The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele has said that the Apex bank would push for the production of tomato, cocoa and palm oil across the country in 2018. He stated this when he visited the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh in his office on Wednesday. The CBN governor said that the move was aimed at supporting government’s effort to ensure self-sufficiency and reduce food importation. He added that he was at the ministry with a view to work out strategies that would actualise President Buhari’s pronouncement that rice importation would end by…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) in conjunction with McGeorge Consulting, Ilorin has trained 40 youths in cassava value chain in Ilofa, Oke-Ero local government area of Kwara state. Aimed at boosting food security in the week long agripreneurship training, the Executive Director of the Institute, Dr. Olufemi Oladunni said on Wednesday that the empowerment scheme was designed to educate the youths on cassava production and processing. Represented by the Head of Women and Youth Division, Mrs. Abigael Eyilade explained that the participants comprised of 32 males and eight females drawn from the 10 wards of the local…
The state Coordinator of FADAMA III Additional Financing (AFII) programme in Anambra, Chukwuka Egbueh has commended the state government for working on agricultural programmes targetted at boosting food security in the state. He said in Awka on Wednesday that Governor Willie Obiano had embarked on progrannes that would impact positively on the people of the state. “Governor Obiano has done well by promptly paying the state’s counterpart funds for the FADAMA III projects. This has been attested to by international donors,” he said. Egbueh explained that the governor had compelted irrigation projects as well as construction of roads to connect rural…
The Manager of Yobe Pilot Livestock Development Programme, Dr Mustapha Gaidam has called for intensive sensitisation and mobilisation of stakeholders before the enforcement of the ban on open grazing. Mustapha who gave the advice in Damaturu on Tuesday said, “There is the absolute need for dialogue, intensive education, sensitisation and mobilisation for both crop and livestock farmers to appreciate the advantages. “So far, the anti-open grazing law enacted by Benue, Taraba, Ekiti and Edo states has failed to serve the purposes for which it was established, considering the unfortunate incidences in Benue and Taraba. “The law was intended to provide solution to…
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…
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…