Nigeria to stop rice importation next year – Ogbeh

The Federal Government of Nigeria has disclosed plans to stop importation of rice by 2018.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh informed that the government aims at producing seven million tonnes of rice to meet the country’s demand.

“I think we have attained the level of being one of the largest producers of rice, even though many people are still in doubt about that. So, for those who say it is not true, I think they need to take another look,” he expressed.

He said, the country has gotten to the stage where it would no longer depend on other nations for rice production having observed rice plantations in other countries.

“I have been in Vietnam, the same kind of rice plantation you see there is what you see in Nigeria”, he said.

He however noted that there was need to improve the milling capacity to enhance production.

“The only thing we need to add is the milling capacity, which we are increasing,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, a post harvest specialist, Wasiu Awoyale has stated that to achieve self sufficiency in rice production, factors such as proper processing, value addition and market linkage must be addressed.

FAO gives fresh start to IDPS

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in North East Nigeria  have reasons  to smile as  the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is  giving them a new lease of life through agriculture.

Under the ongoing Restoring Agricultural Livelihoods of IDPs, Returnees and Vulnerable Host Families in North East Nigeria project, FAO is distributing vegetable seeds and irrigation support  to 174, 400 people for the dry season while also scaling up interventions in the region to provide support for the people ahead of the rainy season.

During a visit to the FAO project site at Fariya, a village in Jere Local government, in Borno state, the Director of Emergency and Rehabilitation at FAO, Dominique Burgeon expressed that it was important to tackle issues of food insecurity by aid risk families in producing their own foods.

“We are approaching a critical period in the agricultural calendar. This is our main opportunity to   tackle these truly staggering levels of food insecurity by helping at-risk   families to produce their own food. The rainy season begins in May-June.   Farmers need to have seeds, fertilizers and tools in their hands by then so they can plant. If they miss this season, humanitarian costs are just going to keep rising and rising into 2018,” he said.

He noted that nutrition outcomes will worsen if efforts were not taken to address food security issues during this period.

The delegates were visiting Borno State to see the impact of conflict and violence on civilian populations and   the response by national and local authorities and international organisations.

A report from the FAO indicates that with more than 80 percent of north eastern Nigeria’s rural population depending on crop or livestock farming, investing in agriculture  is critical to tackling food insecurity.

However, the organisation is supporting 2,000 farmers in Fariya, and with funding from the Governments of Belgium,   Ireland and Japan, the intervention aims to enhance the self-sufficiency of   returnees and vulnerable host families, women and youths through training and   critical inputs including seedlings, water pumps and fertiliser for vegetable   production.

KEBBI PROCURES 300,000 TONS OF FERTILISER, 100 TRACTORS TO BOOST AGRICULTURE

In an effort to increase food production, the Kebbi State Government has procured 300,000 tons of fertilizer for farmers under its short and long term plans .

The State Commissioner of Agriculture, Alhaji Muhammad Garba disclosed this to newsmen  during a ministerial briefing organised by the state chapter of NUJ in Birnin Kebbi.

According to him ,within the next 3 weeks , the state will be receiving the  first consignment of 1000, 000 tons of fertiliser  under the arrangement made with Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto , Zamfara and Katsina states while the remaining 200,000 tons is expected from Morocco under the arrangement made between Nigeria and the Moroccan government.

He added that the state government has also procured 100 tractors ,1000 ox-drawn ploughs, 100 rice threshers in order to ease drudgery in farming by farmers in the state.

‘’ In order to reduce drudgery in doing farm work , the government has also procured 100 tractors , some of which we have started receiving as well as bought 1000 Ox-drawn ploughs for farmers in the state ‘’.

Dandiga also said that 20,000 farmers have been sponsored to produce soya beans across the state in addition to investing into other crops the state have comparative advantage in such as wheat and vegetables .

“100 motorcycles have been purchased to extension workers in the state which has resulted in the increased yield per hectare recorded from2.5 tons per hectare to minimum of 5 tons per hectare,”  he noted.

11 STATES INTO WHEAT PRODUCTION – GOV BAGUDU

In line with the federal government ‘s directive on self sufficiency on rice and wheat, governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu has said compared to last year, 11 states have now joined in wheat production.

‎The governor spoke to State House Correspondents after the acting President Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday met with the Presidential Task Force on Rice and Wheat‎ Production, to review factors mitigating against self-sufficiency.

Recall that the was inaugurated last year June by the federal government to make Nigeria self sufficient in rice and wheat and step up current efforts to produce those commodities in the country.

Bagugu said the meeting reviewed the rice and wheat programme, noting that compared to last year where only five states went into wheat production, 11 states have joined this year.

“This is the meeting of Presidential Task Force on Rice and wheat and we reviewed the wheat programme and what we can do more to support states in order to increase production of wheat. And to ensure that our farmers who have responded to the call are supported in terms of getting good price for their output in order to sustain their interests.

“We reviewed where we are with rice production, the Acting President noted with satisfaction all the efforts by different stakeholders to attain sufficiency in the shortest possible time.

“The Acting President assured the meeting that the Federal Government will continue to support the drive towards self sufficiency in food security. He said the government out of necessity will support the farmers, the millers and other stakeholders involved in the value change‎”.

On claims that Nigeria was now the second largest producer of rice in the world, he said ;”I don’t have that data but I know that our farmers have responded and all parts of Nigeria, about 32 states have steak of increased production”.

On where Nigeria was in terms of wheat production currently, Bagudu said, “I think we have done very well, we have remarkable increase in the number of states that have produced wheat from the last season. Last season we had about five states but today we are hearing reports from about 11 states‎ and the increase in output per state is quite significant as well. So we believe that with sustained trajectory that we are seeing we will be able to achieve our self sufficiency”, he said.

Those in attendance were the state governors of Ebonyi, Dave Umahi, Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje, Kebbi, Abubakar Bagudu and Jigawa, Badaru Abubakar.

The M‎inisters of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Audu Ogbeh and Finance, Kemi Adeosun as well as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emiefele were also in attendance.

Other members of the Task Force are ‎the President of Wheat Farmers Association and President of the Rice Farmers Association.

ANCHOR BORROWERS: KEYSTONE BANK SUPPORTS FARMERS WITH N350M

Keystone Bank Limited has boosted the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) with a N350 million credit line.

The credit line covered 1700 farmers in Taraba and Sokoto states. The Managing Director of Keystone Bank, Mr. Philip Ikeazor, who disclosed this in a statement, underscored the importance of financial institutions in driving the agricultural sector.

He said: “Financial institutions have a crucial role to play in providing support to players along the agriculture value chain and the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) initiative of the Anchor borrowers programme is a step in the right direction. Financing in agriculture is one factor of production, which facilitates the acquisition, procurement and management of the other factors of production such as land, expertise and management.”

According to experts in the agricultural sector, the low volume of business in the rural areas where poverty is most prevalent cannot guarantee sustainable business activities to encourage the establishment of commercial banks to provide the needed finance for agricultural production.

Moreover, the cost implication of processing agricultural loans in the rural economy makes it unattractive for conventional banks to channel their resources to farming. Although, the commercial banks finance agricultural activities but their credits are urban-based and so small that their impact cannot be felt in the rural areas where farming actually takes place. Lack of priority attention to rural population in credit delivery by commercial and other banks in the economy contributed to the depressed economic conditions in the rural economy, and this situation also affects the overall economic growth and development of the nation.

With the recent focus by the federal government on diversification of the economy, agriculture is being promoted in many quarters as the next frontier in driving the economy of the nation. The Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, which was initiated by the CBN as a sub-shoot of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF) was created to support farmers and increase their production capacity.

SOURCEThisday Newspaper