It is said that 'knowledge is the bedrock of existence'. As such, this blog serves to freely inform the general public about the importance of agriculture. The blog also serves to educate people on the different products that could be used on plants and animals to boost their growth and minimise loss and mortality.
Anna McConnell meets groundbreaking female farmers in four different states: April Hemmes, a self-proclaimed big-time operator (BTO) of corn and soybeans in Hampton, Iowa; Cameo Van Horn who farms 863 acres of corn and soybeans near Danube, Minnesota; Debbie Lyons-Blythe who heads up a 500-head Angus cattle ranch in White City, Kansas; and Paula Karlock, a fourth-generation corn and soybean farmer in Momence, Illinois.
“Water.” That was the first word that probably came to mind for many attending The Colusa Farm Show this week. While rainfall has been scarce across California in recent years, there’s been no shortage of it this winter.
Drought-busting heavy rains this week in fact made it hard to find parking in the swamped lots surrounding the Colusa fairgrounds. Parts of the show ground were a muddy mess. Some roads to town were closed due to flooding. The spillway for a nearby dam that holds precious water for the state and protects the Sacramento Valley from flooding had been damaged overnight.
“Water.” That was the quick reply from John Kimura, a Yuba City farmer, when asked about the top issue on his mind these days. He thought a minute, and added, “Water and regulations.” His brother, Gary, in fact, had just had a chat with the California Highway Patrol at their show booth about the state’s new regulations, including those for tie-downs on trucks and trailers.
Kimura Brothers
“Water is the big issue,” echoed Lisa Humphreys, manager of the Glenn County Farm Bureau.
She explained the state’s new Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, another challenge for farmers.
Water is a big word in California these days for many reasons.
While there is plenty of water in northern California now, thirsty southern California is demanding more of the north state flows that are used for irrigating crops around Colusa — rice and orchards, mainly. Last year, due to the lingering drought, some farmers were unable to receive their usual surface water supplies. On top of everything else, the recent, heavy rains threaten to damage orchards as the trees come out of dormancy.
“GRANDDADDY OF THEM ALL”
But water worries aside, farmers attending the Colusa show came mostly to look at equipment and socialize. Mud puddles and occasional heavy rain were no deterrent.
The Colusa Show, the largest ag show in northern California, and in its 52nd year, is called the “granddaddy of them all” on the West Coast. It’s a must-see for northern California farmers but draws attendees from out of state as well. Bill Coleman and Rick Rice, for example, had journeyed more than 400 miles from Oregon to eye the new machinery. Coleman, a filbert grower, was taking a close look at nut-harvesting equipment that allows a two-person operation.
The Colusa event is a showcase of an area that is a leader in the state’s rice, nut, and fruit production. Sunsweet Growers in nearby Yuba City is the world’s largest handler of dried fruits, including prunes, apricots, mangos, and more.
“There are a lot of positive things happening here,” said Farm Bureau’s Humphreys. Specific industries are doing well. Almond and walnut prices are strong, if not record high. And, hey, after the drought, it’s good to see it raining.”
AMONG THE TOPICS SURFACING AT THE SHOW THIS WEEK:
Solar has a sunny outlook.
“A few years ago, farmers didn’t want to be the first guy in line to buy solar equipment,” said Dean Swanson, a representative of Sunworks. The solar company has seen business nearly triple over the last three years. Solar adoption is helped by the fact that a 30% tax credit has been extended to 2019, Swanson said. For farmers and other businesses, the payback is three-and-a-half to four years. Solar panel prices, moreover, are at “rock bottom” right now. There are 1,200 solar panel manufacturers around the world, he said. “It’s a good time to buy. Anything with a meter on it can use solar.”
Help wanted!
Nationwide, there are two jobs available in agriculture for every new job seeker. In California, there are four jobs open, said Miranda Driver, CalAgJobs, an organization that works to connect farm businesses with employees. CalAgJobs deals mainly with plant science positions. But the need for skilled workers exists at all levels, she said. “Everyone who talks with us says they can’t find workers to pick peaches or work in the fields and orchards. Finding reliable labor has become very difficult,” Driver said. Thus, immigration policy is a “pretty intense subject” in rural California, she said. Farm Bureau is pushing the new administration not only to focus on border enforcement but also to help develop a legal agricultural workforce in the state.
Drones on the rise.
One of the more popular presentations at the show Tuesday was expected to be on the use of drones in California agriculture. Scott Gregory, a remote sensing expert at Ag One Solutions, discussed using drones for mapping and remote sensing. Interest is high, but many farmers still are waiting to see the practical applications pan out, said Jim Bianchin, Vertical Sciences, Inc., a company providing data collection via drones. Farmers are starting to use drones to identify problem areas in their fields, Bianchin said. They can also use the technology to create drainage plans or identify irrigation issues, he said.
John Ray, Thomas Manufacturing
Organic ag adoption.
More and more farmers are lining up to buy organic fertilizer these days, said Jeff Delaguerra, a representation of True Organic Products. The fertilizers, both powder and liquid, are made from meat and bone meals, as well as fish wastes. Some 13% of growers in the Central Valley now are organic, more than double the number of a few years ago, he said. “In the Central Valley, if you’re not organic, you’re sustainable,” he said. “Farmers are increasingly becoming environmentally conscious.”
Going nuts at harvest.
“This area is a great environment for the nut industry,” said John Ray of Thomas Manufacturing, which makes equipment for the nut and orchard industries. “The growers have really been successful in continuing to improve their yields.” The result: “We have to sell a lot more nuts,” says Jennifer Olmstead, marketing director of the California Walnut Board. For a look at what a walnut harvest looks like, visit: http://youtu.be/jEBQtIxi-Ik
Reports of Caterpillar invasion on African soil continue to dominate the media these past weeks, while scientists are still unraveling the discovery of the new caterpillar species, the Fall Army worm, the Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development has confirmed the invasion of the African Army worm in 22 states of the country.
The African armyworm (Spodoptera exempta) also called nutgrass armywormi s an African moth, capable of destroying entire crops in a matter of weeks.
The Assistant Director and Desk Officer, Maize Value Chain, Dr Adeleke Muftau, who informed newsmen about the outbreak, stated that this pest usually found in maize posed a threat to national food security and availability of maize in the country, adding that the affected states were spread across the six geo-political zones of the country.
He said the government would embark on training for selected farmers to control the menace.
“The ministry is planning to train farmers on how to control the menace. We have visited farms and we have seen the devastation that has occurred in those farms and for us to reduce or alleviate farmers suffering and losses, we need to train them” he expressed.
Speaking on reports from farmers on the resistance of the armyworms to available pesticides, Muftau said the problem was the method of application.
According to him, “the usual method of spraying chemicals is not effective because it was discovered that the armyworms usually bury themselves in the maize. The normal way of spraying does not touch the worms and that is why farmers are complaining that the chemicals are not effective. It is the method of application that is wrong.”
Muftau however assured farmers that the ministry was working with the International Institute for Agricultural Research to develop a resistant variety to the pests to ensure that the disease was adequately controlled this year.
Ogun State Governor, Ibikule Amosun has pledged to end the challenges of herdsmen and smugglers faced by farmers and agropreneurs in the state.
The governor who made this statement after the agriculture session of the Ogun state youth convention with the theme Ogun Youths: Exploring New Frontiers lamented the loss of potential investors due to the problems of herdsmen and smugglers in the state.
Reacting to the statement of one of the speakers on agriculture, Mosunmola Umoru, also an investor who had left because of the challenges, he avowed that he was aware of the problem and would do all that necessary to protect investors in the state.
Earlier, Umoru had advised the youths to be take advantage of their vigor and maximize opportunities in the agricultural sector. She informed them that there was abundance of resources but they were underutilized.
Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director, Fidel Farms, Bamidele Okunaiya noted that there was an urgent need for Nigerian youths to take advantage of the resources around them towards securing a future and promoting national development.
Meanwhile, the governor in a communique issued at the end of the two-day convention also enjoined the youths to embrace agriculture, adding that the state government will make land available to interested youth – farmers.
The Dangote Tomato Processing Factory, Kadawa, Kano State, has begun survey of tomato farms in six major tomato producing states to ascertain the level of availability of the commodity.
The company’s Managing Director, Alhaji Abdulkarim Kaita, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview on friday in Kano.
Kaita said the survey would be conducted in major tomato growing areas within the states which are: Jigawa, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Plateau and Sokoto.
He said that the survey would enable the company to assess the availability of the commodity before resuming production in the next few weeks.
“We want to make sure that the commodity is readily available in these states before we resume production.
“We will require 40 trailers of tomato daily, hence our decision to embark on the survey of major tomato growing areas to know whether the farmers have started harvesting,” Abdulkarim said.
He disclosed that the company had engaged over 50 casual staff who would convey the fresh tomato inside the factory for processing.
He said no fewer than 30 students on Industrial Training (IT) had also been engaged by the company to assess the quality of the raw materials before processing.
NAN recalls that the company stopped production about nine months ago due to inadequate raw materials, following the outbreak of a pest which destroyed tomato farms in about five states, including Kano. (NAN).
A sharp drop in crop values will send U.S. net farm income for 2017 to the lowest levels seen since 2002 and nearly half of what it reached at its 2013 peak, according to the latest forecast by the Economic Research Service.
On Tuesday, the governmental agency released its latest forecast of net farm income, a conventional measure of farm sector profitability that is used as part of the U.S. gross domestic product calculation.
The report indicates that following several years of record highs, net farm income trended downward from 2013 to 2016.
For 2017, ERS forecasts that net farm income will fall to $62.3 billion ($54.8 billion in inflation-adjusted terms).
If realized, this would be an 8.7% decline from the prior year and a decline of 49.6% from the record high in 2013, according to the ERS report.
The expected decline in 2017 net farm income is driven by a forecast reduction in the value of production.
Crop value of production is forecast down $9.2 billion (4.9%), while the value of production of animal/animal products is forecast to decline by less than $1 billion (0.5%).
Net Cash vs. Net Farm Income
ERS’s report reflects a better picture for 2017 net cash income vs. net farm income, the difference in the two being when sales are put on the books.
A narrow cash-based measure, net cash farm income, is forecast to rise by $1.6 billion to $93.5 billion from the 2016 value, an increase of 1.8%. In contrast, net farm income is forecast to decline by 8.7% to $62.3 billion, the fourth consecutive year of declines after reaching a record high in 2013.
The difference between the two profitability measures is expected to increase in 2017 largely due to an additional $8.2 billion in cash receipts from the sale of crop inventories.
The net cash farm income measure counts those sales as part of current-year income; the net farm income measure counted the value of those inventories as part of prior-year income. If realized, net farm income in 2017 will be the lowest since 2002, in inflation-adjusted terms.
Overall, cash receipts are forecast to remain largely unchanged, with large offsetting changes in dairy receipts — up by $4.7 billion, or 13.7%, based on forecast higher prices — and cattle/calf receipts, which are forecast down by $4.5 billion (6.7%) based on anticipated lower prices. The forecast for crops is mostly unchanged, with wheat receipts changing most in absolute and percentage terms, falling $1.4 billion (16.6%) relative to 2016. Direct government payments are down by $0.5 billion (4.0%) to $12.5 billion.
Find additional information and analysis in ERS’s Farm Sector Income and Finances topic page, released February 7, 2017.
SOYBEANS RISE IN OVERNIGHT TRADING; WHEAT BIGGEST WINNER ON WASDE, EXPORT SALES DAY.
1. SOYBEANS HIGHER IN OVERNIGHT TRADING AS GRAINS LITTLE CHANGED
Soybeans were higher, while grains were little changed in overnight trading.
Prices of the oilseed were supported by reports that China imported almost 8 million metric tons in January, the most since 2010, an indication that the Asian country is stockpiling inventories.
Soybeans also were higher after the Rosario Grain Exchange earlier this week cut its forecast for production in Argentina to 54.5 million metric tons and the U.S. Department of Agriculture lowered its forecast to 55.5 million tons from 57 million.
Wheat was little changed overnight after jumping double digits yesterday amid a USDA report that showed stockpiles in the marketing year ending May 31 would fall more than analysts had expected.
Soybean futures for March delivery rose 4¼¢ to $10.54¾ a bushel overnight on the Chicago Board of Trade. Soy meal added $2 to $340.40 a short ton, and soy oil declined 0.12¢ to 34.55¢ a pound.
Corn futures rose ¼¢ to $3.69¾ a bushel in Chicago.
Wheat futures for March delivery lost ½¢ to $4.43 a bushel. Kansas City futures rose a penny to $4.52¼ a bushel.
**
2. BIG REPORT DAY SEES WHEAT WIN ON WASDE, EXPORT SALES
It was a big day on Thursday with the Department of Agriculture releasing its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) Report and its Weekly Export Sales Report.
The biggest surprise, or at least the number that offered the biggest market reaction, was the wheat ending stockpiles estimate, which declined to 1.139 billion bushels from 1.186 billion the prior month and trade estimates for 1.180 billion. The forecast pushed prices up double digits on the day.
Corn inventories at the end of the marketing year on August 31 were pegged at 2.32 billion bushels, down slightly from last month’s 2.355 billion and the average estimate of 2.335 billion. Soybean carryout was estimated at 420 million bushels, unchanged from last month and higher than the trade estimate for 41 million bushels.
Wheat also was the winner in yesterday’s Export Sales Report.
Exporters sold 527,300 metric tons of the grain to overseas buyers in the week that ended on February 2, up 17% from the prior week and 9% from the previous four-week average, according to the USDA. The biggest buyer was Japan, which bought 90,600 tons. Mexico took 67,300 tons, the Philippines bought 64,600 tons, and Chile purchased 60,000 tons.
Corn sales fell 15% week over week to 971,700 tons, which is down 13% from the prior four-week average, the government said. The biggest buyers were Japan, which was in for 401,700 tons, unknown buyers, who bought 183,600 tons, and Mexico, which bought 149,500 tons, according to the USDA.
Soybean sales totaled 536,300 tons, down 14% from both the previous week and the average, according to the USDA. China, as usual, was the biggest buyer at 259,900 tons. Mexico was next on the list at 105,600 tons, the Netherlands followed at 75,700 tons, and Bangladesh bought 57,900 tons.
3. RED-FLAG WARNINGS IN MUCH OF SOUTHERN PLAINS, MIDWEST
A red-flag warning is in effect for much of eastern Colorado, extreme northeastern New Mexico, and the Texas Panhandle, according to the National Weather Service.
Extremely low humidity and warm temperatures and strong winds are making for tinderbox conditions in the region, the NWS said in a report early Friday morning. Winds are expected to be sustained at 15 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph, and relative humidity is forecast to be as low as 11% today.
A red-flag warning also has been issued for most of central and eastern Oklahoma, southwestern Missouri, and parts of extreme northwestern Arkansas, according to the NWS.
Winds in Fayetteville, Arkansas, are forecast at 35 mph. The agency said the potential is high that fire could spread as fast as 229 feet per second if started, so no activities involving fire are advised for today.
Victor Komolafe, is a chartered accountant and CEO/ founder of Ojoro Kitchen Limited. He finished with a degree in Accounting and Finance about four years ago, practiced accounting for a few years before deciding to focus on his business, Ojoro Kitchen full time where he meets the condiment needs of many Nigerian homes.
What is Ojoro Kitchen about?
Ojoro kitchen like you said is to cheat and what we are trying to do is to cheat time. What the company is trying to do is to make products, condiments you know things that will make cooking easier for a lot of people. we find that in Nigeria our cooking process are still long and these days people have less time to cook and to prepare meals, so it’s just about adding technologies or using new methods or processes to achieve the same results in less time..
Ojoro kitchen… we started off with condiments, we have garlic, ginger, and atarodo…. we make it differently from what is available right now, on the market you are able to get ground ginger, ground chilli or powered things …. we have been able to get the product fresh and real to the to the customer, which is out major different instead of getting the powder or puriee you get the raw original that stays fresh for a longer time so you get the same fresh feel to your product or to your food that you prepare every time and its 100 percent healthy and our preservatives have health benefits.
Why did you venture into the agric business?
Well, that is a very interesting question… growing up I always had a passion in agriculture, my dad used us to plant different things around the house, so it was just in my blood from an early age. But I never thought I would venture into it until I got back to Nigeria about four years ago and I saw there were so many opportunities in the agric space. I went into condiments production because I found a particular challenge that I faced and I needed to get a solution to it, that was how I ventured into the agric business and since I started with condiments there’s been so many areas that I have been able to make an impact and I can make a difference too. Because the agric space is untouched, there are so many things you can do within there.
What are the challenges in agric business?
Wow… starting up business in Nigeria are very difficult… I had an idea of the challenges I would face but nothing prepared me for it until I got there eventually. So what I would say is if you want to start a business, there is no good time for it you just have to start something if you take a lead whenever you feel like you are up for it. There are a lot of challenges especially with regulation and regulatory bodies… for example I had to get a NAFDAC license the cost for that is quite prohibitive, and the time it take its quite a while I had to do my job par time while funding my business.
There are problems with access to finance also, especially for young entrepreneurs mean banks will not give us the money. What kind of collateral do we have anyway … there’s a lot that has to be addressed in terms of starting business in Nigeria
How well is the government doing to encourage entrepreneurs?
I will be quite critical about it to be honest … the federal government has been in power for a while but I haven’t seen much… but I will say this they have a lot of good policies to encourage entrepreneurs.. sound ideas and a lot of thing which h they announce. But that’s all we see, its policies the implementation we don’t see.. I can give a lot of instance where I have promised things by the government, and you know, it does not come true. We don’t look upon them anymore which is quite sad… as an entrepreneur in Nigeria you can’t depend on the government you have to think of how to do what you are doing within the constituent of the society, we can’t depend on the government to do things for us, we have to do it ourselves.
How do you carry out your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?
One thing we Ojoro Kitchen do is we try and reach farmers that would otherwise with their products wasted. This is a way of getting another market for them instead of them wasting those products we pay them for it. So that is our way of making social impact because if you are able to give someone money or more money than he expected then he is able to do more with his family, provide more jobs, send his school and benefit the society so what we try to do is to use our company to create a social impact especially as regards farmers and most people that it affects.
Advice to budding entrepreneurs
A few things, one it’s not easy. I think there’s trend or new thing in Nigeria where everybody is saying “agriculture, agriculture”, I don’t agree with it because its false, because it’s not developed there are more challenges that we face than the traditional sorts of business although the government has policies that is try to change things it’s not there yet.. So if you think this is an easy way to make money, you are mistaken. So I would say work hard, work harder if you are doing anything else, there’s a lot of opportunities it a brand new space, almost everything you do, you have to the potential to be the market leader, the market starter, once you put in the quality work and you work hard then sky is your limit, but if you just think that you are going to coast time, make easy money, agric product… then you have a shocker waiting for you.
Indian government has expressed its readiness to support Nigerian farmers to plant more pulses that would be exported to India. Such pulses include dry beans, dry broad beans, dry peas, chickpeas, cow peas, pigeon peas, lentils, Bambara beans, vetches, lupines and pulses.
The Head of Chancery, High Commission of India, Jagdeep Kapoor, disclosed this in Lagos yesterday while addressing journalists.
Kapoor informed that the scheme would create a source of income for Nigerian farmers, and also ensure steady flow of the produce to India, noting that the project would be a priority in India and Nigeria’s 2017 Civil Aviation and Agriculture Cooperation Agreements, that would soon be formalised by both governments.
“Nigeria and India’s fresh areas of cooperation in 2017 would focus mostly on the signing of the Civil Aviation and Agriculture Agreements, that would soon be formalised by our two governments.” he said.
The head of Chancery announced the announced his government’s readiness to support Nigerian farmers to plant pulses, that would be massively exported to India for industrial and household consumption.
He noted that the move became imperative as there was currently a growing demand for pulses in India and that Nigerian soil was rich for planting and production of the leguminous crops.
According to him, “We are going to be encouraging Nigerian farmers to plant pulses, that currently needed in the large quantities in India. And India is a ready market for these crops today”
The Indian official promised that his government would be sending some Indian farmers to Nigeria to support Nigerian farmers in the planting of the crops, expressing confidence that the initiative would create employment for the teeming youths in Nigeria.
“We strongly believe that the planting of these crops in Nigeria would make Indians have more supply of pulses, generate income that would encourage more young Nigerians into planting these crops for export.” he expressed.
Avian flu is currently spreading across countries of the world, posing threat to poultry business especially in Nigeria CHIKA IZUORA writes.
Avian influenza refers to a disease caused by infection with avian (Bird) influenza (flu) Type A viruses.
These viruses occur naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species.
Humans can also be infected with avian and other zoonotic influenza viruses, such as avian influenza virus subtypes, A(H5N1), and A(H7N9) and swine influenza virus subtypes A(H1N1) and (H3N2).
From current statistics, the Nigerian poultry industry is huge promising great potentials in terms of job creation and return on investment.
It is also estimated that the country’s poultry industry holds about N80 billion in investment and is comprised of approximately 165 million birds, producing 650,000 metric tonnes, MT, of eggs and 29,000MT of poultry meat.
From a market size perspective, Nigeria’s egg production is the largest in Africa followed by South Africa which produce 540,000 MT of eggs and it has the second largest chicken population after South Africa’s 200 million birds, according to Food and Agricultural Organisation, FAO of the United Nations, UN.
Nigeria’s poultry sector is extremely fragmented with most of the chicken raised in ‘backyards’ or on poultry farms with less than 1,000 birds.
But there are a large number of commercial players in the sector most of whom are located in the South- West.
Avian flu threat is not new in Nigeria, and despite the significant loss recorded during previous experience, experts are afraid that preventive measures are not adequately put in place to avert its presence.
Nigeria in 2006 recorded its first case of AI, avian influenza in a commercial farm located in Kaduna state. World Organisation for Animal Health, said the incident caused 227,514 cases and 222,780 deaths from 2006-200z.
In January, 2015 federal government also confirmed a second outbreak of the disease in Kano and Lagos states.
According to Poultry Association of Nigeria, PAN, as at June 2015, the total number of depopulated birds was 1.4 million belonging to 437 farmers across 18 states.
To curtail the resurgence of the disease the government partnered the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, to organise training sessions for poultry stakeholders and has collaborated with PAN to ensure that increased biosecurity measures are put in place at farms.
It was learnt that government has set asid N600 million, fund as compensation for affected farmers.
Beginning from 2017, a number of countries have reported cases of the disease, from Europe to Asia and indeed Africa.
The World Health Organisation, WHO, disclosed that nearly 40 countries have reported new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry or wild birds since November.
In China, H7N9 strains of bird flu have been infecting both birds and people, with the of human cases rising in recent weeks due to the peak of the flu season there.
According to the WHO, more than 900 people have been infected with H7N9 bird flu since it emerged in early 2013.
In birds, latest data from the Organization for Animal Health, OIE, should that outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian flu have been detected in Britain, Italy, Kuwait and Bangladesh in the last few days alone.
Russia’s agriculture watchdog issued a statement describing the situation as “extremely tense” as it reported H5N8 flu outbreaks in another four regions. Hungarian farmers have had to cull 3 million birds, mostly geese and ducks.
These come on top of epidemics across Europe and Asia which have been ongoing since late last year, leading to mass culling of poultry in many countries.
Strains currently documented as circulating in birds include H5N8 in many parts of Europe as well as in Kuwait, Egypt and elsewhere, and H5N1 in Bangladesh and India.
In Africa which experts say is especially vulnerable to missing flu outbreak warning signs due to limited local government capacities and weak animal and human health services H5N1 outbreaks have been reported in birds in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Niger and Togo. H5N8 has been detected in Tunisia and Egypt, and H7N1 in Algeria.
The United States has, so far this year, largely escaped bird flu, but is on high alert after outbreaks of H5N2, a highly pathogenic bird flu, hit farms in 15 states in 2015 and led to the culling of more than 43 million poultry.
Uganda, has reported a H5 type of avian influenza, according to the latest reports to the OIE.
The specific type of the virus has not yet been determined, so it is not yet known whether it is the H5N8 strain that has been causing problems all over Europe and recently spread to Nigeria.
Twenty cases in birds and seven deaths in the Masaka region of Uganda, dating from 2 January, were reported to the OIE in the past week, but 30,000 village birds were listed as susceptible. A further report described hundreds of cases in white-winged terns in Wasiko and Masaka.
However, comments from Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries indicate the problem may be larger: “There are still continuous deaths of wild ducks and birds along the shores and islands of Lake Victoria in Masaka and Wakiso districts,” the Ministry said.
“In Masaka alone, wild and domestic birds are dying at alarming numbers and in Lutembe wetland white-winged terns are the ones dying. This is already a big threat to over thirty million domestic poultry in Uganda which calls for an urgent response to control the spread of the disease from wild birds to domestic birds.”
Neighbouring countries Kenya and Rwanda have reportedly banned imports of poultry productions from Uganda as a result.
However, response by Nigerian government on the latest threat according to expert should be firmed up with action plant to mitigate spread.
At the moment, only one outbreak of H5N8 has been reported by Nigeria to the OIE, and that was in a small flock of 250 birds in Kano state.
The National Consultative Meeting on Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) recently took place in Abuja, with all State Commissioners of Agriculture and Directors of Veterinary Service, and was initiated by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The officials met to review past experiences and arrive at agreeable and implementable preventive measures against bird flu, the Ministry revealed on its Twitter account.
Other issues examined included insurance for the poultry industry, sustainable and participatory cost sharing and compensation for affected farmers.
Effective regulation of the poultry industry and adherence to biosecurity and hygienic practices also formed part of the discussions.
Some challenges identified include lack of compliance with on-farm quarantine measures and movement restriction of infected poultry, violation of bio-security measures which leads to rapid spread of the disease to other areas and states, and the reluctance of some poultry farmers to register with State Veterinary services for easy monitoring and regulation, amongst others.
Reports of Caterpillar invasion on African soil continue to dominate the media these past weeks, while scientists are still unraveling the discovery of the new caterpillar species, the Fall Army worm, the Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development has confirmed the invasion of the African Army worm in 22 states of the country.
Ogun State Governor, Ibikule Amosun has pledged to end the challenges of herdsmen and smugglers faced by farmers and agropreneurs in the state.
The Dangote Tomato Processing Factory, Kadawa, Kano State, has begun survey of tomato farms in six major tomato producing states to ascertain the level of availability of the commodity.
Victor Komolafe, is a chartered accountant and CEO/ founder of Ojoro Kitchen Limited. He finished with a degree in Accounting and Finance about four years ago, practiced accounting for a few years before deciding to focus on his business, Ojoro Kitchen full time where he meets the condiment needs of many Nigerian homes.
Avian flu is currently spreading across countries of the world, posing threat to poultry business especially in Nigeria CHIKA IZUORA writes.