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. NAN.

GOVERNOR UMAHI ORDERS CONFISCATION OF FOREIGN RICE IN EBONYI MARKETS, SHOPS.

The Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi on Monday ordered the confiscation of foreign Rice in different markets, shops and other selling points of the products in the state.

Governor Umahi had recently made the pronounced banning the sell of foreign rice in the State over what he described as the health dangers associated with Foreign rice.

The state governor who made the disclosure in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital while performing the ground breaking ceremony of ultra modern Kpirikpiri market urged residents of the state to inform government of anyone bringing into the State and selling of the commodity into the state.

The governor insisted that for one to sell foreign rice in the land of Ebonyi, the person must ensure compliance with all due processes to certify it is not poisonous.

He said, “We have set up a Taskforce and directed them to confiscate foreign rice found in our market.

“The person should give us the certificate of the quality of the rice, you have to prove the import duties you paid for it, where you brought it from and you give us Standard Organization of Nigeria certificate to prove that the rice is not poisonous”.

Gov Umahi said foreign rice is poisonous, “some of these rice were stored for more then 20 years abroad before it would be smuggled into the country”.

“That is why we see cases of cancer, cases of kidney failure and all kinds of diseases that our people were not known for. So you are taking risk if you are selling foreign rice in the land of Ebonyi, “he added.

The governor who said Ebonyi government had enough rice and looking for distributors, advised people to register and become distributors of Ebonyi rice.

He promised to open up modern markets in all the thirteen local government areas of the state and assured that the kpirikpiri market when completed would compete with any other modern market in the country.

Governor Umahi during the ceremony also expressed displeasure with the high level of substandard projects in the ongoing School renovations across the 13 Local Government Areas of the State.

He stated that the State government would soon commence visit of all the project and would not hesitate to demolish any of the project that are viewed to be substandard adding that his administration would never compromise standard.

The noted that after the demolition, the contractor would also be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others pointing out that all projects executed by his administration must have a lifespan of 50 years.

Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade and Investment, Mr. Peter Obah has ordered that all foreign rice in the State must be evacuated or moved out of the state within two weeks.

In a Press statement signed by him and made available to Leadership, the SA warned that no sells, buying or consumption of foreign rice in Ebonyi state would be allowed after 2 weeks.

‘’This is to safeguard the lives of the people who now consume unhealthy substances packaged as foreign rice to Africa in recent time.

‘’Action would commence to impound all foreign rice seen in the state within two weeks of this statement.” NAN.

MOVEMENT OF PERISHABLE ITEMS THROUGH RAIL TO BEGIN IN KADUNA.

The Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, will on Wednesday commission a new perishable produce railway logistics system at Dutsen Wai in Kubau Local Government Area of the state.

This new system, which is the result of partnership between Growth and Employment in States – Wholesale and Retail Trade (GEMS4) and Connect Rail Services Limited (CRSL), will see the transportation of fresh perishables, especially tomatoes using returnable plastic crates (RPCs) in temperature controlled rail cabins from the North to the southern part of the country.

This development, the organiser said, will not only improve the quality of tomatoes and other fresh perishables supplied from the North to the South but also increase income for small holder farms due to the reduction of post-harvest losses.

GEMS4 Group Intervention Manager, Mr Richard Ogundele said, “This is a national game changer that will lead to massive systemic changes, as the utilisation of Returnable Plastic Crates (RPCs) in the supply chain will ensure quality produce and increased incomes, hence sustaining the gains of early harvesting.”

He further said that “because the railway system being employed is state of the art, transit times will not only be less but traders will be able to transport more harvest in a produce-friendly environment thus getting more value for their efforts.”

In an MOU between GEMS4 and Connect Rail Services, it was agreed that both organisations shall collaborate in developing engagement strategies required to support the use of temperature controlled railway logistics services for the transportation of fresh tomatoes and other farm perishables from Northern to Southern Nigeria.

This flag off ceremony is expected to herald a new beginning in the agricultural landscape of the country as geographical divides shall no longer create constraints in the value chain.

Growth and Employment in States – Wholesale and Retail Trade (GEMS4) is an economic development project jointly funded by the World Bank and DFID/UKaid, which utilises the Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) approach by providing solutions to systemic constraints and the inclusion of small and micro enterprises into better functioning market systems.

The overarching goal is the creation of 10,000 new jobs and increased incomes for 500,000 poor people especially, women. GEMS4 is working with market actors, linking them and facilitating market incentives so they serve each other better. The project is also building local capacity for the supply end to meet the long-term needs of the demand side with benefits to the poor as target. NAN.

NEPC TARGETS $30BILLION FROM NON OIL EXPORTS

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, has expressed optimism that its Zero Oil Plan has the potential to boost earnings from non-oil sector to $30billion over the next five years.

Speaking during a visit to the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh in Abuja, the NEPC Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Olusegun Awolowo, said the plan has identified 11 strategic products and sectors in other countries for Nigerian goods.

The NEPC Boss said if the plan is adhered to, the non-oil sector would possibly move from $2.7 billion it currently is to $30 billion.

“More recently, we have developed the Zero Oil Plan, in response to this administration’s charge that Nigeria must begin to look for new drivers of the economy,” Awolowo said.

“The plan is Nigeria’s strategic effort to build an economy that does not need oil to survive and can serve as a major flagship economic programme for the country.”

Meanwhile, the Council has urged Nigerians to embrace mushroom farming to boost the foreign exchange earnings of the country.

Speaking during a one day export workshop on mushroom development for export for growers in Osun State, the Trade Promotion Advisor at NEPC, Akure Office, Mr. Moruf Salami, said mushroom farming would promote the economic diversification agenda of the Federal Government and also boost food production.

He said:“The NEPC is organising this workshop to enlighten our business community on the rudiments of export trade for economic growth. Nigerians need to tap into the multimillion dollar mushroom business, there is a huge money in this business and Nigerians should explore the opportunities.

“The importance of non-oil sector to our national economy and its pivotal role in industrialisation especially in this period of dwindling oil revenue cannot be downplayed. The intention of this workshop is primarily to expose the farmers to modern ways of cultivating mushrooms to meet international standards thereby bringing out the distinct features of export business as opposed to domestic trade.

The Director of African Centre for Mushroom Research and Technological Innovations, Prof. John Okhuoya, said mushroom was in demand in the United States, Europe and Asia because of its health benefits.

He explained that African mushroom is sought after because it is being used to produce drugs, adding that it was being recommended for the treatment of ailments such as high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension and others. NAN.

EXPORT OF AGRIC PRODUCTS NOW ENHANCES NIGERIAS REVENUE PROFILE.

Mr Zakari Nasiru, the Deputy Comptroller (Exports) at Tin Can Island, says export of agricultural products has now enhanced Nigeria’s revenue profile.

Nasiru told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday that the Federal Government was making up revenues hitherto being lost due to Nigeria’s inability to export commodities overseas.

According to him, Nigeria loses a substantial revenue when most containers bringing imports into the country return to their original countries without carrying goods back.

‘‘The reason why the containers that came in with imports into Nigeria go back to their country of origin empty while the ones that carry goods from Nigeria out of the country to other countries come back with other goods into Nigeria is simple.’’

‘‘Nigeria used to be an import country, that is, we depend mostly on importation to the extent that most of our needs we import into this country.’’

‘‘But those (ships) that brought in these imported goods go out of this country empty because we have no commodities to take out.’’

‘‘The idea is because their containers are being hired.’’

‘‘When you import, it is not just the (FOB) Freight on Board value you pay, you pay the (CIF) Cost, Insurance and Freight.’’

‘‘That is the price of whatever you are bringing from the company before they bring it to the water side.’’

‘‘It is now that the present administration is encouraging exportation.’’

‘‘It is on the increase, a lot of things are being exported now, especially the agric products.’’

According to him, while Nigeria is discouraging importation, it is striving towards promoting a lot of exports.

NAN reports that Nigeria now exports more than 20 agricultural commodities to Europe, including cocoa butter, palm kernel oil , shrimps, snails, garlic, charcoal, gallstone , textile and garment, cashew nuts, rubber, sesame seeds, cassava flour, and honey. NAN.