BusinessDay 28 Feb 2018

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C002D5556 22 BUSINESS DAY Wednesday 28 February 2018 In association with ag@businessdayonline.com Low quality seeds hurt Nigeria’s cotton production JOSEPHINE OKOJIE Nigerian cotton farmers have identified poor seed as the major challenge facing the cultivation of crop efforts and reducing their yield per hectare. Access to adequate, secured and timely supply of quality cotton seeds is a major hurdle on the nation’s quest to return to its heydays when cotton was a major export cash crop. Despite efforts of successive governments to give farmers access to improved seeds and seedlings, farmers are still unable to get access to good and quality seeds. “A lot of farmers are abandoning their farms because they do not have enough seeds to plant. Majority of the cotton seeds in the market are of low quality,” Anibe Achimugu, president, National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) told BusinessDay in a telephone interview. “There is also no adequate access to finance for cotton farmers and when most of the funds come, it normally gets to the farmers late and the planting of cotton is at a particular season,” Achimugu said. Cotton production in the country is fast on the decline as most farmers are abandoning farming cotton and moving to other crops as the production is no longer attractive. Cotton which used to be one of Nigeria’s major cash crops in the 80’s was not even among the top 15 agricultural commodities exported in 2016, data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows. “A lot of farmers are no longer growing cotton because of low patronage and lack of inputs. The inputs we get from the government usually come very late. When you delay in planting cotton, it affects the productivity,” said Abubakar Shiyaki, a cotton farmer in Niger state. “When we buy our seeds ourselves, we only buy low quality seeds. As a result of all these challenges, a lot of farmers growing cotton are now growing other crops because they cannot break-even with cotton,” Shiyaki said. This is the case of many cotton farmers across the country. The number of seed companies in the country increased from five in 2011 to about 80 seeds companies’ today yet, most of the hybrid seeds in the country are not viable and are of low quality. “The issue of seeds in the country is that farmers are not informed and they don’t know where to get these quality seeds from. Extension service agents that are supposed to educate and inform farmers hardly visit their farmlands,” said Afioluwa Mogaji, chief executive officer, X-RAY Farms. According to stakeholders, the closure of most textile companies in the country led to the low patronage of cotton from farmers which have made cotton farming less attractive for them. Nigeria’s cotton production is put at 51,000 metric tonnes on 253,000 hectares with average yield of 202kg per hectare, while global cotton consumption is put at 24 million metric tonnes, according to the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) 2016 data. Salmanu Abdullahi, chairman, Ginners Association of Nigeria, said “the total collapse of cotton production was as a result of government neglect of agriculture. We however believe that things would be different now that there is renewed commitment to the sector. “Government needs to also address the issue of seeds, so that farmers can improve their yields,” said Abdullahi. Stakeholders have blamed the failure to increase cotton output on ineffective government structures that do not allow effective and efficient translation of technology between research institutes and cotton farmers. Ibrahim Umar Abubakar, director, Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) Zaria said, “the failure of extension service delivery in the country has contributed to the failure of cotton farmers. Farmers need to be trained on good handling practice, modern farming techniques and technology. Stakeholders canvass for technology to boost agric productivity JOSEPHINE OKOJIE Stakeholders in the agricultural sector are canvassing for improved technology and innovation in the sector to boost farmers’ productivity. The stakeholders who spoke during the recent agric social media week, organised by Cooperate Farmers International and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) express optimism that with modern technology in the sector, agriculture would drive economic growth. Woke Ogunlade, co-founder and chief marketing officer, Probity Farms said that the country’s ability to improve the quality of its seeds and seedlings depended on the level of technology in the sector, saying that lack innovation is fast slowing the growth that would have been recorded in the sector. “Farmers need to start enhancing technology in various aspects of farm work to improve quality and quantity of yields,” Ogunlade said. He said lack of technology in the sector for farmers has made it complex for financial institutions to properly evaluate production, making it difficult to finance farming projects. Halina Apaila, country representative of Digital African Woman said that farmers need to be trained on technological tools to make them adopt innovative ways in farming and marketing strategy. Apaila noted that when Nigerian farmers embrace technology, they would be able to access international engagements and investments, noting that it has been the major focus of her organisation to train farmers on modern farming technology. “Digital African Woman gives a platform for training with technological tools to improve ideas, seeds marketing, website developments and engagements for international investors,” she said. Also speaking during the event, Akin Alabi, co-partner, CFI, said that since the country’s agriculture is becoming more vibrant, technology and digitalisation are inevitable. “Farmers need mechanisation and innovation to boost productivity if we are to feed ourselves as a nation,” Alabi said. Lack of technology has continued to limit the capacity of farmers to expand their cultivation areas, perform timely farming operations and achieve economies of scale in food production, stakeholders say. Nigeria is populated by 182 million people who must be fed with staple foods ranging from yams, rice, cassava to beans, bananas and tomatoes. However, there is still much demand-supply gap in most of the staple foods, even as the population growth rate stands at 2.6 percent per annum. The stakeholders stated that for Nigeria to attain high level of food sufficiency and reduce dependency on food imports, it has to adopt technology and innovation in its food production. Available statistics show that Nigeria is one of the least mechanised farming countries in the world with the country’s tractor density put at 0.27 hp/ hectare which is far below the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s 1.5hp/hectare recommended tractor density. IAR&T partners Reps to train youths in poultry production AKINREMI FEYISIPO, IBADAN Th e Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) Ibadan in conjunction with House of Representatives committee on agriculture, have trained 147 students from colleges and institutions in the city in both poultry and piggery production. The training which held at I.A.R&T Ibadan was organised by the committee headed by Linus Okorie in collaboration with IAR&T and Bora Agro Nigeria Limited. It had youths drawn from Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Ekiti and Ebonyi states respectively. Speakers and organisers of the intensive training said it was put together to improve both poultry and piggery production in the country. In his address, James Adediran, executive director, IAR&T, at the training tagged, “Training and Empowerment of Youth on Poultry and Piggery Production, Processing and Marketing’ maintained that poultry and piggery production are one of the important sub-sectors of the livestock industry in Nigeria. Adediran, stated that poultry and piggery production, if given proper attention, would go a long way in reducing the problem of malnutrition associated with low animal protein intake among Nigerians. He added that apart from this, improved poultry production and piggery will also contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria, and reduce the rate of unemployment in the country. Ayodele Adegbite, executive director IAR&T who spoke through the deputy director of the institute, said “the workshop is timely and in line with the Federal Government initiative of empowering the youth to reduce the unemployment crisis in Nigeria through poultry production.” “You are all aware that poultry production and piggery production in Nigeria is an important sub - sector of the livestock industry and the most practiced of all other livestock enterprise. It has contributed and is still contributing to the income of resource poor smallholder farmers,” he added.
Wednesday 28 February 2018 C002D5556 BUSINESS DAY 23 ag@businessdayonline.com Farm to School Africa trains 1,800 students in agriculture …create interest in sustainable farming JOSEPHINE OKOJIE In line with the Federal Government efforts to make agriculture attractive to youths and drive their involvement, Farm to School Africa has trained a total 1, 800 students across five secondary schools in Akure, Ondo state. The Farm to School Africa is an initiative of Springboard Nigeria, which was setup to help build the interest of young people in agriculture through training and establishment of farms in schools, thereby creating and nurturing interest in sustainable farming. The students were trained in various aspects of agriculture such as poultry, seeds and seedling multiplication and crop production. “The Farm to School program is to help build the interest of young people in agriculture to want to study it in the university and take it up as a career after graduation,” Lawrence Alaba Afere, founder and CEO of Springboard Nigeria, said during the launch of the project at Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure, Ondo state. “A lot of young people do not want to take up agriculture as a profession because they do not understand the business aspect of agriculture. Lawrence Alaba Afere, founder and CEO of Springboard Nigeria and Oladapo Babasola Adeniyan, program manager, Ondo Agricultural Development Program (ADP) during the unveiling of the mini tractors for the student farms under the Farm to School Africa initiative. “So the Farm to School initiative is catching them young at the secondary school level and training them on agriculture as a business,” Afere said. He stated that the initiative is being sponsored by the Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa and that the organisation is working in partnership with the Ondo state ministry of agriculture and education on the program. Afere noted that with the support of the state ministry of agriculture and rural development, agricultural science teachers in the schools are trained by extension officers to serve as trainers within the schools for students. “By this we are building a sustainable network of agric educators,” he said. He added that the initiative will be replicated in other schools across the state. Also speaking with BusinessDay during the launch, Jemimah Ibitokun, project coordinator, Farm to School Africa, said that with the training and the involvement of the students in the entire process of farming, their interest in agriculture will increase. “If we monitor them well and closely we would have about 70 percent of them applying to study agriculture in the university not because it was the course giving to them by the school,” Ibitokun said. Steven Temitope Ojo, prinicipal, Oyemekun Grammar School, said that the program would help the country and Ondo state in particular address the issue of unemployment, as the students have seen how profitable farming can be, saying that it will encourage many of them take it up as a career instead of searching for jobs. “The program will equip the students for the future as they would be trained on various aspect of agriculture which they can take up as a profession after their university education,” Ojo said. Amo Group honours Toromade Amo Group of companies, Nigeria’s second largest integrated poultry farm has commended the efforts Francis Toromade, the immediate past group head-policy and strategy, of the organisation for his selfless and meritorious service. Ayoola Oduntan, managing director, AMO Group, commended Toromade for his efforts towards the development of the company, adding that the history of the organisation will not be complete without the mention of his immense contributions. “His contributions towards the development of the company cannot be overemphasized. As a matter of fact, the history of our company will not be complete without the mention of his effort,” Oduntan said during a send-forth party organised by the company for Toromade. “He will be missed, and I wish him good success in his future plans,” he added. Many members of staff of Amo Ayoola Oduntan, group managing director, Amo Group (middle), flanked by Francis Toromade and his wife at the send forth party organised by the company in his honour. Group who spoke at the occasion all described Toromade as a role model, hardworking, energetic and a team player with a pleasant personality. In his response, Francis Toromode showered appreciation on the GMD for giving him the opportunity to serve in the organisation. “I wish to thank everyone for the love shown to me and my family. God called me to work with Ayoola Oduntan and when the time to leave came, God told me to move on.” “I am most especially grateful for the honour of naming the company’s feed mill after me. It goes a long way to show that my hard-work and contributions did not go unnoticed,” Toromade said. He affirmed that he is only retiring to re-fire, while adding that he is still so full of energy and that his best years are still to come. Toromade who recently retired from the company after spending many years as a top management staff served as General Manager, Sales and Marketing, for thirteen years at Amo Byng Nig Ltd. NIOMR empowers unemployed youths, women in aquaculture production BUNMI BAILEY The Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) has empowered 50 unemployed youths and women in different aspects of fish farming to boost Nigeria’s local production in aquaculture. The training and empowerment program which runs for five days is targeted ensuring that the country meets its target of achieving self-sufficiency in fish production. According to NIMOR, the empowerment program is a constituency capital project by the House of Senate and House of Assembly and participants were selected across the country by both houses with 20 from the lower chamber and 30 from the senate. “We are conducting this empowerment program for the unemployed youths and women to make them self-employed and contribute to the food security in Nigeria”, Gbola Akande, CEO of NIMOR, said during the opening ceremony of the program. “For five days participants would be seriously trained in the processing, production, marketing and value addition in aquaculture production. The training will include 30 per cent lecture and 70 per cent will be practical. “Participants will also be monitored for five months after the training and after the five months period of monitoring, they should be able to produce enough fish. After the training participants will be given certificates which will help them to apply for opportunities”, Akande said. The CEO also said that after the training the participants will be given starter packs in order for them to start their own fish businesses. The starter packs includes key inputs for fish production such as fish feeds, medication and equipment among others. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in the last five years shows that the country’s fish production is gaining traction as aquaculture production increased by 43 percent within the period. Nigeria’s total annual fish demand is estimated at 3.5 million metric tons (MT), while the country produces only 1.1 million MT, leaving a gap of 2.4 million MT annually, according to data obtained from the country’s Agricultural Ministry. Also speaking during the training, Patricia Amyanwu, director of research and coordinator of the program, NIMOR, said that the accommodation, food and transport allowance of the participants were being catered for by the government.
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BusinessDay 28 Feb 2018

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