The FADAMA III Additional Financing (AF) Programme in Niger says it has spent N437 million on constructing a road and rehabilitating two dams in three local government areas of the state. Alhaji Baba Shaba, the Communication Officer of FADAMA III (AF) Programme in Niger, said this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Tuesday. He said that N270 million was spent on the nine- kilometre road in Edozhigi community of Gbako Local Government Area to facilitate the efforts of farmers to transport their produce to the markets. “The newly constructed road covers about nine kilometres and…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
Farmers in Nigeria under the Zero Hunger Commodity Associations, has urged governments at all levels to support the the Zero Hunger Nigeria Programme to achieve its targets and objectives particularly through farmer-friendly programmes. The association, a subsidiary of the United Nations Committee – Zero Hunger Nigeria Forum – made the appeal in a communique issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Sunday. The communique came after its meeting held in Abuja. It was signed by the National Coordinator of the association, Dr Tunde Arosanyin. The farmers’ group sought a collaboration with the Commodity Exchange Market of…
Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi on Monday said the state agricultural sector, through its Agricultural Revolution Programme (ARP), would generate about 15 per cent of the state internally generated income in 2018. “Kogi is working hard to upstage its internally generated revenue from its exploits in agriculture to generate at least 15% of its income from the sector by the close of 2018,” Bello said. Bello, who disclosed this in s state-wide broadcast to mark the New Year in Okene, said the state had made tremendous progress in agriculture as alternative income generation and employment for the teeming population. He…
The National President, Maize Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Bello Abubakar-Annur, says the union is planning to engage 500, 000 farmers in maize cultivation in the 2018 farming season across the country. Abubakar-Annur told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Sokoto that the figure was part of the target set by the association to complement the efforts of the Buhari Administration at reviving agriculture for food security and employment. He commended the Federal Government for facilitating different farmer support schemes which included the Anchor Borrower loan scheme, buying back and other incentives. He described government’s intervention as a…
Climate Adaptation and Agribusiness Support Programme (CASP), a programme of International Food and Agriculture Development (IFAD), says it will undertake enterprise development initiatives for women and youths in seven states. Mr Abdullahi Surajo, the Communication Officer of IFAD-CASP, said this on Friday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. He said that the programme would support women and youths in enterprise development projects, aimed at creating job opportunities in 727 rural communities across the seven participating states. “We have organised the candidates’ screening to select the best beneficiaries, and two, out of the four candidates who…
The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on proper regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). According to a statement issued in Abuja, the Director-General of NBMA, Dr Rufus Ebegba said that there was the need for government agencies to work together to that GMOs are well analysed to ascertain that there is no risk to Nigerians or the Nigerian environment before they are commercialised. He said NBMA was established to ensure that the practice of Modern Biotechnology that resulted in GMOs was safe for both humans and…
As agribusiness thrives in Nigeria, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the Corporate Farmers International (CFI) and the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Thursday launched the Nigeria Stock Brokers Agribusiness Group (NSBAG). The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the official launch was held in Lagos at the IITA premises in Ogba. Dr Kwesi Atta-Krah, Director, Country Alignment and System Integration, IITA said that it was time to transform agriculture from a mere culture based to a business. Atta-Krah said that agriculture as a culture was no longer productive. “It has come to a point where agriculture should not…
The Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP), a World Bank Assisted Project, achieved 80.50 per cent of its 10,000 beneficiary-targets. Dr Olayiwole Onasanya, the Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday in Lagos at a news conference. Onasanya said that $122,108,469.32 was spent on the project but $3,162,276.68 was yet to be disbursed. He said that the project was to strengthen small and medium scale commercial farmers to access improved technology among others. The eight-year-project initiated on July 30, 2009 and ended on May 30,2017 was solely to strengthen agricultural production systems and…
Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI) has started sensitising school children across the country to the benefits of locally produced rice in terms of its quality and availability. Mr Kojo Sagoe, Policy Advisor for CARI, made this known on Thursday in Abuja at the celebration of Nigerian rice and cultural day of Asokoro Community Staff Secondary School. He said that the Policy Advocacy Unit of CARI just developed the initiative to convey the message on local rice to the parents through their children. “The programme entails identifying one or two schools that would organise end-of-the-year party for students, while finding out…
The Food and Agriculture Organistaion (FAO) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) on Friday distributed farm machinery to nine groups in Ebonyi. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project was initiated under a tripartite agreement between the Nigerian Government, South Korea and FAO under the South-South Cooperation. Dr Babandi Amin, Director, Federal Department of Agriculture in the ministry, noted that the focus of the project was on the development of the rice value chain in Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Cote D’Ivoire. Amin, represented by Dr Fatima Aliu, the ministry’s Rice Value Chain Desk…