Sokoto State Government said on Wednesday it had procured 25,000 metric tons of fertiliser for sale to irrigation farmers at subsidised rate. Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, who made the disclosure while flagging-off the sales in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of the state, said the fertiliser would be sold to farmers at N4,000 per bag. He added that the farmers would also get improved seeds and chemicals, in addition to the drilling of 1, 000 tube wells. “We have bought 500,000 bags of fertiliser at the cost of N6, 800 per 50kg bag but we have decided to sell the product…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
Each year, seven in 10 deaths globally are from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mostly from tobacco and alcohol use, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. The Organisation disclosed this while launching the Independent Global High-level Commission on NCDs, adding that bold and innovative solutions were now on the table to accelerate the prevention and control of deadly NCDs. It further said that such non-communicable were heart and lung disease, cancers and diabetes, explainign that a new high-level commission was getting set to begin its work. According to the President of Uruguay and co-chair of new WHO…
A research group from Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences on Saturday announced that they have developed a new type of flu vaccine using nano-technology. The leader of the research group, Cui Zongqiang said the intranasal nano-vaccine could target broad-spectrum flu viruses and induces robust immune responses. “In our study, an intranasal nano-vaccine worked well against infections of H1N1 and H9N2 virus in mice. The results suggest that the 3M2e-rHF nanoparticle is a promising, needle-free, intranasally administered, cross-protective influenza vaccine,’’ Cui said. Across China, measures have been taken to contain the winter flu outbreak. Experts said flu infections this…
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has launched a new and comprehensive guide on integrated pest management to tackle the Fall Armyworm on maize in Africa. While launching the guide, FAO observed that the invasive pest was affecting millions of hectares of maize across most of Africa, mainly crops in the hands of smallholder farmers. The organisation said that by early 2018, only 10 out of the 54 African states and territories – mostly in the north of the continent – had not reported infestations by the invasive pest, adding that Central and Southern Africa were particularly on high alert, as…
A team of researchers working on the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture-managed Cassava Weed Management Project (IITA-CWMP) have said findings from the 5-year project will respond and address the problems of weeds especially in cassava farming systems. The challenge of weeds on Nigeria’s agricultural productivity was brought to the fore at the meeting of the Nigeria Zero Hunger Forum (NZHF) held in Ebonyi State, southeast Nigeria. The Director General of IITA, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, said with cassava featuring as one of the top priority crops in most states of Nigeria, the IITA-CWMP would provide innovations to help the government to…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says it has disbursed N55 billion to more than 250,000 farmers within two years of implementation of the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP). The Acting-Director, Corporate Communications Department of the Apex bank, Isaac Okorafor confirmed the figure on Wednesday in Abuja during a media briefing on the implementation of the programme launched by President Buhari in November 2015 in Kebbi state. He said that the programme was designed to create economic linkages between farmers and processors, not only to ensure increased agricultural output of rice and wheat, but also to close the gap between production…
The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) on Wednesday in Lagos inaugurated a Renal (Kidney) Transplantation Centre that would carry out kidney transplants for residents. The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Hospital, Prof. Adewale Oke told newsmen that the programme was in collaboration with Apollo, an Indian-based Hospital. He said that LASUTH started renal transplant in 2015 and had conducted five transplants with its indigenous doctors carrying out the surgeries. “We are partnering with Apollo Hospital in order to improve on what we have. Our arrangement is such that they will come, work with us, look at our patients,…
The World Bank Group on Tuesday in Abuja said there was need for government to strengthen laws that govern the agricultural sector in the country. The Programme Manager at the Bank, Mr Farbod Youssefi made the appeal at a workshop on Enabling Business of Agriculture (EBA, 2017) report for Nigeria, organised by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in partnership with the World Bank Group. According to him, Nigeria has weak laws and regulations in areas that deal with seeds production, marketing and transportation of agricultural products. “There are other areas such as finance, fertilizer, machinery where the scores…
The Chairman of the Technical Committee on Yam Export, Prof. Simon Irtwang has said that yam exporters were finalising processes to export another consignment of yam in the first quarter to United Kingdom and United States of America. Irtwang told news men in Lagos on Tuesday that the committee was going round major yam markets, especially in the South-West to inspect the quality of yams there. “Not all species of yam are good for export. So, yam farmers and traders need to know the species that are good for export. They also need to know how to select, store and preserve…
Thousands of smallholder farmers across Latin America are set to benefit from smart phones, a technology that will help them deal better with the effects of climate change. A three-year agreement will see farmers receive vital information such as weather forecasts and early warnings via their smart phones, as well as online training and equipment to help improve water usage. “There are 70 countries in the world today that have no access to weather information,” said José Graziano da Silva, director general of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). He was speaking after signing the agreement on Monday…