The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Agriculture

  • FG approves cultivation of genetically modified Maize

     

    The Federal Government has granted environmental approval for the evaluation and open cultivation of TELA Maize, a new variety of genetically modified maize developed by researchers at the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

     

    Approval for the cultivation of the crop was announced in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, jointly signed by the Communications Officer, West and Central Africa for African Agricultural Technology Foundation; and the Information Officer, IAR/ABU, Yakubu Dodo.

     

    According to the statement, the genetically modified maize would resist fall armyworm, stem borers, and tolerate moderate drought.

    The government decision was contained in a certificate issued to IAR by the National Biosafety Management Agency, the agency mandated to regulate genetically modified products across the country.

     

    The certificate dated October 8, 2021, with permit code no. NBMA/CM/003, was issued to IAR for general/commercial release of TELA maize genetically modified for drought tolerance, resistance to stem borer and fall armyworm.

     

    “It comes into effect from October 8, 2021, to October 5, 2024,” the statement read in part.

     

    A decision document accompanying the certificate from NBMA stated that in arriving at the decision to grant the permit, the agency took into consideration the advice of the National Biosafety Committee, the National Biosafety Technical Sub-Committee, and the risk management report provided by the applicant.

     

    The statement added, “The agency was convinced that there are no known adverse impacts to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, taking into account risk to human health.

    “The permit, pursuant to this decision, is without prejudice to other extant legal requirements.”

     

    It stated that this approval would authorise the permit holder and persons covered by the permit to commercialise the TELA maize genetically modified for drought tolerance and insect resistance.

     

    Reacting to the decision, the Executive Director, IAR, Prof. Ishiyaku Mohammed, said it was inspiring for the institute to secure NBMA approval for the commercial release of the drought-tolerant and  insect-resistant maize.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Government distributes agricultural input to Women in north Central States

    The Federal Government on Thursday distributed agricultural inputs to women smallholders farmers in North-Central states and the Federal Capital Territory.

     

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, who carried out the distribution exercise in Abuja, said the move was to increase production and reduce wastage in the sector.

     

    He said the distribution of inputs to 7,500 women smallholders and processors was part of government’s commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment in the agricultural sector.

     

    He said, “I have deliberately undertaken initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality and empowerment of women.

     

    “This is in line with the targets set in our Economic Sustainability Plan, Agric Gender Policy, National Gender Action Plan for Agriculture, Agricultural Sector Food Security and Nutrition Strategy Documents aimed at ensuring increased opportunities for women.”

     

    Nanono stated that the ministry and its research institutions were working towards making Nigeria self-sufficient in good quality seed and its availability to farmers as a foundation for attaining food and nutrition security as well as industrialisation.

     

    “We are making concerted efforts to improve rural infrastructure such as rural roads, boreholes, irrigation facilities, solar lights, markets, etc, that are enablers for improved agricultural performance for our farmers and processors active in the rural space,” he stated.

     

     

     

    The minister stated that other value-chain supports were also advanced that would invariably contribute to the attainment of government’s desire to ensure easy access to quality food and nutrition by Nigerians.

     

    “Today, the ministry is supporting about 7,500 women with value kits such as planting materials, growth enhancers and agro-chemicals in yam, cassava, potatoes, soybean, rice, maize, sesame, ginger, sorghum/millet, cowpea and horticultural crops,” Nanono said.

     

    He stated that additional nutritional value kits would be distributed to the women, adding that the choice of the crops was based on comparative adva ntage to its production.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Why Nigerians Should Embrace Agriculture

    The Founder of Hour of Mercy Prayer Mountain Worldwide, Prophet Muyideen Kasali, has urged the government to invest more in agriculture, to ensure adequate food supply and security in the country.

     

    He said over dependence on oil revenue may soon lead to hunger in the nation.

     

    Speaking after the annual one month prayer and fasting programme of the ministry, Prophet Kasali said there is need to diversify the economy from oil to agriculture, “in which we have comparative advantage.”

     

    He said: “God asked me to tell Nigerians that they should wake up from their slumber for them not to sleep in hunger.

     

     

    “Our government and indeed all Nigerians should stop depending only on oil for survival. Let us return to and embrace agriculture. The government must invest in agriculture in order for us to avoid food crisis.”

     

     

    The cleric, who disclosed that God told him a lot about things that will happen in the country said with the prayers of Nigerians as directed by God, bad occurrences will be averted.

     

    The wife of the founder, Lady Evangelist Bunmi Kasali, who said it has been God who has been sustaining the programme since its inception 11 years ago, thanked everyone who took part in the programme.

     

    Dignitaries at the event included His Eminence, Samuel Olusegun Ajayi, the Baba Aladura Agboti Jesu Worldwide, Baba Aladura Iwa Mimo, Joseph Aderibigbe of the Cherubim and Seraphim Iwa Mimo, Olori Abosede Adekeye Oyedare of Oya n town in Osun State.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.thenationonlineng.net

  • Emefiele Advises Nigerians to Embrace Agriculture for Food Security

    In pursuit of the nation’s economic diversification agenda, the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, charged Nigerians to embrace agriculture; as the gains of Anchor Borrowers’ Programme will ensure Nigeria attains food security in the shortest possible time.

    Mr. Emefiele gave the charge in Zauro, Kebbi State, yesterday, during the flag-off of the 2020 wet season harvest aggregation and 2020 dry season input distribution under the CBN-Rice Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, as part of the fifth anniversary of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP). He noted that Nigeria was naturally blessed to meet its food requirement and had no reason to continually repeat mistakes of the past of neglecting agriculture. “The rhetoric around neglect of previous years will remain part of our history and the best time to correct those mistakes is now and every stakeholder must contribute their quota to guarantee the realisation of these national targets. “COVID-19 and the associated lockdowns globally have shown that nations only export out of their reserves. Let us start building our own reserves now,” he added. The flag-off, which comes barely three months after the CBN showcased sky-high pyramids in Minna, Niger State, to highlight its intervention in the maize value chain, also featured the display of pyramids, which were rice harvests brought in by farmers in the state.

     

    He noted that the ABP, which is an essential part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s drive for economic diversification, had improved the fortunes of rural farmers, transforming agriculture into a potential for economic growth.

    According to Emefiele, the ABP, in the past five years, had been characterized with huge successes, learning points and challenges. Specifically, he noted that a total of 2,923,937 farmers cultivating 3,647,643 hectares across 21 commodities through 23 participating Financial Institutions had been financed in the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory from inception till date.

    He also disclosed that the Bank, under the 2020 wet season CBN-RIFAN partnership, financed 221,450 farmers for the cultivation of 221,450 hectares in 32 States.

    “The North-West zone with 85,261 farmers that cultivated 120,218 hectares represented 38.5% in total number of farmers and 54.3% in total number of hectares financed,” he disclosed, adding that the massive pyramids being launched in Kebbi were harvests from various fields across Kebbi State and a confirmation of the positive outlook of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.

    Speaking further, Mr. Emefiele said the partnership between the CBN and the Kebbi State Government and RIFAN aimed at strategically complementing the Economic Sustainability Plan of the Buhari Administration. Following the President’s approval of the resuscitation of the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) and the commitment of N50b by the CBN and other Stakeholders, he said a vibrant commodity exchange would enhance post-harvest handling, guarantee effective pricing for farmers, minimize the adverse effect of middle men and ultimately transfer the gains from primary production to other nodes of the value chain.

    While acknowledging the importance of loan repayment to the sustainability of the programme, he stressed that the CBN was constantly engaging the farmers to enhance their trust in the system, provide a competitive price arrangement and facilitate effective market linkages for their outputs.

    To further create value and transfer these gains along the value chain, he said the CBN also maps miller to off-take the paddies and track the release of outputs to the market as the Bank strives to manage inflation and grow the rice value chain in Nigeria.

    The CBN Governor revealed that CBN and RIFAN both target cultivation of 1million hectares of rice farms; which is over 350% increase from the 221,450 cultivated in 2020. He said the Bank and RIFAN equally nursed an ambitious two cycles of production in the dry season, which will trigger a continuous drop in price of rice in the country.

    While also noting that henceforth, farmers will repay their loans in paddy for ease of repayment, he urged beneficiaries to repay their loans in order for others to equally benefit.

    In his remarks at the event, which featured the sale of paddy to millers as loan repayment by rice farmers under the CBN-RIFAN 2020 wet season cultivation, the Kebbi State Governor, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, commended the CBN Governor and his team for the novel initiatives. He noted that the moves had not only brought succour to the country in terms of food security and diversification but had also successfully made the country exit recession in two quick successions.

    Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, who doubles as the Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, commended the CBN for thinking outside the orthodox paradigm of growing GDP only.

    Also speaking, the President, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Alhaji Aminu Goronyo expressed gratitude to President Buhari for his vision that Nigeria must feed herself by producing what she eats and eating what she produces. .

    While also noting that the CBN had done well to actualise the Buhari vision, Goronyo said the CBN Governor had proved to the world that agricultural revolution was  doable.

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com