The Federal Government says it is targeting the production of eight million tonnes of paddy by rice farmers across the country in 2018 wet season. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh said on Monday in Abuja, while reeling out the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in the past three years. He said that the country was currently producing between 5.8 million and six million tonnes of paddy, adding that it was targeting the production of nine million tonnes by 2019. Ogbeh said the rice revolution was the most outstanding achievement recorded in the Buhari-administration’s economic diversification…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The World Bank has said that it was working on a Central Pivot System (CPS) in Lagos under the FADAMA III (Additional Financing) project to promote irrigation and sustainable farming. The CPS of FADAMA III (AF) is a method of crop irrigation in which equipment rotates around a pivot and crops are watered with sprinklers. The bank’s Tasking Leader to Lagos State, Dr Adetunji Oredipe who made the disclosure in an interview on Monday in Lagos, spoke against the backdrop of the 9th Joint World Bank/Federal Government Implementation Support Mission to the state. He said that the challenge to the full…
The Chief Executive Officer and Country Manager of Dizengoff West Africa (Nigeria) Ltd., Ritvonen Antti, has said that Nigeria was behind in the area of agricultural mechanisation. Identifying the challenge in an interview on Monday in Lagos, he said that finance to drive mechanisation was the country’s major challenge. According to Antti, “Nigeria is far behind and in the very early stage of mechanisation, there is so much more tractors needed,” adding that Nigeria had the potential of developing mechanisation in agriculture, but was behind other Africa countries. “There are two major challenges in the development of mechanisation in Nigeria; one…
The Global Environmental Facility-Small Grant Programme (GEF-SGP) has given Nigeria a $4.9 million grant to fund 141 environmental projects in 25 states between 2009 and 2017. GEF-SGP National Coordinator, Mrs Ibironke Olubamise disclosed this in Abuja, saying that the grant was an additional fund to complement the environmental projects in the states. She said that the grant was used to fund projects on biodiversity, climate change, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants and international waters. GEF-SGP provides grant, technical and coordination support to poor, marginalised and vulnerable communities. This is through national Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Corporate Body Organisations (CBOs) to…
The Adamawa Ministry of Health has confirmed that the cases of cholera outbreak in Mubi have risen to 434 with 13 deaths. The Information Officer of the Ministry, Mr Abubakar Muhammed confirmed the number in a statement on Sunday in Yola. “Total number of cases reported from Mubi North and Mubi South Local Government Areas as at 26th May, 2018 stand at 434 cases with 13 deaths. While the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is 3.0 per cent; Mubi North has 211 cases and 7 deaths equivalent to 3.3 per cent case fatality rate. Mubi South has 223 cases with 6 deaths and…
A Nigerian lawyer based in Port Harcourt, Kingdom Ifedichukwuezi has identified alcohol and drug abuse as responsible for the increasing incidences of rape in the country. He said on Friday that most of the time, rape suspects were found to be on drugs when they committed the offence. “Provocative (indecent) dressing ‘’ by some ladies is accountable for the increasing wave of rape in the society. Indecent dressing by some ladies can seduce some men who cannot contain their desire. If ladies dress decently, it will reduce the rape of young ladies,” Ifedichukwuezi said. While noting that rampant incidences of rape in…
By Mark Lynas The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Golden Rice, marking the third positive international assessment for the genetically engineered biofortified crop. Previously, Food Standards Australia, New Zealand and Health Canada gave Golden Rice the stamp of approval in February and March 2018 respectively. In an official letter to the developers of Golden Rice, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the FDA concurred that the new rice was safe for consumers. “Based on the information IRRI has presented to FDA, we have no further questions concerning human or animal food derived from GR2E rice at…
The Federal Government in conjunction with the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has started the training of 250 farmers in Niger in cassava and rice entrepreneurship. The State Programme Coordinator (SPC) of IFAD-VCDP, Dr Mathew Ahmed made this known at the opening of one of the entrepreneurship workshops in Minna on Friday, adding that the aim of the workshops was to enable those trained to train other farmers in the state. “If you must do well in agri-business, you must utilise this training and step it down to other members of your group…
The United Nations (UN), through the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF) has released two million dollars to sustain the response to a deadly cholera outbreak in Yobe, North-east Nigeria, that could affect thousands of people. Authorities said since the beginning of the outbreak, which was officially declared in four local government areas on March 28, 404 cases and 15 deaths have been reported. According to a statement by Samantha Newport, Head of Communications, OCHA Nigeria, the UN and its partners activated an immediate emergency response in the affected communities in support of the State Ministry of Health. “However, additional resources are…
The Government of Tanzania on Thursday set aside 307 million U.S. dollars for the construction of the 2,100 megawatts (MW) Stiegler’s Gorge hydropower project in the Selous Game Reserve. Stiegler’s Gorge hydropower project is the world’s renowned wildlife area, a Senior Official said on Thursday. Medard Kalemani, the East African nation’s Minister for Energy, told the National Assembly in the capital Dodoma that the allocated budget for the mega power project was about 41 per cent of the ministry’s budget. “The government has so far evaluated the tenders for the project that will help Tanzania in its quest to graduate…