be able to get all the benefits and training required for the cultivation of oil palm.

“You can see that we have representatives of the CBN, commercial banks and insurance companies here.

“They are to discuss the terms and conditions that are required to make us eligible to participate in the ANCHOR Borrower’s programme,” Onyiuke said.

Also, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emiefele, represented by his Special Adviser on Development Finance, Mr Anthony Ufechukwu, said CBN was committed to reviving the oil palm sector to stop importation.

Emiefele said: “The CBN is very emphatic about reviving the oil palm sector.

“In doing this, we started by reaching out to large companies like Presco, Okomu and others to ensure that they plant and assist small scale farmers but we are not getting the results.

“So, we are going down to the roots to interact with small scale farmers, who cultivate about one to five hectares to have a strong union to promote themselves in the oil palm industry.

“I know that OPGAN consists of persons who provide more than 90 per cent of oil palm consumed in households in Nigeria.”

He said that getting the farmers under proper organisation would encourage CBN to fund them.

Emiefele said that part of the package for the association was that the farmers would be insured.

“We expect that in 10 years from now, OPGAN will be self-sustaining,” he said

Earlier, the Executive Director of NIFOR, Celestine Ikuenobe, said the core mandate of the institute is to transfer knowledge to farmers and create national wealth.

According to him, the value chain in oil palm is enormous but farmers have in the past failed to take advantage of its improved seedlings in NIFOR. (NAN)

Economy/Business , Food Security

FG, USAID, others to boost local fish production- Official

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By Bukola Adewumi
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, USAID in collaboration with Partnership Initiative in Niger Delta (PIND), says plans are underway to boost local production of fish in the country.

Dr Ime Umoh, Director of Fisheries in the Ministry disclosed this in Abuja on Monday said the aim was to ensure food security and meet huge demand potentials.

He spoke at a virtual valedictory workshop on Aquaculture Most Impactful Practice (MIP) under the Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Activity.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Activity is a five-year (2020-2025) USAID funded project in collaboration with PIND.

The project is being implemented in Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Niger states by Winrock International.

The $16.6 million investment project which is focused on maize, rice, soybean and aquaculture is expected to expose at least two million smallholder farmers to new technologies between 2020 and 2025.

He said this has become imperative because the fisheries sector is one of the most important sectors in Nigeria, both from an economic and social standpoint.

Umoh said it has become very important to develop the sector because of its contribution to the country’s GDP, its support directly and indirectly to the society, and contributes to the livelihood, employment, and household food security of, especially, Nigeria’s coastal communities, including the Niger Delta.

The director said that the ministry has a goal of increasing domestic fish production and bridge the demand gap by supporting smallholder farmers to reduce hunger and poverty in the country.

Umoh said that the adoption of the MIP for aquaculture would promote business solutions for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through extension delivery.

“The ministry has formulated policies to boost fish production and are collaborating with development partners, MSMEs and farmers as well as promoting investment in the aquaculture to sustain production levels.

“An example of such collaboration is the promotion of genetically improved tilapia fish seedlings in partnership with USAID and World Fish.

“I enjoined the experts present to review the findings being presented using the juvenile based model approach as an MIP and make their contributions so upon validation of the most impactful practice, the proposed business solutions will have sustainable impact in the aquaculture sector,’’ he said.

In his remarks, the Chief of Party of the project, Dr Ben Odoemena said that there was a lot of waste and inefficiencies in what small holder farmers are doing in terms of productivity when compared to other countries.

He said that there is no better time than now to adopt the juvenile based model of fish production especially with the planned ban on fish importation by the Federal Government by the year 2022.

Odoemena said that the project will create awareness of the benefits of the juvenile based model through engagements with SMEs by establishing, teaching, and disseminating the MIP.

Dr Charles Iyangbe, Senior Agricultural Economist, Office of Economic Growth and Environment USAID, Nigeria, explained that the event provides a platform for aquaculture stakeholders to present, discuss, and prioritize the business opportunities in aquaculture.

He said it would enable smallholder farmers and small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) to better understand the opportunities that abound in aquaculture to enhance their income and improve livelihoods.

According to him, the workshop will also highlight the public and private sectors and the potential for job creation for youth and women in the agribusiness sector.

Iyangbe said that the workshop will discuss “process of MIP identification, business case of the MIP and sustainability and scale-up of the MIP’’ and that the aim was to increase production and efficiency by the MIP approach in the country.

He said that the platform would also afford stakeholders an opportunity to discuss business and effective partnership for Nigeria’s development through private sector engagements.

Iyangbe said there is great potential in Nigeria economic growth having the largest market in the region.

The workshop was attended by senior government officials from the federal and state government, USAID Nigeria, development partners, key private sectors companies and investors.

Others include Universities, research institutions, producer groups, lead farmers, aggregators, processors, and others engaged in the aquaculture value chain in Nigeria.

Economy/Business , Food Security

FG to establish jute bag industries to ease agric exports

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By Doris Esa

The Federal Government is set to establish a Jute Bag industries for ease of cocoa and sundry crops exports to meet international best practices.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Nanono, made the disclosure in a statement by Ezeaja Ikemefuna Chief Information Officer of the ministry in Abuja on Friday.

Nanono stated this when the Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN) paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

He said it had become imperative for Nigeria to establish its own jute bag industries to meet international best practices for the export of cocoa and sundry agricultural produce.

He said that the production of the jute bags in Nigeria would increase foreign earnings, healthy preservation and certification of the cocoa crop.

Nanono said that the ministry would seek collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning in ensuring that appropriate policy measures and counterpart funding were put in place.

He said that this would help to fast track the setting up of jute bag factories across the nation.

He said that it would also commence the cultivation of Kenaf, which can grow in any part of the country and happens to be the raw material for the production of jute bags,

He noted that cocoa was one of the commodities being promoted by the present administration in its drive to diversify the economy.

” The ministry is eager to support the farmers with the distribution of free agricultural inputs and training to enhance the capacity of cocoa farmers in the country.

” The ministry recently rolled out disease resistant and early yielding seedlings developed by the Cocoa Research Institute, Ibadan which starts yielding within 30 months of cultivation.

” These seedlings with other inputs were distributed to farmers in major cocoa producing states where 300,000 cartoons of ultimax – plus fungicides, Hydrocarbon jute bags, collapsible driers, cocoa pods and more were shared to enhance the capacity of cocoa farmers,” he said.

The minister assured that the ministry would continue to support and collaborate with the association to boost the cocoa value chain sub sector towards increasing production, creating more jobs and generating revenue for the country.

In his address, the Permanent Secretary, of the ministry, Dr Ernest Umakhihe, said that the agricultural policy put in place by the present government was poised to build an agribusiness ecosystem that will solve the challenges in the agricultural sector.

He said this would be in partnership with the state governments to achieve food security, export substitution, job creation and economic diversification.

” Cocoa has been one of the major foreign exchange earners in Nigeria apart from crude oil,” Umakhihe said.

In his remarks, the National President of CAN, Alhaji Mufutau Abolarinwa, appealed for the establishment of a special credit guarantee scheme for the cocoa farmers in Nigeria for the development and increase in cocoa production.

He said that grants and subvention from relevant agencies like Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) and others would enable the association to have access to cocoa pods, inputs and equipment needed for increase in cocoa production in Nigeria.

” The association has successfully organised workshops and seminars in collaboration with CRIN, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the state ministries across the cocoa producing states,” he said.

Abolarinwa said the aim of the seminars and workshops was to improve the quality of cocoa for export and to comply with the European Union regulations on pesticide maximum residue,” he said.(NAN)

Economy/Business , Food Security

Minister seeks stronger regulation to achieve zero export reject

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By Bukola Adewumi

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Sabo Nanono says there is a need to strengthen the nation’s regulatory and inspection authorities for agricultural exportation to address rejection of country’s Agro-products in international markets.

 

Nanono made the call on Thursday in Abuja while inaugurating the Standing Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee on Zero Reject of Agricultural Commodities and Produce/Non-Oil Exports.

 

The minister said it was embarrassing to have agricultural products from Nigeria rejected in the international markets due to some unwholesome practices at the processing stage.

 

“We should avoid the embarrassment of rejects in the future, and strengthen our regulatory/inspection authorities to ensure that they live up to their mandates.

 

“The country’s desire for standard agricultural products and non-oil exports meant there will be vigorous pursuit of investment in quality control and standardisation.

 

“In pursuance of this, my ministry, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, is committed not only to food security but wholesome foods of high quality acceptable for local consumption and Export.

 

“The areas of handling our fresh produce, cold storage and post-harvest loss management are also of major concern if we must improve on it,” he said.

 

Dr Vincent Isegbe, Director-General Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), in his presentation said in 2015, the European Union (EU) banned the importation of Nigeria’s dried beans, on the ground that the produce contained high level of pesticide considered dangerous to human health.

 

He said unfortunately, till date, the ban had not been lifted saying it was as a result of a supposed “failure to implement the EU’s food safety action plan submitted since 2018”.

 

Isegbe noted that cowpea was one of the strategic commodities in Nigeria’s agro-export portfolio, adding that Global production of dried cowpeas stands at 7. 4 million tonnes.

 

“Nigeria is the largest producer of dried cowpeas, accounting for 46 per cent of global yield and 48 per cent of African output.

 

“Nigeria is in pole position to dominate the global cowpea market but has remained a fringe and sometimes absent player due to persisting export control issues,” he said.

 

He further noted that Nigeria was not among the top 10 exporters of cowpea and the country loses 362.5 million dollars in export revenue due to the off and on pattern of cowpea export traffic.

 

Speaking, the Executive Director/CEO, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr Olusegun Awolowo, expressed concern that Nigeria’s agricultural produce exports had been encountering challenges of reject in the international markets.

 

Awolowo, who was represented by the Director Product Development,NEPC, Mr William Ezeagu, highlighted the challenges to include, non-compliance to administrative procedures such as non- compliance to documentation import/export requirements.

 

He also stated that poor packaging, labeling and insufficient information on the nutritional content contribute to the challenges.

 

He further urged the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Federal Ministry of Investment Trade and Industry to provide strong leadership by driving the process and ensuring implementation.

Economy/Business , Food Security

Women farmers train 60 extension workers on advanced agriculture

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By Bukola Adewumi
The Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) on Thursday in Abuja said it has trained more than 60 extension workers from 4 states of the federation on how to use drones and other technologies to advance agriculture.

The Executive Director of WOFAN, Hajiya Salamatu Garba, while speaking with journalists, said the 60 extension workers would engage 100 farmers each on modern farm technologies.

Garba said the training also included exposing the farmers and extension workers to insurance facilities to secure their investments.

“We invited 60 extension workers from 4 states of the federation to train them on ICT led technology, in agriculture and specifically we are looking at the use of what we call RiceAdvice.

“RiceAdvice is an application that farmers and the extension workers can use to advise farmers efficiently, to be able to give them adequate information, “she said.

She said that the training included giving adequate information on climate change and weather forecast to the extension workers and farmers.

“We also brought in insurance people so that they will give us the necessary products that they have, that go in line with climate shock.

“Last year, you know that a lot of farmers faced flood issues and some faced drought, so now if any of the farmers unfortunately finds himself in that situation, what will the insurance company do?

“We will partner with them and sign a Memorandum of Understanding, to make sure that farmers meet up with their requirements, and if anything happens, they will also be there to address the situation for the farmers,” she said.

The WOFAN boss said farmers were going to be working in clusters of hundreds because they were encouraged to go into various associations and to get registered.

“That means that we’re going to have large hectares of farms like 1,000 or 2,000 hectares all together and it’s only drones that can give you the information you need within a short period of time.

“What we are doing is to download the RiceAdvice App, for all our extension workers, so it means that for all the farmers that they are working with, each extension worker is going to work with like a hundred farmers.

“We marry technology to it to increase production, like I always say, the size of Nigeria is increasing per day, we used to be 200 million, now we are talking of 230 to 240 million, farm size is reducing, and population is increasing.

“It means we have to look for technology to meet our food demands and to do that is to invest in such services which is going to be the next thing to knock off, non-oil economic production in the country.

“A lot of people are running away from technology support because it is capital intensive. The rice moisture, cost about N120,000, so if you give a cluster, they are able to determine the moisture content of whatever and it has calibration for every crop.

“As for drones, it is not possible to buy such an expensive technology, but we’re having an agreement with the technology companies. That when we put the cluster of farmers together, we can pay for these services together with the farmers contributing stipends,“ she added.

Economy/Business , Food Security

FG wants private sector participation in cassava production

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The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Nanono, has urged investors in the private sector to drive the production of the cassava value chain to meet local consumption and export demands.

Nanono, who made the call in a statement by Ezeaja Ikemefuna Chief Information Officer of the ministry in Abuja on Wednesday, said this would also achieve food and nutrition security and generate revenue for the country.

The minister said this when the project team of the Economically Sustainable and Integrated Cassava Seed System Phase 11 (BASICS II ) paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

Nanono said that the ministry would create appropriate policy measures for the successful production and distribution of cassava products to ensure the availability of food and raw materials for industries.

“The ministry will continue to collaborate with the BASICS 11 projects through facilitating capacity building for farmers in the area of yield gaps.

Also, in strengthening research and development in diseases and pest control to improve cassava productivity among others,’’ he said

In his remarks, Dr Alfred Dixon, the Team Lead and Director for Development and Delivery, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) said the BASICS-II project intended to address the gap.

“The BASICS-II project intends to address the gap by creating a formal seed system for cassava that links breeder seeds with foundation seed producers and foundation seed producers to commercial seed entrepreneurs who will sell to the cassava root producers,” he said.

Dixion said that cassava root producers would subsequently process it into various end products or sell surplus roots to processing industries.

” In this fashion, we will be creating jobs and income generation opportunities for young people that will serve as seed entrepreneurs and modern producers of cassava.

“ Furthermore, the use of certified seeds will increase the national productivity of cassava,” he said.

He appealed for support from the Federal Government toward the IITA GoSeeds and NRCRI Umudike Seed.

He said that this would be imperative for sustainable production of Early Generation Seeds (EGS) that would feed the demand pool for commercial seed producers.

Dixon also solicited greater collaboration with the ministry, IITA and National partners including National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) and National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI).

He recalled previous contributions by IITA to the ministry, assuring that the agency would continue to play a higher and pivotal role by becoming a technical hub for the ministry for cassava innovations.

He said that the process could scale to other clonally propagated crops in Nigeria. (NAN)

Economy/Business , Food Security

FG trains 30,000 workers to transform extension services

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By Rabiu Sani-Ali
The Federal  Government, on Monday, announced that it had trained over 30,000 workers as part of efforts to reinvigorate extension services and encourage agricultural productivity.
Alhaji Sabo Nanono, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated this at the National Wheat Farmers Field Day at Jakarade plantation in Danbatta Local Government Area of Kano state.
Nanono said the federal government planned to train 70,000 workers, adding that 30,000 of them had completed their training designed to expose them to modern farming techniques, fertiliser and chemical application.
He said the measure was imperative towards equipping farmers with modern farming techniques, crop processing and entrepreneurial skills, to add value to agricultural produce.
The minister said the Federal Government had initiated sound extension programmes, to transform agriculture and achieve food security, and urged state governments to engage them to enhance farmer support services at the grassroots.
According to him, the programme was focused on encouraging wheat production and processing, to reduce importation of the commodity into the country.
Nanono further urged state governments to encourage the development of small scale wheat processing mills to enhance availability of flour and other wheat products.
In his remark, the Kano State Deputy Governor,  Nasiru Gawuna, said the state government had concluded plans to establish additional water bodies and upgrade existing dams to encourage wheat cultivation and other irrigation activities.
Gawuna said the government had embarked on the rehabilitation and desilting of Watari dam and upgrade of irrigation schemes in Bagwai LGA.
While reiterating the government’s commitment to support farmers, Gawuna urged the farmers to utilise the inputs to improve their productivity.
Also speaking, Alhaji Salihu Muhammad,  Chairman, Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria, called for the inclusion of wheat farmers into the Federal Government’s Anchor Borrower Programme (APB), because the exclusion of their 200,000 registered members had negatively affected wheat production in the country.
The Project Manager,  Olam Crown Flour Mills, said that as a member of the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN), the company was committed towards improving wheat production, through adequate financing and research in the country.
Danjuma said the programme had introduced Durum wheat variety and engaged the services of a well known seed scientists,  Dr Bassi, to accelerate wheat production in the country.
“We wish to get new technologies in Nigeria to further build on the wheat initiative. We look forward to partnering with organisations across the wheat value chain, to improve farmers’ yields through high quality seeds, expanded extension services and improved access to irrigation,” Danjuma said
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that FMAN had provided support to 800 farmers in Kano, Kebbi and Jigawa States to accelerate wheat cultivation.
The farmers were provided with improved seeds variety, fertilisers, chemicals and 50 threshers under a soft loan scheme designed to enhance farmer access to inputs and extension services.
FMAN, in collaboration with Oxfam and agricultural research institutes, had also established wheat farming service centres in 15 LGAs in the participating states, while plans were underway to expand the scope of the programme to mobilise additional participation.
Economy/Business , Food Security

Job Creation: FG extends NPFS to 2026 – Official

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By Uchenna Eletuo/Augusta Uchediunor

The Federal Government (FG) has extended the National Programme for Food Security (NPFS) after it elapsed in 2020, NPFS’s Head of Agric Processing and Enhancement, Mr Hassan Bawa disclosed on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NPFS is an agricultural intervention programme of the Federal Government to make the country food sufficient and also create jobs.

The implementing agencies for the scheme include the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (through the National Programme on Food Security (NPFS) and the Bank of Industry (BOI) Limited.

Bawa, an Agriculture Engineer, who was a Guest at the ongoing 2021 Lagos State Farmers Field/Appreciation Day, said that the extension was to deepen food sufficiency and create jobs in the country.

He commended the efforts of Lagos State in improving agric produce productivity and also lauded the President Muhammudu Buhari administration for being an agrarian one, with a lot of premium on advanced agriculture.

According to him, the government is working hard to shore-up massive job creation through the sector  in order to engage the nation’s unemployed teeming youth.

“The minister of agriculture is working through the green policy to advance the NPFS, FADAMA and others to enhance availability of food in the country coupled with its expected job creation in the agric produce processing chain.

“To achieve this,  the ministry will be banking on the support from the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and other international bodies toward food security at household income generation of local farmers,”

Bawa charged states such as Lagos, who were on the expanded phase of the project, to work harder in order to be relevant in the extension phase through adequate food production for the people.

He stressed that the training of officials would be emphasised in the extension scheme to meet-up the desired goals especially in value addition of produce.

According to him, the co-option of the nation’s teeming unemployed youth into the programme, will save the country from the subsisting insecurity challenges and encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) the country was in dire need of.

He added that, with the nation advancing toward economy diversification from crude oil dollar, produce processing and value addition were advantageous to propel the Nigerian society into the real sector in order to stabilise the economy.

NAN reports that as part of the activities for the 2021 Lagos State Farmers Field/Appreciation Day,  Lagos State Government gave farmers groups some inputs.

The groups, comprising of 12 to 20 farmers per group, got inputs including  Knapsack Sprayers, Organic manure, Matches, Hoes , Safety Gadgets and others with one million Naira each. (NAN)

Economy/Business , Food Security

FG empowers 40 farmers on goat breeding in Abia

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By Leonard Okachie

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has trained and empowered 40 small-holder rural households on best practices for backyard goat production in Abia.

The programme held at the Abia State Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) in Umuahia on Friday.

Each of the farmers was empowered with two goats, buck and doe (male and female), some feeds and medicinal, as starter packs, at the end of the training.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme is the proposal of the State and Federal Government to encourage the production of more ruminants.

In his remarks, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for giving the opportunity to the farmers in the state.

Ikpeazu, who was represented by Mr Effort Nwankwo, Permanent Secretary in the state’s Ministry of Agriculture, said that Abia was the only state in the South East selected for the programme.

Mr Frank Kudla, Director, Federal Department of Agricultural Extension Services, said that the programme was designed to address the shortage of livestock production in the country.

Kudla, who was represented by his assistant, Mr Godwin Oyigoga, urged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the programme in order to help the government solve some of the crises in the country.

In his Goodwill message, Mr Victor Ihediwa, State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, described the programme as a unique one that would do a lot of good in the state.

“By this progamme we are starting off a new line of livestock farming and farming in general.

“It will increase our meat production as well as help us to resolve herders/farmers clash,” he said.

Earlier in his address, the Programme Manager, Abia ADP, Chief Israel Amanze, thanked the federal and state governments for providing the opportunity to farmers in the state.

He assured of the success of the programme saying, “as ADP, we have no other jobs than to promote agriculture in Abia.”

Amanze explained that the breeds are West African dwarfs, which are very highly cherished meat but not always available.

According to him, they are not for consumption, but grower goats which will in turn become ‘mothers’ and ‘fathers’ of other goats.

A beneficiary, Miss Oluchi Nwankwo, thanked the federal government for the opportunity, saying that she would utlise it to gain the maximum benefits. (NAN)

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