Agriculture

Maize Farmers To FG | End Insecurity To Improve Farming And Food Production

Published

8 months ago

July 15, 2020

GiftUgbede

Maize Farmers To FG | End Insecurity To Improve Farming And Food Production

Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN) President, Dr Bello Abubakar, has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to stop the continuous attacks on farmers by bandits and herdsmen, so as to ensure the smooth running of the farming business in the country.

Abubakar made the call in Abuja at the inauguration of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the association and input distribution for the wet season by the CBN’s Anchor Borrowers Programme.

According to the MAAN president, the essence of food production is to cushion the effect of COVID-19 on food production.

Abubakar said insecurity in the country had made it difficult for farmers to go to their farms for fear of being attacked or kidnapped.

He decried the situation, saying it “needs to end in order for Nigeria to close any possible food deficit that will arise from the effect of COVID-19.’’

“We want to kindly plead with the federal government through the CBN to increase security presence in the country to safeguard farmers so that the impact of the pandemic on food production will be drastically reduced,” he said.

Abubakar also called for the review of the tenure of loans by the CBN for the possible extension from a year to two years and also review the stringent nature of providing personal guarantors.

“We seek your assistance to kindly look into the tenure of the loan for it to be extended to two years, the issue of personal guarantee for members should be reviewed and a better alternative be sorted out by the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI).’’

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He urged the benefiting farmers to utilise the opportunities being given to them through the anchor borrowers loans and inputs to ensure they were able to repay the loan.

“We call on our farmers to repay the loans promptly; our ability to repay the loan given to us is what will sustain the programme in the future.

“I urge the beneficiaries to strive and repay and not to see it as palliatives since it is given to them at low rate of five per cent.”

The chairman, House Committee on Agriculture, Hon. Dan-Dutse Muktar commended the efforts of maize association in ensuring that there was the availability of food in the country.

He said Nigeria had what it took to compete favourably in the agriculture sector at the international level to earn foreign exchange.

Dr Adeleke Muftau, a representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Maize Value Chain Coordinator called for synergy between the association and poultry subsector for robust poultry production.

Muftau said that maize was one of the major ingredients for poultry feed production.

He said that proper synergy between both subsectors would boost maize production because farmers would produce more with a steady market.

He said that this also would boost poultry production in the country through the availability of raw materials for poultry feed production.

He said such synergy would also ensure that there was no lacuna that would necessitate import waivers for maize importation, thereby, boosting local production.

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Agriculture

2,778 pastoralists to benefit from scheme

Published

2 months ago

December 27, 2020

Onyebuchi Aniekeyi

In an effort to diversify the economy, improve livestock value chain production, and increase the IGR of the state, the Kebbi State Government has flagged – off the distribution of livestock to 2,778 pastoralists under the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS) at Hulkui Fulani settlement in Maiyama Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking at the occasion, the state Commissioner of Animal Health, Husbandry and Fisheries, Alhaji Aminu Dandiga, said the government was committed to the diversification of the economy and increasing internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state.

Dadiga explained that the programme was in partnership with Mass Literacy Programme and Almajiri Initiative (MALPAI Foundation). 2,778 are benefitting from the programme under the accelerated agricultural development scheme.

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He added that sevenlivestock value chains production enterprises were selected, which include: sheep multiplication, goat multiplication, local chicken upgrading, local cattle upgrading, homemade yoghurt for Fulani women, milk collection scheme, commercial pasture production and modern beekeeping.

The commissioner alsosaid that each of the beneficiaries of sheep, would be given four sheep plus one ram while beneficiary ofgoat, will be given four goat plus one male-goat . As for chicken: each beneficiary will be given five local breed of chickens and bags of feeds, among others.

Dandiga said that the state government was constructing yoghurt factory at Bulasa, in Birnin Kebbi, adding that if completed it would produce 1,000 liters of milk every day. This is also expected to generate N1.6 billion naira every year.

“About 10 milk collectors have been put in place with motorcycles and milk cans to collect and transport the fresh milk from villages to livestock investigation and breeding centre for processing.

Dadiga added that, 500 beneficiaries would be empowered with animal feeds and N40,000.

Agriculture & Nigerian Economy

FG To Receive $2.5 Billion China Loan To Complete Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline

Published

2 months ago

December 16, 2020

NCBN

The Federal Government, Tuesday, said it is set to receive a $2.5 billion loan from china to complete the Ajaokuta-Kaduna- Kano, gas pipeline project by 2023.

Minister of finance, Zainab Ahmed, made this known while inspecting the project by one of the contractors handling section one, Oilserv Nigeria limited, which is from Ajaokuta to Abuja.

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Ahmed who noted one of the cardinal objectives of the project as creating jobs for youth, also expressed optimism that the project will be delivered by 2023.

She noted with satisfaction that the pace of the project has been good despite the economic slowdown.

“We are glad that gas is being piped to Ajaokuta, Kaduna to Kano. This project in this part of the country will create jobs, even now that work is going on locals are being employed.

The contractor is doing a quality and excellent job, and we commend NNPC for implementing this project’’, Ahmed said.

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Agriculture & Nigerian Economy

FG Says Hike in Price of Air Ticket Inevitable as a Result of COVID-19

Published

3 months ago

December 11, 2020

NCBN

The Federal government on Thursday said the over 100 per cent hike in domestic Airfares was inevitable, describing it as one of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also disclosed that 300 employees of Arik air who would have been recently sacked by the carrier had not been relieved of their jobs based on the intervention of government.

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The Director-General of the Nigerian civil aviation authority, Musa Nuhu, disclosed this in Abuja at the briefing of the presidential task force on COVID-19.

Nuhu stated that because of the shutdown, airlines could not find slots to take their aircraft out, adding that the dollar rate had gone up and operators needed to raise enough money.

On the issue of 300 sacked staff employees of Arik air, the NCAA boss said the workers were not retrenched.