2,000 RICE FARMERS BENEFIT FROM BUA INTEREST FREE LOAN

BUA Rice Milling Company, Kano, has in fulfillment of its  commitment to boost rice farming, offered a non interest loan of improved rice seeds, pump machines and other tools worth N288,000 to each of the 2000 targeted rice farmers in Kano State.

In an interview with newsmen shortly after the distribution of the farming tools to beneficiaries, the chief executive officer of BUA Rice Milling, Kano, Alhaji Kabiru Isyaku Rabiu, expressed optimism to the mutual relation between the rice farmers and the rice milling company.

According to him Kano State is by far one of the most potential areas to grow rice and BUA is happy to have successful partnership with rice growers.

Kabiru disclosed that Kano State has over 500,000 rice farmers with almost 42,000 registered rice farmers, saying that BUA rice milling coy started what is termed as a pilot project with 2000 beneficiaries.

He described the pilot project which remains non interest loan to about 50,000 farmers and if each hector will produce five tones, a minimum of million tone of rice is possible to be produced in Kano.

The CEO, BUA rice mill appreciated the commitment of the rice farmers who are beneficiaries of the loan of BUA which will be ongoing for the maximum of 3 years.

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Why agropreneurs fail -Varsity don

A lecturer at the School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University, Dr. Austin Nweze, has said most agropreneurs fail because they do not run their ventures as businesses.

Nweze was speaking in Lagos at a stakeholders meeting, with the theme, “Financing options for entrepreneurs in the 21st century.”

The event was organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), in collaboration with Commonwealth Secretariat (COMMSEC).

“Agriculture is 90% science and 5% work but the reverse is the case here. So we need to apply science to our agricultural practices in Nigeria so we can plant our crops regardless of the season,” said Nweze.

Speaking with AgroNigeria at the venue of the event, the President, Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Degun Agboade said as long agropreneurs have good business ideas, the association can lend a helping hand.

“We do not guarantee loans for any entrepreneur who seeks funding for their businesses, but we help them to get close to where they are going as long as they have a good business plan, and if it is of good standing, NASME can stick out its neck to help them.”

FG APPROVES N750BN INTERVENTION FUND FOR AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

The federal government has approved the sum of N750billion Agricultural Intervention Fund to bolster the sector towards food sufficiency, and to diversify the economy.

Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, disclosed this during the inauguration of Senior Executive Course (SEC) 39 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategy Studies (NIPSS), Kuru-Jos, Plateau State, with the theme ‘Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for the Development of Agriculture and Agro-Allied Industries in Nigeria.’

Osinbajo said the administration is committed to revamping the agricultural sector through the application of science, technology and innovation to the development of agriculture and agro-allied industries.

He said: “Developing the agricultural sector is a clear starting point of our quest for not only the diversification of our hitherto non cultural economy away from oil, it is also the only economy to grow fast enough to absorb the huge number of people that are unemployed.”

Represented by Plateau State Deputy Governor, Professor Sonni Tyoden, the acting president further disclosed that Nigeria has over 84 hectares of arable land, and that only 40 percent is cultivated with over 180 million populations.
He added that Nigeria internal market is big enough to support an optimum agricultural production and at the same time provide more work to the citizens.

He said the strategy of importing food to meet the shortfall food production was no longer tenable added that until recently Nigeria was spending over N1.3 billion annually on food importation.
”Given the current economy realities of our country, food importation has to be drastically reduced and eventually stopped”, he added.

In his opening remark, the acting Director General of NIPSS, Mr. Jonathan Juma, said the theme of SEC 39 was not only apt, but also urgent considering the fear being contemplated about possible food shortage in the country, as well as inadequate supply of agricultural raw materials to feed the nascent agro-allied industries in the country.

He said: ”Human population is increasing exponentially, while climate change with attendant implication for agricultural production is steering us in the face, the option to put in place vibrant and robust science, technology innovation policy is therefore imperative.”

According to him, the adoption of STI will further turn agriculture into real business by transforming seed selection and development, farm machinery, storage facilities, genetically produced plants, animal feeds, animal breeding, and transportation, adding that with all these, Nigeria will become a food giant, meeting its domestic need and possibly support the food needs of neighbouring countries through organised export.

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WHY MOST AGRIC PROJECTS FAIL IN NIGERIA

A Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC, Dr. Tewodaj Mogues, has revealed that most agricultural programmes and projects in Nigeria die before their expiration dates due to the diverse interests and capabilities of the actors and institutions responsible for implementation of the projects.

Dr. Mogues, leading another Nigerian researcher, Ms. Tolulope Olofinbiyi, a PhD candidate at Tufts University Boston, Massachusetts, made the submission while delivering the monthly lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan entitled “Actors and institutions in agricultural public expenditure allocation and national food security: Evidence from subnational jurisdictions in Nigeria”.

According to the presenter, many African countries have a large agricultural footprint but do not enjoy the full benefits due to undue influences from the stakeholders, particularly politicians and chief executives of most projects in the agric sector.

The researchers maintained that the situation is the same in all the states across the federation citing the example of Cross River, Niger and Ondo whose budgetary allocations and implementation are largely depend on the so called key actors and institutions.

To checkmate the negative trend, the researchers urged the governments at all levels in Nigeria to find ways of reducing the influences of the so-called actors including politicians to the barest minimum even though the budgetary allocations in Nigeria, Federal, States and Local Governments are low compared to what is obtainable in other developing countries in Africa.

They also tasked the Federal Government to ensure thorough coordination of agricultural policies from the top downwards, stressing that for agricultural projects to succeed in Nigeria, all efforts must be put in place to reduce the undue influences from the uninvited influencers.

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BIRD FLU ATTACKS PLATEAU, KILLS 42,000

Avian influenza killed 42,000 birds in 12 farms in Plateau, between January and February 2017, according to the local chapter of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN).

Its Chairman, Mr John Dasar, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Jos, that more birds were being depopulated in some farms to prevent further spread of the bird flu.

Dasar attributed the fast spread of the disease to the non-payment of compensation to farmers affected by the disease in 2015 and 2016.

“Such farmers, out of desperation and frustration, decided to sell their affected birds in the open markets.

“More than 130 poultry farmers were affected by the disease in 2015 and 2016; the birds were destroyed by the federal government, but compensations were not paid,” he said.

Dasar said that farmers in Plateau were going through “a very tough time” following the resurgence of the bird flu “especially in the last one week”.

The chairman regretted that most farmers do not report the outbreak of the disease in their farms.

“They prefer to sell their birds to marketers than wait for government compensation that will never come.

“Whenever we get wind of an outbreak, we alert government officials to take immediate action; that is the only option we have,” Dasar said.

The PAN boss revealed that the outbreak of the disease had affected the supply of eggs and other poultry products in the markets.

“The supply has gone down and that is affecting the prices because demand is now higher than supply,” he said.

The chairman, however, appealed to affected poultry farmers to be patient as modalities for compensations were being worked out.

He expressed optimism that the Federal Government would adequately compensate affected farmers “at the end of the day”.

“We met with the the Minister of Agriculture a month ago and he promised that something will be done in no distant time. He assured me that the compensations will soon be paid,” he said.

Dasar said that he personally met with PAN national officials three times last week, and was given the assurance that the monies would be paid.

“Two weeks ago, PAN officials also met with Vice President Yemi Osibanjo and he ordered that the payments be processed; so, it is just a matter of time,” he said.

The chairman appealed to farmers to adopt serious bio-security measures to prevent the flu, and also report any outbreak in their farms promptly.

“When farmers report promptly, we shall be able to avert further spread of the disease in the state.” he said.

NAN

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