By Maharazu Ahmed

The International Livestock Research and Training Institute (ILRTI), has commenced engagement with critical stakeholders to revolutionise livestock production in Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the stakeholders included the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Fulbe Global Development and Right Initiatives (FGDRI).

The Executive Director and Chairman, Governing Board of the institute, Dr Kabir Dasuki, said on Tuesday in Abuja that the aim was also to address the challenges in livestock production.

Dasuki who met with officials of MACBAN and FGDRI, said that livestock production constituted a major part of the 27.35 per cent of Nigeria’s total agricultural GDP, and contributed significantly to employment generation.

He said recent estimates put Nigeria’s herd population to about 21.16 million cattle, 43.4 million sheep, 76 million goats, 900,000 donkeys and 180 million poultry.

According to him, the herd population can be improved beyond the present level if there is appropriate capacity building and the right environment.

Dasuki said the institute would improve the capacity of stakeholders and help in upscaling food nutrition and security which were necessary to reduce poverty, improve health care and create jobs.

According to him, the institute will also provide the necessary inputs for Nigeria to harness the potential of the livestock sector to earn foreign exchange.

The Executive Director said that the institute offered opportunities for stakeholders to acquire skills and knowledge on various aspects of livestock.

“ We currently have some students undergoing training in the techniques of modern livestock breeding and the application of mini ranches, high yielding grass with less water usage at our main campus in Sokoto.

“ This will enable herders to breed cattle without necessarily moving from location to location during lactation, and get higher milk yield in excess of 55 litres per day.

“ Our other in-house training techniques holistically centres on peace, and counterterrorism, which are major ingredients in nation building and rapid community development.

“ We are happy to report that we have championed and activated six Peace Ambassadors groups in the north central states of Benue and Nasarawa with two more states to be captured before the third quarter of 2024,” he said.

Dasuki said the institute currently had improved livestock breeds in its stables at Sokoto Gudali.

He added that sustained effort was being made to set up a research department for the cross breeding of the popular Brazilian Zebu type breeds with local breeds.

” This is with a view to improving yield, disease resistance, and higher beef production.”

He said that the institute was determined to transform Africa’s livestock future through training, research and innovation, advocacy and policies.

“ We are currently working at securing and preparing farmlands for forage in 15 states of the federation as well as the FCT and in building mini ranches for our graduates at a very minimal cost.

“Currently, we are in advance discussion with investors in Ekiti State for both forage and a mini learning campus.

“ We aid in resource mobilisation through partnership with Development Banks especially in the Middle East and other global developmental financial institutions,” he said.

This, he said, included an MoU with the Africa Islamic Economic Foundation (AFRIEF) for capital investment of 100 million dollars, interest free.

Dasuki said the dialogue with MACBAN and others was about working with groups and strategic stakeholders whose natural habitat and DNA flows with livestock.

He said the institute believed that the presumed vices in the people could be turned to strength in an encompassing manner where no one or tribe is left behind and be embraced in love with respect and dignity.

Responding, the National President of MACBAN, Alhaji Baba Ngelzarma, commended the institute for the initiative, promising to study its objectives to be able to make informed decision.

Ngelzarma said the association was willing to embrace initiatives that would enhance the productivity of herders and guarantee their interest for the overall development of the nation.

On his part, the President General of FGDRI, Dr Salim Umar, said it was the first time that a non-governmental organisation would come up with such initiative, and pledged to key in with an open mind.

According to him, various initiatives by government to address the challenge of livestock production in Nigeria were not allowed to succeed because of extraneous factors. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ali Baba-Inuwa

By Bukola Adewumi

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has unveiled the Nigeria Food Security Simulator (FSS Nigeria) tool to address food and income shortage in Nigeria.

The initiative was inaugurated on Tuesday in Abuja in partnership with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

Dr Kwaw Andam, Country Programme Leader, IFPRI Nigeria, said the tool  was an innovative and easy-to-use, MS-Excel-based tool for assessing the potential short-term impacts of food price or household income shocks on food security and people’s diets.

Andam, who is also the Initiative Lead, National Policies and Strategies (NPS), said the simulator was an ideal tool for forward-looking evaluation of direct, household-level outcomes of economic crises and policy responses in a timely manner.

He said the FSS Nigeria underscored government’s ambition towards  making food security a priority which as part of the president’s eight point agenda.

According to him, the tool will help analysts estimate the impact of changes in food prices, and other factors on food consumption.

“This tool will allow users to enter positive and negative price in percentage terms and provide simulated changes for a diverse set of food-consumption- and diet-quality-related indicators.

“In addition to detailed tabular presentations of all simulation results by household income  and residential area, key indicator results are summarised in concise overview tables and visualised in graphs for easy export and use in reports.

“The underlying data include estimates from representative household survey data and rigorous, sophisticated food demand models to capture consumer behavior,’’ he said.

Dr Oliver Ecker, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI, in his presentation, said FSS Nigeria would help unlock the insights of household data and enhance analysis and understand the concept of food security in the country.

He said the tool would help the policymakers and the policy analysts in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food security as well as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs in their decision making.

IFPRI has been working in Nigeria since 2007 implementing the Nigeria Strategy Support Program (NSSP) and the USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agriculture Policy Activity, in partnership with Michigan State University.

It is also supporting the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and other partners in the implementation of Nigeria’s national development plans. (NAN)

Edited by Chijioke Okoronkwo

By Olayinka Olawale
The Lagos State Government has inaugurated two agro-processing centres in Ikorodu area of the state to boost food security.

Ms Abisola Olusanya, the state’s Commissioner  for Agriculture, during the inauguration on Friday called for partnership and support of farmers, especially the poultry farmers to end the importation of chickens and other food items.

The projects, a Cottage Broiler Processing Centre, located in Itamaga and an Egg Aggregation Centre, Erikorodo, Ikorodu, was facilitated by the Lagos Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project.

Olusanya reiterated the commitment of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration to food security in the state.

She also stressed the importance of supporting Nigeria’s agricultural food chain and the farming community to meet the demands of Lagos, the most populous state in Nigeria.

The commissioner noted that the Lagos APPEALS Project had impacted thousands of farmers in the state in the aquaculture, poultry and rice value chains.

Olusanya said the Lagos State Government would work collaboratively with farmers in different sectors, value chains, and clusters to address the needs of Lagosians and provide substantial support to local farmers.

According to her, agriculture is a business, and profitability is essential.

“The focus of the government is on establishing the right food system and market infrastructure to empower farmers to create the right commodities for exchange.

“Thereby, addressing price fluctuations and price fixation.

“We import more than we export. We consume from outside more than we produce internally.

“We need to support the agricultural food system of Nigeria and the farmers at large.

“We need to support farmers to produce enough to cater to the needs of Nigerians and Lagosians, which is why Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu believes in the food actors,” she said.

Earlier, Mrs Oluranti Sagoe-Oviebo, the Lagos State Coordinator of the APPEALS Project, said the centres were provided for farmers based on needs assessment to improve their productivity.

Sagoe-Oviebo said the broiler processing centre would address the issue of foreign exchange in importation chicken and reduce the cost of production locally.

She urged the farmers to make good use of the facilities provided by the Lagos APPEALS Project.

Also, Mrs Ibitoye Juliana, Chairperson, Erikorodo Poultry Estate Farmers Association, described the inauguration as a historic milestone for farmers in Erikorodo and Ikorodu at large.

She expressed her gratitude to the Lagos State Government and APPEALS project for the improvement of the road network in the Erikorodo Estate, which had enhanced their businesses.

“This aggregation centre is another evidence of your support for we farmers in adding value to our produce and contributing more towards the food security of our dear Lagos State,” she said.

Also speaking, Mr Bartholomew Akhigbe, the Chairman of the Cluster group, said the processing centre would boost their productivity and assist farmers in their quest to phase out imported chicken.

Akhigbe commended the Lagos APPEALS Project for helping the poultry farmers with the processing centre, adding that it would improve and enhance their productivity.

Meanwhile, Olusanya had earlier inaugurated the Eko Farmers APPEALS Cooperative Multipurpose Society and Frozen Catfish Cottage Industry.

The APPEALS Project also supported Lagos State Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria with blast freezer, deep freezer and generator to boost farmers’ productivity and ensure food security in the state. (NAN)

Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

By Victor Nwachukwu

The Federal Government has distributed 30 bags of NPK fertilisers and 20 cartons of herbicides to 60 farmers in Imo.

The Director, Department of Agricultural Extension Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Brooks Michael, supervised the distribution in Owerri on Wednesday.

Michael, represented by Mrs Dorothy Botar, a senior staff member of the ministry, said that each of the farmers would get half of the 50kg bag of fertilisers and four litres of pre and post emergence herbicides.

This, she said, was part of efforts by the Federal Government to ensure increased productivity and food security for Nigerians.

“The aim of this intervention is to increase farmers’ productivity and income as well as make food available to all Nigerians,” he said.

The ministry’s Director in Imo, Mr Chris Iwuchukwu, said the beneficiaries of the agricultural empowerment were drawn from all Local Government Areas of the state and urged the farmers to make judicious use of the inputs.

“The farm inputs are not for sale but for use by the farmers. We expect the beneficiaries to properly apply the inputs on their farms for optimal results,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Justina Njoku, a cassava farmer who hails from Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area, thanked the Federal Government for the initiative and expressed the hope of increased harvest.

Another farmer, Mr Silas Nwachukwu of Ikeduru Council Area, advised young persons to embrace farming, rather than continue to wait for white collar jobs.

“We can create jobs ourselves through farming and I can confirm that there is money in agriculture,“ he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

================
Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Idris Abdulrahman

By Patricia Amogu

The National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to prevent foreigners from going directly to farmers to buy up cashews.

The National President of the association, Prince Ojo Ajanaku who gave the advice in a keynote address he delivered during a one-day stakeholders’ consultative meeting in Lagos, said the advice became necessary because the practice had led to premature harvest of the crop.

He said that the premature harvest of the crop and direct purchase of the same by foreigners were detrimental to the development of the cashew value chain.

Ajanaku acknowledged the outstanding position of cashew as one of the National Strategic Export Products in Nigeria, saying adequate measures are being put in place to ensure quality control at the farm gate.

He stressed the need for synergy along the cashew value chain in order to ensure increased production of the crop in Nigeria.

“When our investors go directly to our farm gates, there is an interference leading to a crash in the business and the reduction of the purchasing power of Nigerian local middlemen and farmers.

“This not only causes distractions for local farmers, it has also led to low quality of the produce, trade distortions, reduced value of the crop at the international market, and in the long run, putting the farmer at a disadvantage.

“The cashew business has been bastardised these days. Farmers are no longer patient.

“They don’t want to wait for the crop to fall off its tree when they become ripe. They are in a hurry to sell to foreign buyers.

“What legacy are we then leaving for the future generations?” he said.

Also speaking during the meeting, the Managing Director of Starlink Global, Murtala Adeniji, said that the cashew business “is capable of generating 15 billion dollars for the country annually and can create jobs.

“The investors should have their warehouses in Lagos. They can trust us and give us the money to deal for them.

“One of the ways the cashew business in Nigeria can grow tremendously is by backward integration,” he said.

He encouraged cashew farmers to see the cultivation of the crop as a viable job opportunity for youths as it can attract huge foreign exchange for the country (NAN)

Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

By Joy Akinsanya
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security  has trained beekeepers in Ogun on how to rear queen bees for pollination services.

The farmers were also trained on the use of pollination equipment in fruit and vegetable farms for effective crop yield and increase in fruit and vegetable production.

The Director, Federal Department of Agriculture, Abubakar Abdullahi, said the training was meant to guide farmers on the best practice to manage bee collonies, which serve as agent of pollination service in crop yield.

Abdullahi spoke on Wednesday at a one-day workshop in Abeokuta.

He was represented at the training by the Deputy Director, Horticulture, Mrs Omotosho Agbani.

He said that the capacity development for the farmers was a key component activity towards achieving the goal of food and nutrition security and import substitution of the Federal Government.

He described honeybee as one of the most economically important insects in agricultural economy that renders pollination services, producing honey and other hive products.

He said that honeybees, which are small but mighty creature, play an indispensable role in pollination that directly impacts our food systems, biodiversity, enhancing sustainable livelihood and overall environmental health.

“Proper pollination, via bees activities, improves the quantity and quality of fruits, vegetables, nuts, oil and other crops it also produces.

“This leads to the promotion of honeybee pollination service value chain in order to aid increase in yield and quality of crops of our farmers,” Abdullahi said.

Also speaking, the Ogun  coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mrs Patience Ayo-Ajayi, said that bee farmers play a vital role in the lives of so many people in terms of production of quality honey in place of artificial sugar and also bee products.

Ayo-Ajayi also spoke on the importance of honeybee pollination in agriculture, saying that bee pollination has played a successful role on crops, particularly on fruits and vegetables crops, which help the crops to flourish and yield bountifully.

According to her, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, has made food security a major agenda that must be achieved.

She, therefore, described the training as being in line with the food security agenda of the present administration.

She urged the participants to seize the opportunity offered by the training to ensure they apply all they were taught in their farming practices to ensure a brighter and more productive future of fruit and vegetable and also increase their incomes.

The Chairman Federation of Beekeepers Association of Nigeria, Mr Elijah Asade, in Ogun, commended the federal government for building their capacity on honeybee queen rearing and pollination service.

Asade said that the training would help to boost production and increase the income of the farmers.

“The honeybee queen rearing and pollination service is one training we have been eager to learn.

“This is the right time for us to key into it because a lot of us don’t practice it.

“We only practice the conventional way of rearing bees,” he said.

He admonished his fellow members to key into the training and reflect it on their farmland.

He promised that they would make proper use of the skills and knowledge gathered at the training to boost food production and security in the country.

The resource person, Mr Samuel Agboola, said the purpose of the training was to enable beekeepers to use honeybee to achieve the success in agricultural economy, through bee pollination of crops.

Abgboola further spoke on the importance of bee pollination to crops.

He defined honeybee queen rearing as the controlled process of raising queen bees from selected larvae.

He  explained that effective bee pollination on crops would result in healthier crops, larger yield and higher quality produce.

He said that most fruit crops and vegetables depend on bee pollination for survival and fruitful yield.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Mr Oreyemi Adenola and Mr Lateef Sanni, thanked the federal government for the training.

They described the training as an eye-opener and promised to effectively make use of all they learnt to make impact on their farms.

They also assured the federal government that they would see positive result in crop yield and other productions. (NAN)

Edited by Sam Oditah

By Philip Daniel Yatai

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has expressed optimism that the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme would revitalise and transform the agricultural sector in the territory, particularly livestock.

Mr Lawan Geidam, Mandate Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, FCTA, stated this at the opening of a 5-day workshop for members of the Programme Implementation Committee in Abuja on Saturday.

According to him, the programme will not only generate significant revenue for the FCT but also create employment opportunities and infrastructural development in host communities.

Geidam affirmed the commitment of the FCT Administration to support the implementation of the programme to achieve the desired outcome.

He urged the committee members to work in ensuring that the objectives of the programme were achieved.

Also, an agricultural consultant, Dr Adesola Oyebanji, while providing an overview of the programme, said that the workshop was designed to equip the committee members with project management skills.

This, according to him, will enable them to overcome both anticipated and unforeseen challenges.

Oyebanji called on the FCT Administration to address all the challenges at the proposed Paikon Kore Grazing Reserve, which could become the hub of livestock production, processing, and marketing in the FCT.

According to him, resolving the issues promptly will facilitate the smooth commencement of the programme.

Earlier, the Programme Coordinator in FCT, Hajiya Umma Abubakar, thanked the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) for supporting the programme.

She assured the banks of the Programme Implementation Committee preparedness to transform the livestock sector in the federal capital.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the first phase of the programme being supported by AfDB would be implemented in Cross River, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Ogun Oyo and the FCT.

The programme seeks to support inclusive and sustainable agro-industrial development in Nigeria.

The four components of the programme aim to support the development of enabling climate adaptive infrastructure for agro-industrial hubs, and improve agricultural productivity and enterprise development to enhance agricultural value chain as well as job creation.

Others are to support agro-industrial zone policy and institutional development, and programme coordination and management.

The programme is expected to be implemented between 2022 and 2026. (NAN)

Edited by Rabiu Sani-Ali