Yobe Cultivates Special Grass for Livestock

The Yobe State Government has introduced the cultivation of new species of exotic grass to mitigate against the high cost of livestock feed.

Speaking to journalists yesterday, the Programme Manager of Yobe Livestock Pilot Development Programme (YLPDP), Dr. Mustapha Gaidam, said with economic recession and high cost of animal feeds, the state government had to take the option of cultivating different species of special grasses to feed livestock.

He said the increase in cost of livestock feeds was as a result of high foreign exchange rate.

He said: “We have introduced nappier, centrosema and stylothensis grass as well as lablab and mucuna beans. The programme has also established demonstration farms to identify favourable areas for mass production of these livestock grass.”

He further disclosed that the grasses which are rich in nutritional values but not common in the state, would be planted to improve animal feeds across the state.

He added that: “Livestock farmers will also be trained on cultivation of the grasses.”

He expressed optimism that the cultivation of the grasses would check the massive migration of herders and cattle breeders in search of pastures and water points.

Gaidam said this would also improve the production of rich and healthy beef and dairy products in the state and boost economic prosperity.

NCAN Raises Alarm Over Encroachment of Foreigners Into Cashew Farms

The National Cashew Association of Nigeria, NCAN, has raised alarm over the encroachment of foreigners into cashew farms across the country.

Nigeria produces about 150,000 metric tonnes of cashew annually and is rated fourth largest producer of cashew nuts in Africa and seventh in the world.

Speaking at the 2016 National Cashew Trade Administration meeting of the association in Ogbomosho, Oyo, NCAN President, Mr. Tola Fasheru, said: “The encroachment of foreigners has been causing distractions for local farmers, and the consequence of this is low quality of products, reduced value at the international market and most importantly lower purchasing power for the Nigerian farmers..

He averred that, “The encroachment into cashew farms by foreigners is inimical to the value chain system and cuts off our locals from participating in the trade. Expatriates are positioned in the bushes to buy directly from the farmers thereby taking away the much needed jobs from our people. If our people cannot buy produce what else do you want them to do?’

Fasheru noted that the international market expects 8.0 percent moisture in the cashew for the best quality and when cashew is not well-dried, it is difficult to achieve this quality and such low quality of product will spoil the image of this country.

According to him: “We want our farmers to dry their cashew to eight percent at the farm gate and at the earliest time so that it will meet the international standard and if all these are done well, farmers will earn more, the country will earn more and most importantly the interest for Nigerian cashew in the international market will continue to increase”

Also speaking at the meeting, former governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Alao Akala, frowned at the practice of foreigners bombarding the farm gates to buy cashew and said this should stop now.

He said this poses big risk to the nation especially in this age of security concerns. He appealed to the association to do its best in ensuring that cash crops return as the major foreign exchange earner for Nigeria now that the country is moving away from a monolithic economy

IFAD Calls for Policies to Encourage Private Investment in Nigeria, Others

Youth unemployment, insecure land tenure and weak value chains are the main obstacles in the way of ending poverty and inequality in West and Central Africa, a new report by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB) has stated.

The report unveiled in Abidjan yesterday noted that youth under the age of 35 account for 75 per cent of the population of the region which also has the highest number of rural youth than any other region in the world. Empowering youth is the first step towards achieving prosperity in the region, says the report.

“The lack of social and economic opportunities for the large number of young people in the region is the principal driver of migration, Vice-President of IFAD, Michel Mordasini said.

“However, by making the right investments – to improve infrastructure, secure land tenure and facilitate their access to finance and training – we can capture the labour and energy of the young generation to transform rural areas into vibrant places to live and work,” he added.

The Rural Development Report 2016: Fostering Inclusive Rural Transformation is a rallying call for policymakers and development practitioners to win the global war against poverty.

This systematic and rigorous analysis of the rural sector gives a greater understanding of what key investments and policy reforms should be prioritized to transform rural areas in developing countries so that people and nations can benefit.

Attracting private investment into agriculture and the rural non-farm economy is vital, states the report, adding that many agricultural regulations in Africa, actually serve to deter rather than encourage such investment.

“Reforming the regulations that limit private entry and investment in value chains that serve smallholder farmers must be a priority,” the report emphasised.

According to the report, food systems are changing rapidly to meet the rising demand and shifting diets of middle-class urban consumers from grains to dairy, fish, meat and vegetables. In addition, continued rapid growth of imports shows that there is space for local farmers to grow their businesses if they can produce competitively.

“Rural transformation is a powerful way to overcome poverty,” the Regional Director, West and Central Africa Division, IFAD, Ides de Willebois said.

“We need to develop rural areas in Africa where people are willing to invest, which then will enable them to produce more, to attain a marketable surplus that can be sold at a profit and provide them with the resources to improve their livelihoods and reinvest.”

Benue Widows Excel in Farming Through Group Savings

Justina Ya’apera is a middle-aged widow in Anyiin, Logo LGA in Benue State and proud owner of 40 bags of soya beans, which could fetch her over N400, 000 given the current price of the produce at N12,000 per bag.

She produced the 40 bags from a loan of N10,000 she got through group savings and N20, 000 micro credit from Bank of Agriculture and Gboko Micro Finance Bank in a number of circles, which she has already paid.

The widow is a member of Akanawe women group in Anyiin with 100 members trained and mentored through the federal government and International Fund Agriculture Development (IFAD) Rural Finance Institution-Building Programme (RUFIN), which seeks to reach out to poor rural people.

The programme ensures that the rural poor gain access to financial services and can invest in improving productivity in agriculture and small businesses.

With group savings of N60,000 to N80,000 monthly, a member could get a soft credit to either expand her farm and/or undertake business depending on how much she saves.

Martha Aba’a is another member of the Akanawe (yam farmers’ women association). Her little monthly saving of N500 to N1,000 with the group, along with the micro credits she got through RUFIN linkages, was able to invest in yam production.

Today, “I harvest over 1,000 big tubers of yam from my farm,” she said.

In Ugba, a widow who gave her name as Mrs. Esther is a volunteer under the RUFIN programme. Esther’s job is to help other women to form groups with the aim of imbibing group savings and lending culture.

Her two years of helping women come together resulted in the formation of over 10 women groups, saving from the little they make from their farms and agro-enterprises. These groups lend to themselves depending on how much you save in the group, one could get loan facilities from N5,000 to N50,000.

Another widow, Mrs. Agara while telling her emotional story, recounted how life was miserable for her family before receiving the FG/IFAD capacity building on group formation and saving culture.

The widow has so far mobilised over 100 women into 15 groups in her ward helping them to save their widow’s mite and lending to each other. She told the IFAD supervision team that “I have expanded my soya beans and yam farms, and have now gone into selling cloths too.”

Some of the groups they help to form, like the Nongo Sisters and Kakuli women groups, made up of financially challenged women and widows are taking the lead in changing the economic situation around their families and learning how to empower themselves.

Mrs. Elizabeth Adam of the Nongo Sisters listed the group’s challenges to include more access to financial institutions in order to expand their production base.

As RUFIN winds up next year, the Central Bank (CBN) and International Fund Agriculture Development (IFAD) are already putting in place strategy to sustain rural financial inclusion for the poor smallholder farmers in states willing to key into the programme.

BAUCHI WHEAT FARMERS GET SEED, WATER PUMPS

The Flour Millers Association of Nigeria has donated wheat seeds and water pumps to wheat farmers in Bauchi State to help them increase production.

The farm inputs donated to the farmers include 250 50kg bags of wheat seeds and 250 water pumps.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Yusuf Mahmood, commended the Flour Miller for assisting wheat farmers in the state with some needed inputs which, he said, was a good encouragement.

The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Alhaji Sule Adamu, said the move would also encourage the state government in its drive to involve the private sector to implement some of its policies in various sectors.

The state director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Muhammad Yusuf, told the farmers that they should embrace wheat farming as unlike before, there is a huge demand for the commodity locally and internationally.

The chairman of Bauchi State Wheat Farmers Association, Muhammad Juli Adamu, commended the Flour Millers for assisting his members with the inputs.