By Abigael Joshua

Kano State Government has assured the National Park Service (NPS) of necessary support in the discharge of its operations in Falgore Game Reserve now a national park in the state.

Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje gave the assurance when Dr Ibrahim Goni, the Conservator – General (CG) of NPS and his entourage paid him a courtesy visit in Kano.

Ganduje, who was represented by Dr Ali Hamza, Commissioner for History, Culture and Tourism, apologised for the communication gap between the state and the NPS.

“I’m assuring the CG and his entourage that henceforth any meeting that is going to take place in Abuja with regards to this national assignment on the establishment of national parks, Kano State will be at the forefront.

“Kano is interested, Kano is willing and Kano will be in the forefront,” he assured the service.

Earlier, the CG said that NPS bought 10 vehicles for all the states where new parks have been established with the take-off grant the Federal Government provided.

“We bought firearms, patrol vehicles and office equipment,” Goni said.

He urged the state government to provide office accomodation for the smooth take-off of the national park in the state.

Goni also requested the state government to liaise with the necessary security agencies like Civil Defence, Immigration, and the Nigerian Army to secure the arms that the park has procured for the new park.

He demanded that relevant stakeholders like the youth, women and traditional rulers should be carried along in the smooth take – off of the national park. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Razak Owolabi

By Abigael Joshua.

Jigawa State Government on has assured the National Park Service (NPS) of assistance in the smooth transition of the Hadejia Wetland Game Reserve to a national park.

Gov. Mohammed Abubakar of Jigawa gave the assurance when Dr Ibrahim Goni, the Conservator-General (CG) of NPS and his entourage paid him a courtesy visit in Dutse.

Abubakar, who was represented by his deputy, Malam Umar Namadi further assured NPS of all required support for the smooth take-off of operations at the Park.

“We believe that taking over that park will bring a lot of benefit to our people.

“The Hadejia Wetland Game Reserve is a very important National Park because it is historic.

“It has a long history and I’m sure that once it is taken over by the Federal Government, that park will be known internationally,” he said.

The governor further assured that all members at the National Assembly from Jigawa would speed up processes to support the taking-over of the park in the state.

Earlier, Goni urged the state to take the handing-over of the park seriously, to avoid degradation.

The CG implored the state government to provide office accommodation within and around the designated National Park which was also in line with the stakeholders’ resolution.

Goni commended Jigawa State for having Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment at the National Assembly.

He expressed optimism that for the service to attain great success in the handing and taking over of the 10 new national parks in the nine states of the federation, the Senator would live up to expectation. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Razak Owolabi

By Patricia Amogu

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammed Abubakar, says cashew nuts export from Nigeria generated over 250 million dollars in 2022 and it is expected to fetch Nigerian farmers about 500 million dollars in 2023 .

Represented by Dr Ernest Umakhihe, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Abubakar said this at the Nigerian Cashew Day and Cashew Season Commencement with the theme: “Industrialising the Nigeria Cashew Sector through Inclusive Policies,” on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said: “In Nigeria, cashew is increasing in its importance as an export oriented cash crop since the 1990’s, it has become an important source of non-oil export earnings.

”It is estimated to represent over 10 per cent GDP based on export data of 2022 and it is becoming a commercial crop in Nigeria and is cultivated in 27 states including the FCT..

“In realisation of the importance of cashew, the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development listed cashew as a priority crop.

”It is being promoted under the Import Substitution Strategy of the present administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.”

Abubakar said that the cashew value chain was among the crops being promoted under the Value Chain Programme of the ministry.

“The ministry had carried out a number of activities over the years to promote the growth of the value chain in the Country including the distribution of improved seeds/seedlings to cashew farmers free of charge.

“Establishment of cashew cottage industries in some states, distribution of agro-chemicals/growth enhancers, carbon free jute bags and knapsack sprayers.

”Others were provision of  water pumps to cashew farmers, conducting capacity building/training for cashew farmers and having sensitisation exercises,” the minister added

Mr Ojo Ajanaku, President,  National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), said that Nigeria was steadily becoming an export hub and taking over in the country’s foreign exchange trading over the last three years by at least 11 per cent .

He said: “This implies that the sector has the potential to drive national revenue generation, increase job creation and diversify the economy.”

Ajanaku said that more than three million people in Nigeria, especially women had become cashew producers and were driving the sector among their male counterparts.

”NCAN”s long term goal is to transform Nigeria from a low-priced commodity producer to a reliable supplier and exporter of high quality cashew products, adopt indigenous innovations and policies that will drive the sector,” he added (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Abdulfatai Beki/Bashir Rabe Mani

By Felicia Imohimi

The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), FCT Chapter has urged the Federal Government and FCT administration to assist members affected by natural disaster to resuscitate their businesses.

Mr Pius Aminu, PAN Chairman, FCT chapter made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.

Aminu said that rehabilitating poultry farmers would safeguard the industry from eminent collapse.

Recall that rainstorm destroyed some poultry houses in Kuje and Kwali Area Councils in FCT, during the 2022 raining season.

The chairman, who gave an update on the state of the industry in FCT, said the association had yet to receive any interventions from the government.

According to him, the Federal Government should declare a state of emergency in poultry industry for urgent response on the current situation.

“When there is flood, being an emergency and natural disaster, people are relocated to different places; some to primary schools and are given mattresses and food items.

“But when it comes to the poultry sector, it is neglected. Windstorm is a natural disaster, so the industry should as well be considered.

“We are appealing to the government to also consider the industry. The wind too affected so many farms thereby, reducing the number of farms in FCT, poultry farmers should be considered and prioritised,” he said.

Aminu further said that the collapse of farms had increased unemployment in the territory, since those employed in the affected farms have been sent back to the labour market.

He, however, pointed out that when the rainstorm occurred, the FCT administration visited some of the affected farms, stock of the damages – number of pens destroyed, cages, feed mill industry and birds lost.

The PAN chairman noted that till date, the poultry farmers have not received any response.

He appealed to the government to urgently come to the aid of the farmers financially and otherwise, to enable them to reconstruct their pens and cages and continue to sustain production.

He added that owners of the affected farms have not been able to reconstruct their pens due to the level of damage. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chinyere Bassey and Isaac Ukpoju

By Olayinka Olawale

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday inaugurated a 32-metric tonnes per hour Lagos Rice Mill in Imota, Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos, to support rice revolution in Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Lagos Rice Mill, Imota, is a 2 x 16 metric tonnes per hour mill standing on an area of 8.5 hectares of land.

The project has an annual paddy requirement of over 240,000 metric tonnes to produce 2.5 million bags of 50kg rice per annum.

Buhari, who landed in Imota around 5:30 p.m. took a brief tour of the mill in company of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state.

Others included Sen. Tokunbo Abiru, Mr Colinious Ojelabi, Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Lagos state and Mr Ganiyu Solomon, APC Presidential Campaign Committee Chairman, Lagos state.

Other dignitaries who accompanied the president included Ms Abisola Olusanya, Commissioner for Agriculture; Dr Rotimi Fashola, Special Adviser to the governor on Rice Initiative; Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, NiDCOM boss and traditional rulers Jimi Benson and Oba Gbolahan Lawal.

The president unveiled the rice and observed a brief display of how it was being produced and packaged.

Speaking at the event, Sanwo-Olu said that Lagos state was ready to support Buhari’s rice revolution.

According to him, the Lagos Imota Rice Mill is part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s agricultural revolution.

“When he started his government, he said Nigeria must grow what they eat and they should eat what they grow.

“We are happy that Lagos is the testament for that. With 2.8 million bags of 50kg rice per annum, Lagos is ready to support rice and food revolution in Nigeria.

“The units rice mill will create close to 250,000 direct and indirect jobs. We want to thank the local communities of Imota in Ikorodu. We thank you all for waiting patiently.

“Mr president is indeed excited that we have stated another first in Nigeria and in sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.

Also speaking, Olusanya said that the mill would produce wholesome rice to Lagos residents at affordable price.

Also, Fashola said the mill would perform cleaning, boiling, drying, sorting, hauling, polishing and bagging of rice using digital, automated and latest machine in the world.

In his contribution, Dr Femi Oke, Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos State and South-West Zone, commended the state government for the laudable initiative.

Oke said that farmers would continue to support the mill by providing more paddy.

Mr Raphael Hunsa, the Chairman of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, said the new rice mill would encourage farmers to produce more in the state.

Hunsa urged the state government to continue to empower farmers with implements in order to increase paddy production to feed the mill.

“This project is very wonderful, it is a thing of joy to us as rice farmers in Lagos. I am happy that such a thing is happening in Lagos,” he said.

NAN reports that state government officials, traditional rulers, members of AFAN, Ogbonge Women Farmers Association, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria and secondary school students are among the dignitaries who graced the occasion. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Chinyere Bassey/Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Mr Daniel Alozie, LIFE-ND State Project Accountant, addressing participants at the event in Umuahia on Friday

By Leonard Okachie

The Abia State Project Coordinating Office of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises for Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) has trained some farmers on keeping basic accounting records.

Participants in the one-day training at the project’s headquarters in Umuahia on Friday were farmers who engage in the production, processing and marketing of the selected commodities in their communities.

The beneficiaries consisted of the project’s trainers, otherwise known as incubators, and the executives of the Commodity Apex Development Association (CADA) across the communities of the project’s implementation.

The State Project Accountant, Mr Daniel Alozie, said that it is important to train the new incubators (trainers) who were engaged last year to take care of the project’s 900 beneficiaries.

A cross section of participants at the event 

According to him, the primary purpose is because “we discovered over time that most incubation centres did not have records to buttress their expenditures.

He explained that the incubators are people that train the project’s beneficiaries in different agricultural commodities and management.

Alozie said that they made sure that the resource persons could bring down the teaching to the level of somebody who did not pass through the four walls of higher institutions.

“At this point of our project implementation, it is necessary that we keep them abreast of what is happening with respect to the basic accounting records.

“A lot of funds have been sent to the incubators'(trainers) accounts and we keep on funding them as the project implementation progresses,” he said.

A resource person, Mr Philip Obinna, who taught them the importance of book keeping, described book keeping as the life wire of a business.

According to him, proper book keeping will help the farmer to know the financial statement, whether he or she is doing well or not.

Another resource person, Mr Lawrence Ubani, taught them “How to prepare simple cash book and bank reconciliation.”

He explained that such an important exercise would make them to keep the record of all their entries after which they reconcile it with their bank statements later.

A participant, Mrs Elizabeth Deliverer, who is the Managing Director of Delver Farms in Osisioma Local Government Area, said she benefitted a lot from the training.

“Most of us do not keep records but now I have learnt how to keep my cash, sales and purchases to move forward,” Deliverer said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that LIFE-ND is being funded by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in collaboration with the Federal Government and Niger Delta Development Commission as well as the Abia state government.

The project, which is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision for national food security, is being implemented in the nine Niger Delta states. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Vincent Obi

By Lizzy Okoji

The Government of Ukraine has expressed its readiness to establish grain hubs in Nigeria and other African countries as it donated about 25,000 tonnes of grains to Nigeria to boost bilateral ties.

Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Mr Mykola Solskyi, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja when he led a delegation that met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama.

Solskyi said that the grain from Ukraine would arrive in Nigeria in February under the initiative called ‘Grains from Ukraine’.

He said that despite the war with Russia, the Ukrainian food industry wanted to have closer relations with Nigeria,  adding “we are very thankful to you that your country is ready to develop the relations“.

“Despite all the events going on in the world our countries are ready to develop this cooperation.

“The Ukrainian government and Ukrainian president are ready to pay a lot of attention to this development. We want to have regular contacts every year not only by our agriculture ministers but other ministers as well.

“Development of such hubs will make it possible to bring in high quality grain into your country and it will influence prices positively.

“Ukraine intends to develop two or three hubs in Africa and taking into consideration the capacity of your country, the grain hub in your country is priority number one.  If we implement it well,  it would be a practical step towards our business relations reaching a new level,” Solskyi said.

Onyeama, who empathised with Ukraine over its ongoing war with Russia, also lauded it for the grain donation, pointing out that the gesture was coming even when the country was still at war.

He thanked Ukraine for extending its support to Nigeria and other African countries despite the current situation in that country.

“Notwithstanding the situation in which your country finds itself, you are able to extend a hand of friendship not just to Nigeria but to other African countries. This demonstrates superhuman courage and we really admire your generosity and we thank you for this support,” Onyeama said.

Onyeama noted that Nigeria had long standing relations with Ukraine, lamenting that some of the victims of the war in Ukraine were the large number of Nigerian students, whose studies have been disrupted by the war.

“You have built up real specialisation in many disciplines and Nigerian students are the beneficiaries. We can continue to strengthen relations between our two countries and our two peoples.

“We will do our best at the multilateral level to bring the war to a very quick end,” Onyeama said.

Also speaking, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammad Abubakar said that Nigeria was willing and ready to provide the appropriate ports for the grain hub.

“We appreciate and commend you that despite the war you still found time to extend a gesture of friendship to Nigeria and also donated grains.

“I can assure you that the relations with Ukraine will improve.

“We have been having businesses with Ukraine, especially in the agriculture sector and I can say that over 30 per cent of our agricultural businesses are with Ukraine particularly in the area of wheat, fertilizer and other grains. This I can assure you will continue to improve our relations,” he said.

Fielding questions later, Abubakar said the purpose of the grain hub was to have a centre where Ukraine would be bringing grain and we would be helping other African countries.

He said the hubs would be useful in emergency situations and could also be used to donate grain to other countries.

“We are looking at the Lagos Port and also the Onne Port in Rivers.  The grain coming from Ukraine will increase the amount of grain here and the hub will eventually become a business hub with other African countries and beyond and it will help to stabilise the price,” he added.

The minister said that Ukraine had the technology and know-how to help Nigeria in wheat production, stressing that capacity building would be part of the relations which would produce a win-win situation. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)