AVIAN INFLUENZA: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

In 1996, an H5 avian influenza was identified in geese in Guangdong, China. Almost 20 years later, a variation of that virus wiped out 48 million birds in the U.S.

How did the virus get from China to the U.S.? Why did it take 20 years? And how did it spread so rapidly? Those are questions that Travis Schaal, internal technical services manager at Hy-Line International, is trying to answer to ensure that the devastation caused by the virus from 2014 to 2015 isn’t repeated again. This effort is particularly important because the bird flu was detected in an Indiana flock earlier this month, prompting the extermination of 400,000 turkeys and egg-laying hens. 

Who is Hy-Line International?

Founded in 1936, Hy-Line was one of the first modern layer genetics companies to incorporate hybridization and hybrid vigor into its breeding program on a commercial scale. These methods were used with genetic selection and scientific statistical analysis to develop and improve one of the world’s most extensive gene pools.

Today, Hy-Line provides the primary breeding stock for nearly half of the world’s commercial egg-laying industry. This stock is housed in Iowa, where there were 77 cases of avian influenza last year. For this reason, Schaal, one of six veterinarians on staff at Hy-Line, was determined to understand how avian influenza was spreading and, more importantly, how to keep Hy-Line’s flocks healthy. 

The spread of avian influenza worldwide

After the first detection of H5 in China, the virus almost disappeared until 2004. When it returned, it did so with a vengeance, sweeping across Asia in 2004, Eastern Europe in 2005, and then moving across the Middle East and the rest of Europe in 2006. 

Avian influenza is spread through the feces and nasal discharges of wild waterfowl. For the most part, wild birds don’t show clinical signs of infection. These seemingly healthy birds continue following their respective flyways. 

There are roughly nine different flyway patterns and, besides the North American flyways, most of these overlap in the North Pole. This is probably where wild birds from Asia, with this lineage of the virus, spread the virus to other wild birds who carried it to their home countries.

This led to a multitude of avian influenza outbreaks in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa from 2005 to 2013.  North and South America, however, remained mostly unscathed. That all changed in December of 2014.

The spread of avian influenza within the U.S. 

The North Pole isn’t the only place where flyways overlap. The waterfowl flyways from eastern Asia and North and South America also converge in Alaska. This is the most likely source of cross-contamination between Eurasian and North American waterfowl populations, according to Schaal. 

Another alternative is that Asian birds with the virus got lost during migration and ended up in North America. “Birds don’t know how to read maps. They don’t have a GPS in their head, so they mess up flyway patterns all the time,” explains Schaal. 

Regardless of how it ended up in North America, once the virus was here, it spread rapidly. From December of 2014 through June of 2015, avian influenza was detected 223 times. The majority of the cases were in Minnesota and Iowa.

In Minnesota, avian influenza was detected on 104 premises – 99 of which were for turkeys and five were laying hens. Almost 9 million birds were killed. At final tally, Iowa lost 31.7 million birds from 77 different sites, split almost evenly between turkey and laying hen premises. The surprising difference between these two states is how the virus spread.

“In 40 of the Minnesota cases, the virus came directly from an infected wild bird to the commercial flock. We can tell this by examining the genome of the virus,” says Schaal. “However, in Iowa this only happened twice. The virus was being spread between farms – not by wild birds.”

Semi trucks driving from infected sites to healthy barns or contract workers who work at multiple poultry facilities may have spread the virus across Iowa. The long life of the virus in cool, wet conditions made it difficult to determine what the cause was on most farms.

"So the virus could be on a farm for 21 days before chickens started dying."

“The virus wasn’t well adapted to chickens,” says Schaal. “So the virus could be on a farm for 21 days before chickens started dying. A producer might think a mistake was made a few days ago when a truck wasn’t washed before coming onto a property, but in reality it could have been an incident three weeks ago that caused the infection.”

Would Iowa producers have lost as many birds if more strict biosecurity procedures had been in place? Most likely not, which is why it’s critical for producers to focus on biosecurity moving forward.

How poultry producers can protect their flocks

Producers should start by implementing a biosecurity plan, which might include hiring a biosecurity officer. The plan should include ways to protect the flocks, including reducing the amount of shared equipment and employees as well as educating employees about how the virus spreads. It should also include a way to depopulate the entire farm within 24 hours of the virus being detected. This proved especially challenging during the 2015 outbreaks, which also contributed to the spread of the disease.

Other factors were found to decrease the likelihood of avian influenza, including having a true wash station for trucks on site, being more than 100 miles from the egg processing site used, and being more than 100 meters from a public road. 

Even something as simple as having cement or gravel around buildings instead of grass can help. “This is what we do at the Hy-Line barns. It allows exposure to sunshine and helps disinfect the site,” explains Schaal. 

What’s next?

H5N2, the specific avian influenza that hit the states, isn’t going to disappear. “Young waterfowl will carry the virus for another season,” says Schaal. “It could continue to affect the globe for the next three to five years. It’s also likely that new viruses will emerge.”

In anticipation of further cases, the USDA and industry experts have explored different ways to stop avian influenza. Vaccines and resistant birds are two possible options that have been discussed in addition to biosecurity. Schaal is hesitant about both.

Using vaccinations could prevent the U.S. from exporting poultry products to other countries. It would also be difficult to match the vaccine exactly with the specific strain of the virus, and the virus could mutate in vaccinated birds, explains Schaal.

Birds that are resistant to avian influenza may operate similarly to today’s wild ducks and geese. They would appear healthy but could still possibly spread the disease to other birds. This would also allow for comingling of the viruses. For these reasons, Schaal feels that biosecurity is the best option moving forward.

The recent H7N8 high and low pathogenic avian influenza in Indiana highlight the dynamic influenza situation. The H7 virus is a North American lineage that likely started as low pathogenic and became high path, as opposed to the Asian lineage H5 that entered the U.S. as a high path virus.

FARMING TRIFECTA: NO-TILL, COVER CROPS, AND A DIVERSE ROTATION

Brian Johnson eyes wheat stubble dotted by a bountiful cover crop of tillage radishes on his family’s north-eastern South Dakota farm. 

“This is the new tillage,” says the Frankfort, South Dakota, farmer, who farms with his wife, Jamie, and his father, Alan. Cover crops like tillage radishes can shatter compacted soil layers on no-till fields like the ones farmed by the Johnsons. 

Cover crops, though, are just one component of the Johnsons’ strategy. They’ve also teamed them with no-till and a diverse crop rotation to help mimic the native prairie. 

Before European settlers broke them, native prairie soils had up to 9% organic matter, says Jeff Hemenway, an NRCS soil scientist based in Huron, South Dakota. Most soils now have one half or less of that amount. Organic matter helps boost soil water holding capacity, aids nutrient uptake, and helps curb soil erosion. 

The good news is, tools like no-till, cover crops, and diverse rotations can build organic matter. It takes time, as just a 1% rise can take 20 years. Along the way, though, you can glean other benefits. Here’s how.

START WITH NO-TILL

The Johnsons’ roots in no-till started way back in 1986, when Alan switched to no-till. At that time, a large challenge was clearing residue for the seed and seed furrow. 

“We had to find the right openers on the planter to plant in a timely fashion,” says Brian. “With the equipment we have today, we can do it.” 

A key was equipping their planter with Yetter SharkTooth wheels. “They are critical for planting through high-residue environments,” says Brian. 

No-till also requires fertilizer application adjustments. “Placing nitrogen fertilizer in proximity to the row is a must,” says Dwayne Beck, who manages the Dakota Lakes Research Farm near Pierre, South Dakota.  He adds that popup starter fertilizer containing phosphorus is also a normal practice under no-till. 

DIVERSIFY ROTATIONS

Building healthy soils also means diversifying rotations. Fifty years ago, spring wheat was the “it” crop in northeastern South Dakota. These days, the region mirrors a mini Iowa, with corn and soybean fields dotting the landscape. 

Part of the reason is the prolific precipitation that the area started receiving in the 1990s and into most of the 2000s. “It was frustrating because, for about 10 years, we could not plant spring wheat,” says Brian. 

In recent years, though, the weather has dried out enough that spring wheat can once again diversify their corn and soybean lineup.  

“With a corn and soybean rotation, you end up getting a platy soil structure,” says Hemenway. “That makes it tough for roots to penetrate.”

Diversifying the rotation with spring wheat (as the Johnsons have done) can alter soil aggregates that encourage roots to more easily branch out. 

Wheat can also spark more profits when inserted into a row-crop rotation. Data from a 2013 Dakota Lakes Research Farm rotational study showed the impact that rotational diversity has on corn yields. 

• Continuous Corn: 203 bushels per acre  

• Corn-Soybean: 217 bushels per acre 

• Corn-Corn-Soybean-Wheat-Soybean: 235 bushels per acre  

Producing wheat costs less than does corn and soybeans. Diverse rotations also help reduce  disease potential and weed and insect resistance in those crops.  

“Basically, the production costs for these are 50% of what a corn and soybean rotation would be,” says Beck. “So essentially, they can grow wheat for free.”

Wheat’s benefits aren’t just limited to the Great Plains. A 12-year University of Illinois (U of I) study found that adding wheat to a corn-soybean rotation boosted corn yields by about 10 bushels per acre and soybean yields by 3 to 5 bushels per acre, says Emerson Nafziger, a U of I Extension agronomist. 

ENTRY WAY FOR COVER CROPS

Wheat also helped the Johnsons pave a way to plant cover crops. 

“With the precipitation we’ve had, we started having some saline and compaction issues with no-till,” says Brian. To help curb the effects from these stressors, they began planting tillage radishes into wheat stubble following harvest. Any surviving radishes and volunteer wheat are terminated the following spring prior to planting the field to corn or soybeans. 

“We want to keep something growing,” says Brian. “Every year, we get a little better at it.” 

Cover crops do require an investment, as seed costs for them normally hover around $16 per acre, says Brian. He believes, though, that it helps stimulate soil microbes that help increase soil fertility and soil health. 

Keeping soil covered also helps slice soil erosion potential. Another way the Johnsons protect the soil is by planting corn and soybeans in 20-inch rows. 

“It covers the ground better than wider rows,” says Brian. 

It’s also a way to boost soybean yields. It’s backed by U of I research that showed, on average, narrow-row soybeans outyield those in 30-inch rows by 2 bushels per acre.

There’s an if, though. Yields for narrow-row soybeans may be less if the field has a white mold history, say U of I agronomists. 

LONG-TERM BENEFITS

In the short-term, steps like no-till, diverse rotations, and cover crops may not immediately boost yields. They can set the stage for improved soil health that bodes well for future yields and long-term soil health.

It’s also a way for farmers to return to a time when they included perennials like pasture or alfalfa for a few years before returning the land to small grains or row crops, says Beck. 

Perennial plants have likely come the closest to emulating native prairie. “Perennials can root down as deep as 9 feet, which can suck out the excess water and nutrients in the soil profile,” says Beck. 

ROTATION DETERS CORN ROOTWORM

Corn-on-corn and corn rotated with soybeans are king in the Corn Belt. Farmers aren’t the only ones who love them. Insects also love tight rotations like corn and soybeans, says Dwayne Beck, who manages the Dakota Lakes Research Farm near Pierre, South Dakota. 

In some areas like east-central Illinois, the western corn rootworm variant has thwarted the corn-soybean rotation by laying eggs in adjacent soybean fields. When farmers plant corn on that soybean ground the following year, rootworm eggs hatch and infest the corn. 

Meanwhile, extended diapause in some areas prompts eggs to delay hatching until two years after they are laid. That’s just in time for rootworm larvae to feast on corn that’s planted after an interim soybean year. 

That’s why including a small grain like wheat into a corn and soybean rotation can help manage corn rootworm, says Beck.

source: successful farming

FG accesses $67m World Bank loan to develop Dam in Jigawa State

The Federal Government of Nigeria has accessed a $67m World Bank loan to rehabilitate Hadejia Valley Dam in Jigawa.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Water Resources, Senator Ubale Shittu, who informed News agency of Nigeria in Dutse explained that the project was aimed at enhancing irrigation, water supply and fish farming in the area.

The senator, representing Jigawa North-East said the $60m would be used to repair and expand the dam by 1,000 hectares while the remaining $7m would be spent on dredging of the river from Tiga Dam in Kano State to Koli in Kirikasama Local Government Area of Jigawa state.

He explained that the contract for the project would be awarded next month while work is expected to commence by the end of first quarter.

He also informed that 25 per cent of similar projects had been injected into 2017 budget presented to the National Assembly.

Lauding the efforts of the Federal government towards agricultural development, Shittu reiterated that the present administration’s commitment to the development of dams across the country was to boost agriculture.

Consumers’ health is a priority – Agric Minister

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh has said that the safety of food consumed needs to be given priority attention.

Ogbeh, who made this statement while examining the new model of grinding machine for soup condiments in Abuja, decried the alarming increase in food poisoning cases in the country which he opined could be as a result of the metal chips in grinding machines that operate by friction.

“The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has interest, not just in agriculture but in food and health. All kinds of self-poisoning is going on, and is related to how we process and package our food”, he said.

The minister stressed the need for a campaign against food poisoning and intimated that the mode of food processing is very important to the ministry.

He also pointed out his concerns about the increase in reported cases of liver and kidney problems among children and youths.

“Ironically, it is young people that come down with kidney and liver problems. Many of these people don’t drink alcohol. We have to get rid of metal poisoning, polypropylene and review how fish is smoked. Poisoning, a lot of these is something the ministry is working on slowly”.

AgroNigeria urges proprietors to advance youth participation in Agriculture

In a bid to advance youth involvement in agriculture, AgroNigeria is determined to promote increased agriculture literacy, academic competition and excellence.

This was disclosed by the Executive Director, AgroNigeria, Idongesit Mbaram at the meeting of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Oshodi/Isolo Chapter held at Mafoluku, Lagos State.

Mbaram noted that the economic challenges facing Nigeria are such that can be surmounted by properly unlocking the growth potentials inherent in the agricultural sector, but very little progress can be made without maximizing the potentials of the teeming Nigerian youths towards achieving agro-economic resurgence.

She explained that as part of efforts to maximize these potentials, AgroNigeria has designed a platform to promote increased agriculture among Nigerian students.

Highlighting the key propositions and opportunities in agriculture that AgroNigeria has made available to students, which includes: comprehensive re-orientation program every quarter training and capacity building for teachers of agriculture and an Agriculture Essay Competition which will form the youth component of the 2016 Nigeria Agriculture Awards (NAA), she expressed optimism that with various projects to encourage youth participation in agriculture, the students would be better groomed to contribute to national development through agriculture.

Also emphasizing the benefits of the essay competition, she said winners of the essay competition will be offered huge cash awards and certificates.

She however stressed the need to revitalize the junior Agriculturists and called on the cooperation and support of the proprietors and urged them to encourage their students to participate in agricultural projects

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Association, Clement A-Yiadom, has assured AgroNigeria of their support.

He said the proprietors will take the message to their schools and work with the students.

Source: AgroNigeria Magazine

TRENCH COMPOSTING

Many of you like to compost. Perhaps you have a large bin composter that turns your kitchen scraps into black gold for the garden, or you have designated compost piles. But if you don’t have the room or don’t want the sight of it, dig a trench and bury your compost pile underground. Earthworms and micro-organisms in the soil convert the organic matter into nutritious plant food.

Brad Bergefurd is a horticulture Extension educator at Ohio State University. He says there is more than one way to do trench composting.

“You can do one long trench throughout the entire garden. It takes up a lot of space, but that’s one method,” he says. “Another method is where you just do spot trench composting. That’s where you use a posthole digger and dig down 18 to 24 inches in a round circle, usually between the plants in the garden. That’s also where you’d do your trench composting so it doesn’t take up a large part of the garden.”

You can toss in a lot of items that can’t go in an above-ground compost pile, such as pet waste, citrus peels, and things that wildlife and critters would otherwise get into. 

“You can bury those different waste products 18 to 24 inches deep. The soil that you’ve taken out of the trench can be piled back on top,” says Bergefurd. “You can add a layer of straw to speed up the composting process, but within a couple of months, you can usually go ahead and plant right back into that trench you’ve composted in.”

Plants get the nutrition right where they need it – at the root zone. The root system also becomes stronger because it reaches down deep to find the nourishing material.

It’s important, however, to wait those two to three months before planting anything directly over the trench. That’s because the composting process produces heat, and you would risk injuring the plant roots, Bergefurd says.

source: successful farming

CROP INSURANCE RULES FOR COVER CROPS

Kevin Glanz had planted cereal rye into soybean stubble on his farm near Manchester, Iowa, for four years when he decided to try something new in 2016. At trade shows in Minnesota, he learned of farmers’ success interseeding cover crops into standing corn in early summer. 

So last year, he decided he’d try a mix that included legumes and brassicas. He would have his co-op seed the cover while applying urea to his corn at the five- to six-leaf stage. The cover would have time to get established before going dormant under the corn canopy.

It seemed like a good plan, until he told his crop insurance agent about it on March 30, 2016. Within hours, his crop insurance company threatened to void his coverage. “I got no help from my insurance agent. He sided with the company,” recalls Glanz.

Glanz was caught in apparent confusion in the industry about changes in the USDA Risk Management Agency’s rules for good farming practices with cover crops. Cover crops had to be seeded after the insured crop reached physiological maturity until 2014, when RMA revised its rules to allow earlier planting “as long as the cover crop is seeded at a time that will not impact the yield or harvest of the insured crop.”

Glanz went ahead with his plans. He got support from the regional RMA office in Minneapolis, which contacted his insurer. But he had to endure a “quality control audit” of three visits to his farm and detailed record keeping of herbicide treatments. 

All the while, he risked a protracted dispute with his insurer if he had a crop-loss claim. He didn’t. "It basically boiled down to no claim, no problem,” he says.

Sarah Carlson, Midwest cover crop director for Practical Farmers of Iowa, says not all crop insurers accept RMA rules on earlier seeding. “RMA says this is OK, and the science says this is OK.” 

In the Midwest, 15 days after planting the corn or soybeans seem to be enough of a head start before seeding cover crops, and the earliest farmers are trying it at about 30 days after planting, she says. “It’s the industry that’s not following the rules.”

She advises farmers who plant cover crops to check with their insurance agent before trying new practices. Meanwhile, Glanz is looking for a different crop insurer.

Armyworm infestation threatens crops in Zimbabwe

After two years of drought, incessant rains in most parts of Zimbabwe had raised hope that food shortages would be eased, but the outbreak of armyworms now raises a new threat to the crops, especially the country’s staple food – Maize.

Farmers in Zimbabwe fear that President Robert Mugabe’s government is taking too long to provide pesticides and education to deal with the pest which might prolong the country’s food shortages.

One of the farmers in Mazowe District about 50 miles north of the country’s capital Harare, Tatenda Mapfumo has appealed to the government and fellow farmers to fight the worm targeting his crops.

“I would want to tell the minister of agriculture in Zimbabwe to control the worm. They shouldn’t take it for granted. It will actually reduce our yield,” he said.

He also expressed that he lacks the money needed to buy enough pesticides to fight the outbreak.

Deutsche Welle reports that the armyworm got its name because the invasive species travels in “armies” and consumes everything in its path.

Some experts however believe that the armyworm might have come into Zimbabwe through food importation.

Zimbabwe, once the breadbasket of southern Africa, is largely dependent on food assistance due to the 2015-2016 drought caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon. This has been coupled with the chaotic land-reform program that removed white commercial farmers from their land.

Reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations had earlier indicated that about one million people will need food assistance in Zimbabwe until March when the harvest season begins. But with the spread of the armyworm, that assistance may need to be extended.

However, the FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for Southern Africa, Chimimba Phiri has assured the Zimbabwean farmers that the FAO will ensure that the problem of armyworm would not have an impact on the issue of food insecurity.

“Communities and farmers that notice something strange should report it so that action can be taken as soon as quickly as possible, otherwise there is a contagion spreading from farm to farm and eventually from country to country,” he said.

Phri pointed that the armyworm species called “Fall” was first seen in Nigeria.

“The problem with the FALL armyworm is that it is not easily controllable with chemicals unless it has been identified on a farm an early stage,” he said.

The United Nations however reports that the armyworm is now also being reported in Zambia and Malawi.

5 technologies that can transform Smallholder farmers’ Lives

One of the agreements reached at the World Economic Forum annual meetings held in Davos recently, was the need for governments across the world to take agriculture seriously to ensure sustainable supply of food for the growing mass of people in the world.

Majority of the poor people in the world reside in rural areas, with agriculture as their main source of livelihood. For instance, In Africa, over 80 per cent of our farmers are smallholders and they produce 70 per cent of the continent’s food. 

Developing the potential through technology to increase the productivity and incomes for smallholders crop production systems will be the basis to achieving global food security in the coming years as traditional methods of farming continually proves  insufficient to meet this increased demand for food.

Here are five technologies with potentials to connect smallholder farmers to new resources, information, knowledge and markets.

• The Internet

Internet is today one of the most important parts our daily life.  The internet does not only make our tasks easier but also saves a lot of time. A United Nations report reveals that 55 per cent of the world’s people remain offline and are unable to take advantage of the enormous economic and social benefits the internet can offer. Also large majority of smallholder farmers live in remote areas, where good, fast internet connectivity reaches less than 30 per cent of the population.

Increased internet connectivity will help farmers access vital information on how to  operate more efficiently ,  equipment purchases,  ensure high crop yields,  soil mapping, plant health and effective farm animal management.

• Mobile devices and platforms

It is becoming increasingly apparent that cash payment schemes are archaic in the 21st century. Mobile payment to farmers can be economically viable for value chains with expected and high volume transactional activity.  Through mobile devices and platforms, farmers would have greater safety and security because they would no longer have to carry large amounts of cash after selling their harvest.

More so, majority of smallholder farmers especially those in the rural areas are illiterates and unaccustomed with the numerous forms required to open bank accounts, which most times are not even located close to them. When these farmers are properly trained on how to make use of mobile financial services, it would serve the entire financial needs for them including expenses for agricultural inputs which would later lead to high productivity.

• Electricity

According to the World Bank, there about 1.3 billion people without reliable power sources globally, most of them in Africa and Asia. This translates into 600 million people – 70 percent of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa – without electricity, which is critical in powering water supplies, telecommunication services amongst others.  Electricity is central to the broader development of agriculture anywhere in the world. Without stable electricity, it is unlikely for the agricultural sector to experience a significant development.

With constant electricity supply, smallholder farmers can run cleaner irrigation systems, use processing machines, improved efficiencies in land preparation, planting and harvesting.   All of these would massive increase their yields and income.

• Unique identifiers

A unique identifier (UID) is a numeric or alphanumeric string that is associated with a single entity within a given system.

UIDs are already in use in developed countries and it plays a vital role in the lives of people. For example, when you log on to Amazon.com, the site knows who you are and what you have bought before. Unique identifiers, along with satellite imaging technology, would enable relevant agricultural agencies to collect data about farmers; where they live, how much land they cultivate, what they grow, what inputs they use, how much they yield, etc. For instance, the eWallet system in Nigeria has enabled the government to identify and deliver input subsidies directly to farmers based on personal and biometric information provided by smallholder farmers.

For unique identifiers to improve farmers’ lives, data systems must be able to guarantee that data remains anonymous for the privacy and security of individuals. And with more than 40 million transactions through the mobile wallet system in just two years, it’s clear that smallholder farmers anywhere can adopt digital financial services more broadly.

• Geospatial analysis

It is a farming concept that utilizes geographical information to determine field variability to ensure optimal use of inputs and maximize the output from a farm. Large tracts of land usually have spatial variations of soils types, moisture content, and nutrient availability and so on.

If smallholders farmers adopt the use of Geospatial analysis, it would enable them generate up to date aerial and satellite photographs of their farm during different periods of the year or seasons. With this information, the farmer is able to determine the productivity of different management zones. At the same time, the growth and yield patterns of different zones within the farm can also be identified.

Although some of these technologies are still relatively new and may be alien to smallholder farmers, it is therefore imperative for government, and relevant agencies to ensure they are not left behind in this global trend. This is necessary, as digital infrastructure remains a crucial tool for smallholder farmers to access and create tools that empower them to make decisions about their farms and businesses.

E-WALLET AGRIC PROGRAMME BEST WAY OF ENHANCING FARMING, SAYS DOGUWA

The Chief Whip of House of Representatives, Alhaji Alhassan Ado Doguwa has described the federal government’s E-Wallet Agricultural programme as the best way of enhancing commercial farming in the country.

Doguwa, who disclosed this in Kano during an oversight function visit to Warawa local government area of Kano state, called on Nigerian farmers to support the programme with a view to boosting their production.

He said: “The programme was introduced to support farmers enhance their farming activities and from what we have seen the programme is yielding positive results.”

He appealed to the federal government to sustain the programme, as according to him it has positive impact on Nigerian farmers.

Also speaking, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Alhaji Mustapha Bala Dawaki, said the programme has encouraged many farmers across the country to embrace commercial agriculture.

“We will continue to support this programme at the National Assembly so that our farmers would gain more benefits from it. As representatives of our people, we will ensure that the federal government improves on this programme,” he said.

Earlier, a member, House Committee on Agriculture, Alhaji Munnir Babba Dan’Agundi, expressed delight on farmers turn out at the screening exercise.

Dan’Agundi said over 200 farmers have been screened in Warawa local government area and out of figures 30 farmers have collected their agricultural package that include urea, NPK and organic fertilizers, as well as seed and micro nutrient valued at N41, 750.

He said the lawmakers were in Warawa local government as part of their oversight visit to constituencies to assess the programme, saying “we are assessing successes and challenges of the programme.”

He said that the lower chamber of the National Assembly would ensure that all challenges affecting the programme are addressed before the next farming season.