Ondo farmers urge Akeredolu to prioritize agriculture

Farmers in Ondo state have called on the Governor-elect, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to accord agriculture a rightful position in the incoming administration as it is the only way to ensure food security.

The Chairman of the Ondo State Agricultural Commodities Association (OSACA), Pastor Akin Olotu who made the call in Akure, the state capital said “the farther we are away from the land, the greater our insecurity” adding that there must be good blueprint for the agric sector as it could create millions of self-sustaining jobs directly and indirectly every year.

He lamented that we are causing extinction of many species when we talk about bio-diversity (life on earth) while the sea level have risen due to thermal expansion and it’s continuous.

According to him, some species of yam that existed some years ago and some other crops have since disappeared.

He also warned that the desert is travelling down south in Nigeria at an alarming rate of 600 metres per year.

“As a nation, a state and stakeholders in the agric sector which is the bedrock of life something must be done,” Olotu said.

He said further: “Meeting the nutritional needs of our people in an economy that is in recession, the climate that has become increasingly unfriendly with the extremes of drought and food coupled with irregular rainfall pattern, is an uphill task”

“It is indeed a daunting task that requires a new in-depth analysis and intervention, suggesting the concept of ‘FARM-ACY ‘rather than the pharmacy that we used to know.”

However, he said as a matter of urgency, everything about agriculture need a review especially in the areas of neglect.

These, according to him, include improvement in deplorable conditions of farm roads, power supply, security, research and technology for better yields and a law to determine cattle grazing.

Why we banned foreign rice in Ebonyi— Commissioner

The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, Senator Emmanuel Onwe has justified the banning of the sale and consumption of foreign rice as part of the state government’s moves to uphold the health and well being of the populace.

 

Speaking during a courtesy visit to Vanguard Headquarters in Lagos, the commissioner also clarified issues concerning the purchase price of the locally produced rice even as he said that projected agriculture is one of the measures adopted by the Dave Umahi administration to ensure the viability of the state. Emmanuel Onwe Speaking to Vanguard Editors, Onwe also appealed to the Federal Government to release the grain silos located in the state to the state administration to enable the state administration store grains.

 

Affirming the determination of the Umahi administration to ensure the wellbeing of the populace, Onwe said that locally cultivated rice does not have the kind of chemicals used in cultivating and preserving foreign rice before they are exported to countries like Nigeria. Saying that Ebonyi Rice lacks such, he said: “our contribution will be to make local rice available and easily affordable. People also need to be rest assured that Ebonyi rice is not heavily chemicalised as other rice.”

 

Noting recent disclosures on social media about how plastics were added to foreign rice, he said “it is a welcome development that Ebonyi government has banned the sale and consumption of foreign rice in the state.” According to the commissioner, part of the governor’s responsibilities as the chief security officer of the state is that the health and wellbeing of the populace are not compromised by such additives in foreign made rice.

 

The commissioner also clarified issues on the pricing of Ebonyi rice. According to him, the paddy rice sells for N8,000 per bag while the processed rice which he boasted has no stones sells from N14,000.

Mushroom production tips from a Boland farmer

For small-scale mushroom farmers in South Africa, production can be a challenge. But Wilmaré Lotz of Boland Mushrooms succeeded in doubling production in her first year as manager. Specialising in button mushrooms, the business employs 36 members of the local community and produces approximately 6,5t of mushrooms a week. 

Wilmaré Lotz grew up helping her father on his mushroom farm near Rawsonville at weekends and in school holidays. Yet despite this exposure, she was never particularly interested in mushroom farming as a youngster.

All this changed, however, while she was working on her master’s dissertation on anaerobic composting. This was slightly ironic, she says, as anaerobic composting is in fact the exact opposite of the composting used in mushroom farming!

After completing her studies, Wilmaré worked on mushroom farms locally and abroad to gain experience.

Learning by trial and error

Then, as now, there were few courses available on mushroom growing in South Africa and this made it challenging for an aspiring mushroom farmer. It was also a ‘closed’ industry: producers were not that keen to share their knowledge with potential competitors.

Therefore, when Wilmaré started working for the family business, Boland Mushrooms, in 2002, she had to learn everything by trial and error.

At that stage, 3t of mushrooms – kept in eight growing rooms – were harvested per week.
In 2009, after the death of her father, Theo Griessel, Wilmaré faced a difficult decision: should she try to continue in the business on her own? Her doubts were soon dispelled by her success: after just a year at the helm of the business, she managed to double the farm’s production.

The heart of the business

The growing cycle of mushrooms starts with compost, and it is therefore important to ensure that this has the right ingredients and is treated optimally from the beginning.

“Compost is the heart of your business. If the composition isn’t correct, it can affect your crop and your yield,” she stresses.

Boland Mushrooms’ main production line, button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus), require highly specialised compost.  Wilmaré produces her own compost, which involves mixing wheat straw, chicken manure, gypsum and water, on site. It takes three weeks for these raw materials to ferment, and the compost is aired daily to prevent unpleasant odours developing.

“If there’s a bad smell in the air, there’s something wrong with your compost,” she says.

After three weeks, the fermented compost is moved from the yard to a closed room – the pasteurisation room – where it undergoes three developmental phases. The first consists of steadying the temperature of the compost. The second comprises raising its temperature to 58°C for eight hours, thereby getting rid of weeds and insects.

In the third phase, the ammonia and nitrogen content is converted to protein to act as a growth medium for the mushrooms.

According to Wilmaré, mushroom farming in South Africa is different to that in other countries.
“All mushroom farms in South Africa have their own compost yards and growing facilities. Overseas, compost is produced by specialised companies, making it very easy to grow mushrooms.”

Putting down roots

Once the compost is ready, recyclable mushroom cultivation bags are filled with compost and incubated with mushroom spawn. Wilmaré uses sterile grains inoculated with mushroom spores. The bags are placed in growing rooms in which the compost temperature is maintained between 25°C and 27°C.
The oxygen level in the rooms is also kept low so that the spawn can grow, producing a thread-like network of mycelium throughout the compost. All heating and temperature regulation at Boland Mushrooms is done manually.
When a bag of compost is fully colonised with mycelium, a casing layer is added.

“This is very important, as it provides moisture for the mushrooms,” explains Wilmaré.
Most mushroom growers use peat moss, but since last year she has used a sugar cane pith product called Mabu. Pith is a by-product of the process of manufacturing paper from sugar cane bagasse.

“Peat moss is very expensive because we have to import it. Using locally produced pith is substantially cheaper and also reduces our carbon footprint significantly,” she explains.

Optimal thickness for the casing layer is 5cm. This allows for a sufficient moisture content, which creates a favourable microclimate for mushroom growth.

Once the mycelium has grown to its full extent in the casing phase, the temperature in the compost is lowered to 21°C and fresh air is introduced to the room. This temperature shock and gaseous exchange is a sign for the mycelium to start sprouting mushroom initials (pins).

Harvesting

A mushroom doubles in size every 24 hours, so it is imperative that the mushrooms be checked daily. Harvesting, which is done by hand, is highly labour- intensive and involves twisting the mushrooms off at the base.
“This guarantees that they will be removed from the beds undamaged. We want to leave the casing soil in the bag intact as it’s needed for the subsequent flushes of mushrooms,” she explains.
Picking fresh mushrooms cannot be delayed. “You can’t leave a mushroom till the next day. They’ll start to cup or open fully. This makes them B-grade mushrooms, which means less profit,” says Wilmaré.

Training is key

Training is taken seriously at Boland Mushrooms.
“We do in-house training on mushroom picking, which improves our employees’ productivity and efficiency. We developed course material for the training that specifically applies to Boland Mushrooms’ operation,” says Wilmaré.
Despite doubling production, the number of employees has remained more or less the same due to improved productivity.

Bulk market

Boland Mushrooms sells mainly fresh mushrooms in bulk (5kg boxes) to restaurants in the greater Cape Town area, and delivers a small quantity to the Breede River Valley and faraway Upington. Some punnets are also sold off the farm. Deliveries are done daily with three vans.
“We are dedicated to delivering the freshest, highest-quality mushrooms and providing good customer service to our clients,” Wilmaré says.

Pecan nut profits: well worth the wait!

Growing pecan nuts requires long-term commitment. Dries Duvenhage of Hartswater in the Northern Cape planted his first hectare of pecans 16 years ago and patiently waited for the return on his investment.

In 2000, Dries Duvenhage decided to plant 1ha of pecan nuts on his 125ha farm Terre Donne, loosely translated from French as ‘healthy earth’.

It was a bold move, as pecan trees begin yielding an economically significant crop only from eight years onwards.

Since then, Dries has expanded his orchard, and today Terre Donne has nearly 75ha planted to pecans.
He is also a partner in the company Nensis Nuts. Between his own farming operation and Nensis Nuts, he manages the production of about 150t of pecan kernels per season.

“To farm pecan nuts is a challenge because it takes about eight years to see a return on your investment. You must have a cash crop or alternative source of income to see you through in the meantime,” cautions Dries.

In addition to pecans, he farms cash crops under irrigation in a rotation cycle consisting of maize, then barley or peanuts, followed by a five-year lucerne cycle.

The motivation behind Dries’s transition to pecan nuts was the small profit margin earned on cash crops. After some research, he decided to invest in pecan nuts.

“The Hartswater area is perfect for producing [good] quality pecan nuts. You want really nice, hot and dry summers, and cold winters, for which the Northern Cape is renowned,” he explains.

The water requirements of a pecan tree are very high. According to Dries, a mature tree can easily consume 600ℓ of water per day at the peak of summer. The water used for irrigation comes from the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme – the largest in South Africa – with Hartswater at its centre.


Optimal orchard design for sunlight
 
Orchard design is very important. Dries plants his pecan trees at a spacing of 10m x 10m for maximum sunlight exposure. The trees are cross-pollinated, and to ensure adequate pollination, he plants four rows of cultivars that produce bigger pecan nuts, followed by two rows of a different cultivar, which ensures good cross-pollination.

When Dries chooses pecan cultivars, the main focus is on high-yielding cultivars that produce larger nuts and has a soft shell.

“The latter is very important to Chinese [consumers],” Dries says.


Pruning and harvesting
 
Correctly pruning and hedging an orchard is also important since it results in branches being optimally spaced, thus allowing adequate sunlight into the orchard. Pecan trees can grow very big and alternate bearing is a problem in some cultivars.

Tree size therefore needs to be managed to balance the tree’s vegetative section (leaves and branches) with the root system.

“Hedging usually takes place in winter, just after harvesting, and is done mechanically,” says Dries.
It is also important that rows are wide enough to accommodate the machinery used during harvesting – which runs from April to July, depending on the cultivar.

“We use a mechanical shaker which shakes the nuts off the tree. The fallen nuts are mechanically swept into windrows to ease collection, which is also done by a mechanical harvester,” explains Dries.

Labourers are, however, required to pick up the nuts the harvester has missed. Each cultivar is harvested separately.


Biological methods
 
As far as possible, Dries tries to make use of biological farming methods.
“We do not spray insecticides. We rather make use of natural predators, such as ladybirds and lacewings, to control insects in the orchards,” he says.

Bat houses have also been installed throughout some of the orchards to attract bats, which feast on insects at night.

Although insect infestations in the orchards are limited, Dries says that if he has to single out a culprit, it would be the stink bug.

To provide a habitat for natural predators, he maintains a cover crop of natural grass between the rows.

He applies a fungicide in the orchards to prevent diseases such as anthracnose. This is done in conjunction with a foliar feeding programme which supplies trees with all the necessary micronutrients such as zinc, and is applied at the first sign of leaves appearing, from October onwards.

Many research studies are, however, being conducted by the South African Pecan Producers Association (SAPPA) on methods of controlling fungal diseases in pecan nut orchards, he says.

One of the biggest problems Dries currently experiences is theft. He attributes this to the current high prices achieved for pecans (between R70/kg and R90/kg), and the lack of job opportunities in the area. Weather conditions also pose a major challenge to pecan nut farmers.

“Hail, especially, is a big problem because it damages the trees and knocks off the nuts. In 2014, I experienced yield losses of 21%. Last year they amounted to 11%,” he recalls.

To date, the countrywide drought has not had a particularly detrimental effect on production, but a 20% restriction on water consumption for irrigation was recently imposed in the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme.


Pecan tree nursery
 
As part of the Nensis Nuts company, a pecan nut tree nursery was established in 2002

“At that time, we experienced a shortage of some commercial pecan cultivars due to the [rapid] growth of the industry. In the past 15 years, we’ve seen enormous growth in the industry. That was what motivated us to start cultivating our own plant material,” he says.

The small nursery soon expanded into a business that currently sells between 25 000 and 30 000 trees a year and employs 25 workers for the planting and care of the yearlings, as well as grafting these onto mature trees.


Export market
 
According to Dries, there is great demand for SA pecan nuts in China, and that country is the main export market. The nuts-in-shell (NIS) market in China has seen extensive growth since 2007.

“Since then, about 90% of our whole NIS [production] has been exported to China, where [consumers] crack the shells and soak the nuts in different flavourings, before eating them as a snack. As the SA harvesting season coincides with Chinese New Year celebrations, it means the local industry can supply them with fresh nuts during this period of high demand.”

Nut prices are quoted in US dollar and the current weak exchange rate greatly favours local pecan producers – making the waiting period worthwhile, he says.

From Around the World: Innovative Farm Shop Design Makes for Smarter Work

Joe Vinton of Glenwood, Iowa, embodies the motto work smarter, not harder. In his shop, Vinton built a 30-foot swing crane to offer an extra helping hand when he works alone.
“The swing boom is used almost daily for one reason or another,” Vinton says. “The older I get, the more I realize how much easier it is on my body to have this extra help lifting when needed.”
Vinton uses the hoist for anything from removing duals to servicing the mower deck. The crane can even remove a combine engine since the hoist allows for a full 16 feet of lift height.

How It’s Made

Nearly all parts of the crane were locally sourced, utilizing used iron from the farm and an oil gas line section for the pipe.
The gas line is only ½-inch thick and 2 feet in diameter. Both ends were capped, and the bottom end has several shafts running through it to anchor the crane. Vinton buried it 6 feet deep into rebar-reinforced concrete. The pipe stands at 18 feet and pivots a 30-foot-long H-beam. The horizontal beam measures 18×8 inches with ½-inch flanges. With a full 1-ton load at its end, the beam flexes 1.5 inches.
“The head of the crane was built around an electric pallet jack frame with a top bearing from a semitrailer axle shaft and hub,” Vinton explains. “The lower bearings were from a salvaged electric forklift.”

The crane covers nearly 80% of the 60×124-foot shop with sidewalls extending up 19 feet. To handle the lifting, the jib style crane has a 2-ton air hoist and a 1-ton electric hoist. Combined, the head components weigh in at a hefty 2 tons. 

Shop Design

The shop, built in 2001, features more than just the crane. The shop has a pass-through, 30-foot bifold door that allows for access from the shop into the machinery shed without opening up the building to the outdoors. Not only does this mean the family saves on its heating bill, but also that they can stay inside in the winter since bigger heads can get through the door.
The shop features a second deck level, which has Vinton’s mill, big dill press, air compressor, and plenty of room for parts storage. Their crane makes it possible to move heavy equipment upstairs that they might not otherwise be able to carry.
To secure the shop, Vinton leaves nothing to chance. He has an alarm system to alert the service provider to call the authorities if there are any attempted break-ins. There is also a security cage under the shop’s overhead deck that houses special tools. One wall of the cage is a steel cabinet that can be locked to secure special electric and air tools.
Vinton was thinking ahead when he broke ground for his shop in 2001. The innovative design was set up to allow for easy future expansion.
“Our shop design serves us quite well, but it continues to be a work in progress. We’d still like to add a lathe, press, and more as used equipment becomes available,” he says.

Bauchi Governor Vows to Move College of Agriculture to Dass LGA

Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar has announced that the Bauchi State College of Agriculture will be relocated from the state capital to Dass local government area.

He made the announcement when he received the people of Tafawa Balewa, Dass and Bogoro local government areas who paid him a solidarity visit.

He reaffirmed his readiness to work with everybody including those criticising his administration if they have something to offer to the development of state.

He said that the planned relocation is part of an effort to reposition the practice of agriculture as the highest revenue earner to the state as well as create direct and indirect jobs.

The governor said that such measures will provide opportunities and ensure an even distribution of infrastructure to all parts of the state adding that fairness is the cardinal objective of the ruling APC and his administration.

He said Dass is one of the highest rice producing parts of the state therefore a place is being scouted for the immediate take off of the college.

“My administration has done enough given the state of finances available to Bauchi state. And if my critics and even political detractors have something tangible to contribute to the development of Bauchi state, we are ready to accommodate such people because the preoccupation of this administration is how to make life better for our people as we earlier promised during our campaigns”, he said.

While speaking, Murtala Ibrahim Danmalikin Boto, Elisha Tula Gwamis and Yusuf Wandi Dass who spoke on behalf of the delegation said the three local government areas are united in supporting the governor’s efforts in transforming the area which they said is backward in distribution of infrastructure.

They urged the governor to complete projects being carried out by the administration,

They assured the governor that they will support his administration in all its good policies.

The community leaders also appealed to the governor to establish tertiary institutions in the area that will provide technical and vocational training to youth and reduce reliance on white collar jobs.

The three local government areas representatives said under the present administration their area has been fairly treated in appointments and distribution of infrastructure.

Dangote, Moroccan Group Sign MOU On Fertilisers Production

The Nigeria’s agricultural sector has received a major boost as the Dangote Group and the OCP Group of Morocco signed an agreement to boost fertiliser production and business in the country.

The OCP Group is a global leader in phosphate and phosphate derivatives markets.

The partnership is expected to lead to the creation of an integrated African platform and a global leader in fertiliser production,

A statement from the Dangote Group announced this on Sunday in Abuja.

It said that the collaboration between the two African conglomerates would help the Dangote mix the mass deposit of phosphate in Morocco with the gas potential in Nigeria to produce fertiliser for the development of the agriculture sub-sector in Africa.

President of the Dangote Group and Africa’s richest man, Mr Aliko Dangote, said the agreement would support Nigeria’s effort to attain food security, create jobs and address rural urban drift.

Both the OCP of Morocco and Dangote, during the meeting, indicated that more than two million tonnes of customised fertiliser would be imported from Morocco in the next three years.

Dangote said out of the 2.8 billion dollars total investment, 2.5 million dollars had already been committed to the project by the Group.

It will ensure a growth from 3.6MT fertiliser capacity in 2018, to 4.6MT in 2020.

He said by the time it would start operation in December 2017, the three million tons capacity Urea Plant would be the biggest in Africa, and as well the second largest in the world.

According to him, the effort will bolster Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings, improve government revenue, create jobs, increase yield per hectare and further grow the GDP in the agriculture sub sector.

“The Joint Venture shall become the powerhouse of fertilisers to make Africa self sufficient in fertilisers,” he added.

Gov. Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa, who witnessed the ceremony, said the deal would enable fertiliser to be sold to farmers in Nigeria at cheaper rates.

According to the Governor, 250,000 fresh jobs will be generated from the agreement.

President Muhammadu Buhari and the Moroccan King Mohammed have also signed other bilateral agreements, including cooperation in strengthening the local blending capabilities and Agriculture Eco-System Agreement.

The OCP Group is a global leader in phosphate and phosphate derivatives markets.

It is the world’s largest exporter of phosphate rock and phosphoric acid, as well as one of the world’s largest producers of fertiliser.

The Dangote Group is one of Africa’s most diversified conglomerates and the leading cement producer founded by the Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote.

It is currently building the largest refinery, petrochemical and fertiliser complex in Africa with the capacity to refine 650,000 barrel a day.

Palm Kernel and PKO Business; Trading Profitably

Palm kernel/ Palm kernel oil (PKO) business is a highly lucrative business but one that requires a lot of knowledge and experience.

Palm kernel is largely traded and sought for, due to its highly in – demand oil – Palm kernel oil, known as PKO.

You can invest in Palm kernel and PKO trading and investment either by directly being involved in the sourcing, milling, storage, transportation and marketing or by indirectly investing in those who are already skilled in the business.

Most newbie think that all is needed to be successful in the Palm kernel and PKO business is simply having the needed capital to begin. Unfortunately a lot of these people who share this same mind set most often as it had been the case, go on to lose most if not all their start up capital and become frustrated in the end.

Palm kernel trading and business is a very lucrative one. With the palm kernels being available in bulk supply mainly during the dry seasons and more so with the very high demand for the products by secondary processors and industries, coupled with the insufficient production of palm fruits, it is an investment with an assured high return on investment (ROI).

However, as with every investment that is high yielding, there are a lot of pitfalls to be avoided and basic rudiments to be learnt before venturing into the business.

As the Palm kernel season gradually approaches, be sure to educate yourself well enough to tap into this highly lucrative venture, especially in this era of low returns on financial derivatives and fixed deposits at the banks as well as difficult FX regime for import dependent investments.

Some of the following areas must be well understood and a prospective investor in the Palm kernel trade grounded in their workings to be successful. They include;

• Funding; How to allocate resources to maximize profit

• Sourcing; Where to source cheaper.

• Quality Assessment; How to determine quality of kernels

• Measurement Standards

• Pricing

• Tips to avoid being cheated by the kernel merchants

• Maximising profit through storage

• Determining moisture content

• Sorting techniques

• Measurement Standards

• Transportation

• Marketing

Cat Fish Farming & Smoking(Processing) Seminar

Fish farming like other business has its pros and cons. And truthfully it is a very lucrative and yet a money draining business.

I have read articles about how lucrative the business is and how to invest and reap millions. All I do is just to laugh on reading such article. All they want is just for u to buy their manual and make money. Surprisingly most of them don’t have a farm of their own, they are computer farmers who don’t have any experience whatsoever in the business..

Catfish fish farming is very profitable but highly sensitive; therefore so much caution must be taken to avoid making mistakes that can cost so much loss. Just as there are numerous benefits, there are also problems involved which results from inadequate enlightenment and proper caution.

Losses resulting from mistakes and poor management are usually more fatal in catfish farms than in other case.

Some of the key areas where new fish farmers must be well grounded and informed to avoid loses include;

• Fingerlings for stocking. This is one aspect for the failure of fish farmers. Most hatcheries select the best (shooters) for themselves and sell runts to farmers.

• Pond Construction.

• Pond disinfection.

• Stocking Techniques.

• Avoiding overstocking of your pond.

• Control of environmental hazards

• Feeding your Fish rightly.

• Feed selection and formulation.

• Avoiding water contamination and pollution.

• Marketing (Most farmers rely on same conventional marketing techniques)

• Livestock Insurance

Greenhouse Farming; The way to go

Greenhouse farming technology is an innovation that is gradually making its way into the Nigerian agricultural sector.

It is farming under a confined controlled environment as against the traditional open field farming. The structure can be made of glass or polythene covers depending on availability and cost of materials. These structure ranges in size.

Greenhouse is essentially a controlled environment limiting the devastating effects of insect pests and diseases that ravage vegetables including tomatoes. It is not rain-fed but brain-fed, as it comes complete with a customized drip irrigation system. With little amount of land space and water, you are sure to get a yield far higher than your traditional open field production.

With greenhouse farming a farmer can have prolonged production period, efficient water utilization, low cost of labour (that is spraying, weeding and watering) High quality of crop produce, timely crop production, and less exposure to chemical toxin.

To go into greenhouse farming one must have basic knowledge on the certain areas in order to yield profit and to avoid loss.

Here are some of the things you should know.

• Site selection

• Type of crops that can be grown in a green house

• Type of greenhouse structure and which is suitable for you

• Proper building materials

• Irrigation process

• Crops management under Greenhouse conditions

• Greenhouse maintenance

• Appropriate production facilities

• Fertigation

• Crop spacing

• Temperature regulation and environmental control.

Locally replicated greenhouse technology has been proven to provide a low cost alternative to the imported greenhouse structures marketed by companies in Nigeria.