Mr Sabo Nanono, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the virtual FEC meeting anchored from the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The online FEC was in line with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) protocol on physical distancing as Nigeria strives to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nanono said that the planned mechanisation of agriculture would span across 632 local governments.

“Today, we presented a joint memo with the Federal Ministry of Finance in which we seek the approval for a loan facility of about 950 million Euros translated probably to 1.2 billion dollars.

“This loan is for the purpose of agricultural mechanisation in this country –that will cover about 632 local governments plus 140 processing plants.

“This is going to be a major revolution in the agriculture sector, that we have never seen before,’’ he said.

On his part, the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, said that the council approved a memo for award of contract in the sum N683 million for the purchase of 19 vehicles for Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA).

“This is the first time in four years that NPA is buying any vehicle and that is why the council and said fine.

“These are operational vehicles; they are not for management staff; they are all Toyota vehicles,’’ he said.

More so, the Minister of Power, Malam Sale Mamman, said the ministry sought approval for the revised estimated total cost for the augmentation of the subsisting contract in the sum N47.2 million.

He said that the contract was for the provision of additional critical power grid infrastructure for the full evacuation and utilisation of 40mw currently from Kashimbila via Takum-Wukari and Yendev.

“This is to evacuate completely 40 megawatts to the National Grid.

“If it is not evacuated, Nigerian government will lose not less than 130 megawatts of power which is equivalent to almost nine million in a year,’’ he said.

Contributing, Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, said that the critical power evacuation served not just Taraba and Benue but the entire North East.

“Power is something that you cannot store and once it is stranded, it poses a lot of risk.

“It is better for us to get this additional funds so that we evacuate it and then of course, 40 megawatts power will do a lot to improve the lives of many Nigerians,’’ he said.

Source: https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/fec-approves-12bn-euros-loan-for-agric-mechanisation/t1bzz3t

Agriculture is pivotal to economic growth and a conscious effort to invest in it is catalytic to national development. Not only does it achieve the goals of food security, agriculture creates job opportunities for the teeming populace.

Agriculture is an important sector in economies across the world, providing sustainable livelihood for countless people, especially in developing countries. Agriculture not only provides a source of income but also provides much of our foods including job creation.

Early farmers domesticated cereals, fruits, vegetables and animals. This helped to preserve many species selected for their high nutrient content and reliable harvests. In turn, the stable food supply chain created by farms kept people from starving, and in fact led to a rapid increase in population around the world.

Today, agriculture is a core enabler of global trade and nations leverage on it for industrialization. As the human population approaches ten billion people by 2050, agriculture has proved to be to continue growth to meet the demand for food. Farming creates opportunities to lift people out of poverty in developing nations. Over sixty percent of the world’s working poor works in agriculture. Farming creates more jobs, beginning with farmers, and continuing with farm equipment makers, food processing plants, transportation, infrastructure and manufacturing.

In Nigeria, agriculture was the key growth-driver of foreign exchange before crude oil was discovered in commercial quantity. In the past, successive administrations introduced policies and programmes designed to improve agriculture were implemented. The Operation Feed the Nation programme was introduced by the Obasanjo administration in 1978. President Shagari also initiated the “Green Revolution” programme. Whereas both programmes took off with optimism, they were killed by corruption and mismanagement. Since then, attempts at improving agriculture have not been successful.

Bayelsa is a State blessed with rich natural resources. As a riverine State, Bayelsa is blessed with aquacultural and food crops: Fish, oyster, shrimps, cassava, coco-yam, plantain, timber, cane wood, raffia palm, Irvingia (OGbono), maize, palm produce, rice, yam, sugar cane, seas-foods and plantain. Over the years these potentials have not been fully harnessed.

During the electioneering campaigns in 2019, Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri promised to hinge the development of the State on agriculture and other agro-based industries. This has popularized the slogan “Bayelsa Back to Farm” as government’s resolve to invest in agriculture as a spark plug for job creation, food production and poverty reduction in the State.

Governor Diri expressed his passion and zeal to restore the farming Culture of the State when he presented a N242. 3bn 2020 Appropriation Bill of his administration, christened “Consolidation For Prosperity 2020”. Senator Diri said the appropriation bill defines the structure for economic activities to be undertaken in the fiscal year.

Accordingly, the Governor proposed a total Sum of N8 billion for the Agricultural Sector. In his word he said “we intend to focus on the Agricultural sector as a major means of wealth creation. Therefore, various agricultural projects shall be embarked upon with the aim of providing employment and achieving food security in the State. We are poised to quit being a net consumer of food items to becoming a producer and supplier State. Value Chain Transformation Programmes will be supported to achieve food security in the State. We will partner with private sector investors, research institutes, communities etc. in our pursuit of viable agric projects that would provide food for our people and also enhance the development of Agro-allied industries”.

The Governor further stated that:
– We are already partnering with CBN and other agencies to increase the funding of various agricultural projects.

– We will put to optimal use the Aquaculture projects in Igbogene/Yenigue, Igeibiri, Angalabiri etc. In addition, this government shall create more outlets to harness our existing natural aquaculture endowments.

– Our state-of-the-art Starch Processing Plant at Ebedebiri, and our comparative advantage in cassava production, will be fully enhanced.

– We shall engage in cassava, rice, plantain, sugarcane farming etc.

To succeed in these plans of restoring the farming culture of Bayelsa State in order to have a massive production of food and increase wealth in the State, I am of the opinion that the State Government should consider & adopt the following measures:

1. Acquire a large plots of lands in each of the 8 Local Governments of the State for farming.

2. Employ the Youths, Men & Women under the Ministry Of Agriculture & Mineral Resources and deploy them to each of this Farm Lands in the 8 Local Governments.

3. Engage In Farm Products Like: fresh fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, shell eggs, honey or other bee products, maple syrup or maple sugar, flowers, nursery stock and other horticultural commodities, livestock food products, including meat, milk, cheese and other dairy products, food products of “aquaculture”, including fish, oysters, clams, Mussels and Animal husbandry.

4. Establish a Food Agency and distribution center in Yenagoa Local Government, where sellers can come & buy in a cheaper price from the Government & sell to the Markets in the State and outside the State.

5. The farms should be managed by a private sector and supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture & Mineral Resources, in partnership with the Bayelsa Microfinance & Enterprise Development Agency (BYMEDA).

With the consideration and implementation of the above recommendations, Bayelsa State will be recognized as one of the consistent food producing States in Nigeria.

In addition to economic diversification, investment in agriculture will not only create jobs but de-emphasize the over-dependence on crude oil as a major foreign exchange earner. The Bayelsa Back to Farm project is a vision that must be pursued with vigour and the much-needed synergy between government and the private sector cannot be overemphasized.

Source: https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/news/287941/bayelsa-back-to-farm-the-right-decision-for-a-greater-bayel.html

Dr. Vincent Isegbe, the Director-General, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), on Friday said the export of agricultural produce would soon pick up and gather pace.

Isegbe said this in a statement signed by Dr Gozie Nwodo, NAQS Head, Media, Communications and Strategies, and made available to newsmen in Abuja.

Isegbe noted that the Federal Government had authorised the agency to fully resume its export certification duties at all ports immediately.

He said the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation  (SGF) had also issued a directive instructing MDAs and state governments to cooperate with NAQS to enable restoration of agriculture export traffic.

”The lockdown announced as part of the strategy to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus occasioned a hiatus in the agricultural value chain.

“This brought almost all the states under one form of curfew or the other, and the ban on interstate transportation, institutional and logistical barricades blocking human and vehicular movement everywhere.

”The situation made the passage of agricultural commodities from the remote production spots to the ports which are mostly located in the urban areas difficult,” he said.

Isegbe disclosed that the Federal Government granted the agency authorisation to make agro-export kinetic again.

He said there was the need to free all functions related to agricultural export on both the public and private sectors side from any encumbrance.

“The Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO Aviance), Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Federal Road Safety Commission, Vehicle Inspection Office, the Nigerian Police, other security agencies and stakeholders are now under obligation to work in concert with NAQS.

“This collaboration is to reanimate agricultural export.

“Producer and transit state governments are expected to grant the right to free passage to the consignments along corridors that have been mapped by NAQS under the best logistics-support arrangement,” he said.

Isegbe called on all relevant entities in the agricultural export environment to play their respective parts to foster the return of business to a normal pace.

The D-G noted that agricultural export accounted for the lion’s share of Nigeria’s non-oil export performance.

He said,” given the drop in crude prices, job losses and the slump in the global economy, it is critical for Nigerian agricultural export to stand to its full height as one of the twin pillars of the Nigerian economy.”

Isegbe said NAQS had creatively adapted to the current context challenges, adding that it would balance professional protocols and adherence to all COVID-19 safety precautions in the inspection and certification of agricultural products. (NAN)

Source:
https://www.sunnewsonline.com/agro-export-will-pick-up-naqs-dg/

President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to look towards agriculture as he aims to rebound the Nigerian economy, which has largely been affected by the ravaging coronavirus pandemic.In a statement made available to newsmen, the Chief Executive officer of SMO foods and fruit Nigeria Ltd, Mr Shuiab Mubarak told journalists that “Agriculture has never been affected by any pandemic, outbreak or any economic downturn.According to him, “the coronavirus outbreak has made farming and another agro sector now growing more than ever before and the need for food is increasing daily.He noted that “the prices of products and other staples are getting higher every day, as there is no more room for the importation of food materials, Nigeria and indeed the world is depending on what is produced locally.Mr Shuiab advised investors to, “join Smo food and fruit Nigeria Limited to enjoy farming and build wealth in agriculture.”He said: “We have farm input capable of a huge return of investment like seedlings(dwarf hybrid fruiting tree) e.g orange, mango, cashew, lemon, strawberries, apple, soursop, lime, permanganate and lots more that all fruit in a year, they are dynamic in produce, as they can also be planted on the ground or in the flower pot at home for home use.”According to Mr Shuaib Mubarak, these seedlings “are best for commercialization because they have big and many fruits per harvest and can mostly fruit all year round.”On food crops, he said: “We also have food cropzs like dwarf okra, pepper, corn that can be harvested in 2 months, making for a quick return of investment.”The SMO food and fruits Nigeria CEO advised investors to put their money on agriculture as it is full of wealth and has potentials of huge profit.He advised the federal government to do more on for agriculture saying that through agriculture, Nigeria can bridge the gap of unemployment, fight corruption and reduce insurgency to its nearest minimum.“Farming is always full of wealth, all soil in Nigeria is good for farming, starting from the land which is appreciating every day, then planting of trees that fruit in a year or maximum 2 years, you harvest continuously for 35 years (which is a tree lifespan). An example, Pawpaw is most easy to farm,You can plant them in a flowerpot and on the ground, make N500,000 or more weekly on pawpaw farming on a plot.Pawpaw fruit in 3 months after planting and harvest is 6 month.Pawpaw has 100-300 fruit on a stand, and harvest is 5- 10 daily. Pawpaw fruit is sold for N100- N300 from the farm, this depends on the size of the fruit.With N100 x 5 fruit is N500 daily on a tree, and 150 stands on a plot that is 500x 150= 75,000 daily, when removing other expensive you end with 50,000 daily on a plot.Market prices of other fruit you harvest are listed below :-palm oil- N10000 per keg, Coconut N500 per fruit, Cashew N400,000 per tonne, lemon N1000 per fruit and lot more which are sold every day in our local and international markets.”On the health benefits from agro produce, Mr Shuaib Mubarak notes that, the immune system can be boosted when we eat foods made from natural ingredients.He stated that “eating of fruit daily make you younger, and gives more health to the body. So have a little garden across the house is always easy with our trees that fruit in flower pots.”On setting up farmland in Nigeria, Mr Shuaib Mubarak stated that “we are farmer consultants and help in farm setup. with over 10years experience in farming and tapping into the knowledge of thousands of farmers across the globe ; we can impact farming skills on those interested to go into farming.“You can partner our farm, to benefit up to 100% profits yearly and free farmland and amazing benefit.“Free training on farming is always available at our office.“We are making a world agro tour, visiting all farms across the globe, sharing knowledge among farmer and giving us the opportunity to learn the latest technology in agriculture

Source: https://www.sunnewsonline.com/covid-19-look-to-agriculture-to-boost-nigerian-economy-farmer-tells-buhari/

The Coronavirus pandemic has had enormous economic repercussions. The situation has been worsened by the current crash in the international price of crude oil. This portends a great danger to the fragile economy but also has the potential of being a blessing in disguise for the country through agriculture.

While agriculture dwells on research to increase its productivity for the growth of the sector, the place of Research institute is very Paramount in the development of the agriculture sector.

Over the years, the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), which is the coordinating body of all agriculture research institutes in the country has become dormant and unable to coordinate the institutes effectively.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Alhaji Mohammad Nanono once lamented that most of the research institutes were underfunded, adding that they have big buildings but lack funds for research.

While harping on the need for effective research institutes, he gave an instance of a professor paid N500,000 monthly but is not given up to N200,000 for research yearly.

However, Nanono reiterated the need to revitalise the research institutes and make it more cost-effective and more productive.

Corroborating this, ARCN Acting Executive Secretary Garba Sharubutu said the Council was almost moribund due to the defunct Management in place before his appointment by the minister in September 2019.

According to him, when he was appointed, he looked at the facilities that are available and realised that the Council does not have a library, no Conditions and Schemes of Service as stipulated in the Act establishing the Council.

According to him, when he was appointed, he looked at the facilities that are available and realised that the Council does not have a library, no Conditions and Schemes of Service as stipulated in the Act establishing the Council.

He said: “This is regrettable because the ARCN should be in comparison with Research Institutes in Kenya, Ethiopia and Mali. It was also learnt that audit reports from 2012 until 2019 was not available in the Council.

“Most of them were satisfied with that because it made the system vulnerable to manipulations, lack of transparency and provided the platform for mediocrity.”

ARCN’s function

Sharubutu, who said the principal function of ARCN is to advise the government on policy issues that bothered on agriculture and draw up a master plan for running the Research System, said the Council is committed working towards achieving improvement s in the production of agricultural goods and services.

The Professor of Veterinary Medicine said before his appointment, the various Research Institutes were like children without parents.

While noting that he was appointed by the minister to resuscitate the Council, he expressed commitment to solving the leadership crisis in the various Research Institutes.

“On assumption to duty, I discovered amongst others crowded workplace (about seven Agricultural Officers lumped together in an office); Lack of capacity in Council’s staff (with Diploma, NCE, HND, Third Class First Degrees and a few with Masters and PhD Degrees). To address the issue of staffing structure we decided that we must build the capacity of our staff”, he noted.

He said the Council insisted that staff must go to school because there was no way they can become a research officer and keep on moving around with NCE, Diploma or First Degree (Third Class).

Furthermore, he said that the second mandate in the Act says that they must design a structure and a plan for the Agricultural Research Institutes and provide fund for them.

In other world-class research institutes like EMBRAPA-Brazil, ICAR-India, majority of our lawmakers have visited there to make the ARCN better, unfortunately, the Council hitherto could not produce the required capacity of Leadership to realise this dream.

Last year, the Senate drove away from the ARCN when they went for budget defence because the council was said to be operating a defunct Management without the required capacity of Leadership.

“So, with my coming, we restructured the place and tried to see how we can boost capacity. We initiated a programme where we are to have a museum just like it happens in EMBRAPA and others so that all the 26 Institutions that are under the Council would have their profiles mounted in our office complex,” Sharubutu said.

The reason for this is that the first point of call for anybody who wants to research this country is supposed to be ARCN, so the Council can look at their research interest and direct them to the appropriate Research Institute that is going to be of benefiting them.

Resuscitating ARCN

Speaking on resuscitating the Council, he said: “We have built an extended arm to the office complex in the Council from the meagre resources allocated to us in 2019 Budget. The building was designed to accommodate 21 office accommodation for staff; a National Museum; a National Radio to reach out to farmers on research innovations and technologies nationwide.

“Hitherto, going on Monitoring and Evaluation by staff was more of jamboree without any outcome report to show for it and a platform to syphoning funds, but we have developed a template like in the National University Commission (NUC) for more realistic monitoring and desired output,” he said.

Sharubutu said: “For now, the minister has given one serious directive that all our research findings must be moved from the shelves, that he wants to see them on the ground, and we have successfully submitted a proposal to him on each of the research institutes, we have been able to look at their potentials, what seed they have generated, how much they have in stock, what tractors they have, what are their capacities, and we have submitted that to the minister.

“I think what the minister wants to do is to key into how we are going to alleviate the problem of the post-COVID-19 pandemic because people are not likely to be encouraged to go to the farm and we are not likely to import foreign seeds to boost our agriculture. Therefore, the Minister asked me on what we can do as Research Institute, I told him we have developed improved seeds and gave the total number of the details from the various Research Institute under our purview.

“Hitherto, it was leadership crisis we had in all the Research Institutes, but you don’t hear them now, everything has been settled because we followed due diligence and transparency to get competent leadership in our research Institutes.”

Speaking about Professors who left the Council, he said: “the first thing we have to do is that there is a clog in the wheel of progress here, those that don’t want to improve their capacity, have frustrated many Professors out of the Council, preferring a Sociologist to take over from a renowned scientist through collusion and manipulation of co-conspirators.”

On the allegations of corrupt practices against him when he was the Provost of Federal College of Animal and Production Technology, Vom, Professor Sharabutu said: “I saw those allegations on the social media, and I think specifically, what they were saying was that I have a company and that I was giving the contract to my company.

He said: “When I came on board, the College’s first capital grant was N32 million, the second one was N7 million which was grossly inadequate for any meaningful development. So I said we must look for revenue, and we took a decision as management to run what we call College of Animal Health Consultancy Service and we went for registration. We were told that an object cannot register a firm; you need to have human beings to register, so the Bursar became one of the directors, I became one of the directors, and then the entrepreneurship officer became one of the directors.

“Immediately we registered that company, we put a clause there that this company is solely owned by the college and I can tell you that is the beginning of our breakthrough because all constituency projects were handled by the consultancy firm because it was agriculture-related, and our area of competence. We decided to handle those projects like training in abattoir, design and construction of abattoir, lecture; in fact, we are registered with the Central Bank of Nigeria to be running programs for their loan programmes. “So, I was even perplexed when people ascribe the company to myself, but what people need to know is that if you have a company, the dividends of that company is supposed to come to you, I want people to go through my bank account and see if any money from that company had come to my account.

“It was through that company that we were able to boost our revenue. We constructed a whole department, all the vehicles that are been utilised now (from the provost vehicle to those of head of departments were all bought by that company, about 13 vehicles).

“We were able to build two classrooms, fisheries department, extension, we were able to build a complex made of 2 large halls, a computer centre with 2 offices by that same company”. “If you go there, you will see modern desks that were bought by the company, I did not meet a college with a guest house, I bought a guest house worth about N17 million using proceeds from that company for the college, not for me, my accounts can confirm it.

“All these accusations are a product of ‘push him out of the way’. The target is that we must continue running this place the way we want, but this one that came to perfect this place, get him out of the way so that we can continue with our nefarious practices, so it is a battle for leadership (leadership tussle).”

source: https://thenationonlineng.net/need-to-revive-agricultural-research-institutes/

With the fall in oil prices and the need to focus on agriculture to rescue the country from recession, Nigeria’s research institutes must lead the Covid-19 fight JOHN OBA, Abuja.

No doubt, Nigeria economic is in the red with the fallen price of oil because of the currently effect of Corona Virus pandemic. This leaves the government no other option than to focus on agriculture. Yet with Nigeria agriculture sector still at its infant stage, the place of research comes prominently as agriculture is an evolving sector which dwells on research to increase its productivity for the growth of the sector and also make the sector attractive to youths.

Research Institutes

Though Research Institutes in Nigeria have been abandoned with no adequate funding and staff of these of  these institutes left to sponsored themselves for further studies, yet these institutes have several researches beneficial to the country, especially the agricultural sector, but regrettably, those researches ended up in the shelves of the Research Institutes.

The Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) is the coordinating body of all the Agriculture Research Institutes in the country, but this has not been given the need supports to function maximally, as the problem of funds and competent leadership has been its ban. 

Over the years, the ARCN had become dormant and have been unable to coordinate the Research Institutes effectively, and contributed little or none to the growth of agriculture in Nigeria. Also there is the problem of off-takers of researches from these institutes as most Nigeria organisations especially the private sector will prefer to patronise foreign researches rather than the ones by the local institutes.

Minister’s concern

But the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mallam Sabo Nanono, has been very concerned about the state of the country’s research institutes, especially those that focus on agricultural research. He has on several occasions harped on the need for effective Research Institutes, saying: “one of the fundamental problem facing the country is probably in the hidden activities of the research institutions and I know that most of the Research Institutes are underfunded as they have big buildings but lack funds for research”.

“Giving instance of a professor paid N5 00,000 monthly but is not given up to N200,000 for research yearly, and that is basically the truth. If we don’t move forward in that direction how do we progress? We as a government must examine what can be done”.

“We must rationalize Research Institutes and make it more cost effective and more productive if we are going to achieve our goal”.

In another occasion, the Minister said “we need to rationalize Research Institutes and make them more cost effective and more productive if we want to achieve what we want to achieve. I am a farmer; I know what it means to have good and bad seeds.”

Appointment of Sharubutu

Subsequently, in September 2019, the Minister appointed a Professor of Veterinary Medicine, Garba Hamidu Sharubutu as the Acting Executive Secretary of the ARCN, with the mandate to revitalize agricultural research in Nigeria. 

Professor Sharubutu was deployed to the Council as Director, Knowledge Management in company of two other Professors appointed by the Ministry, in order to boost the staffing structure of the Agriculture Research Council of Nigeria, before the Minister appointed him as the Acting Executive Secretary of the Council. 

Fate of Research Institutes

Speaking about his appointment, Sharubutu said: “the various Research Institutes were like children without father and mother before my appointment because the principal function of ARCN was actually to advise government on policy issues that bothered on agriculture and draw up master plan for running the Research System”.

However, the Council was almost moribund due to the defunct Management in place.

According to him, when he was appointed, he looked at the facilities that are available and realized that the Council does not have a library, no Conditions and Schemes of Service as stipulated in the Act establishing the Council. 

This is regrettable because the ARCN should be in comparison with Research Institutes in Kenya, Ethiopia and Mali. It was also learnt that audit reports from 2012 until 2019 was not available in the Council.

“Of course most of them were satisfied with that because it made the system vulnerable to manipulations, lack of transparency, provided the platform for mediocrity”, Professor Sharubutu said.

The mandate

“So the Minister appointed me and gave me the mandate to resuscitate the Council. He said I must make sure I solve the leadership crisis in the various Research Institutes. Secondly, I must transform the ARCN because to him agriculture cannot move without research and extension. 

“On assumption of duty, I discovered amongst others crowded work place (about seven (7) Agricultural Officers lumped together in an office); Lack of capacity in Council’s staff (with Diploma, NCE, HND, Third Class First Degrees and a few with Masters and Ph.D Degrees). In order to address the issue of staffing structure we decided that we must build capacity of our staff”, he noted.

He said the Council insisted that staff must go to school because there was no way they can become a research officer and keep on moving around with NCE, Diploma or First Degree (Third Class).

Furthermore, he said that the second mandate in the Act says that they must design a structure and a plan for the Agricultural Research Institutes and provide fund for them.

“Now how do you design a plan for Agricultural Research Institutes when the Research Institutes have serious capacity problem, and you here are supposed to dictate what they are supposed to do, but you don’t have the capacity, definitely that is not going to be possible”, he wondered.

In other world class Research Institutes like EMBRAPA-Brazil, ICAR-India, majority of our lawmakers have visited there with the aim of making the ARCN better, unfortunately, the Council hitherto could not produce the required capacity of leadership to realize this dream. 

In 2019, the Senate drove away the ARCN when they went for budget defense, because the ARCN was said to be operating a defunct management without required capacity of Leadership. 

“So, with my coming, we restructured the place and tried to see how we can boost capacity. We initiated a programme where we are to have a museum just like it happens in EMBRAPA and others, so that all the 26 Institutions that are under the Council would have their profiles mounted in our office complex”, Professor Sharubutu said.

The reason for this is that the first point of call for anybody who want to conduct research in this country is supposed to be ARCN, so the Council can look at their research interest and direct them to the appropriate Research Institute that is going to be of benefit them.

“We have built an extended arm to the office complex in the Council from the meager resources allocated to us in 2019 Budget. The building was designed to accommodate twenty one (21) office for staff; a National Museum; a National Radio to reach out to farmers on research innovations and technologies nationwide.

“Hitherto, going on Monitoring and Evaluation by staff was more of jamboree without any outcome report to show for it and a platform to siphoning funds, but we have developed a template like in the National University Commission (NUC) for more realistic monitoring and desired output”, he said.

Professor Hamidu Sharubutu said “for now, he (Minister) has given one serious directive that all our research findings must be moved from the shelves, that he wants to see them on ground, and we have successfully submitted a proposal to him on each of the research institutes, we have been able to look at their potentials, what seed they have generated, how much they have in stock, what tractors they have, what are their capacities, and we have submitted that to the Minister.

Source: https://blueprint.ng/post-covid-19-research-institutes-to-the-rescue/

Farming season in Nigeria will progress slower than usual this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the attendant lockdown in states, farmers have said.

The farmers, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES, said food security would be threatened this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 is a deadly respiratory ailment caused by a coronavirus. Nigeria has about 400 confirmed cases, as of Wednesday.

A Benue-based rice farmer, Donald Akule, told this newspaper that as the rains are approaching, farmers are making sceptical preparations to hit the farms.

“The rains are never a waste. Farmers are finding this information (Coronavirus) very confusing to comprehend,” he said.

He said preparations for the farming season may be very slow because most of the farming inputs (seeds) come from rural areas and if the rural areas are shut, then there would be a short flow of farming input, and those that arrive would not come as at when due and mechanisation will be shut down.

“Many farmers are in the hard-to-reach areas where little or no information about the pandemic have gotten to them. Hopefully, they will go to the farm.

“This is a very serious situation, now that the shutdown is (almost in) every state of the federation. The fear is where there is food insecurity, people will die more than another pandemic or virus,” he said.

“Even in wars, anything that will threaten the supply of food by smallholder farmers is very bad.”

“We keep telling farmers to observe anything that is being said by the World Health Organization but make sure you provide food. Go to the farm.”

Mr Akule said financial institutions, whose duties are to provide funds to farmers are partially not available and as such, goods will be in short supply.

“The pandemic will slow it (farming) down because there is no movement of inputs from one end to the other. It will be difficult for them to access inputs from the urban cities when there is restriction in movements and vehicles,” he said.

Mr Uche, a maize farmer, said the fear amongst farmers is the restriction of movement, “because if we can not produce food, how do we survive in trying times like this? If the situation continues, we might run into food crisis,” he said.

He said passing information to the rural area means communication at the language they can understand.

“So I can tell you in all honesty as a Nigerian that this practice is not fully observed at the rural areas. There is little or no information at the bottom of the pyramid (rural area). They are aware that there is a virus but that is not stopping them from going to their farms.”

Patronising local variety

Mr Abdullahi said a variety of local seeds would be available but may cost more due to the lockdown, while farmers who use improved varieties may change their decision on seeds.

“On purchase of inputs, especially seeds, our local varieties will be available but at a higher price than normal. For those who use improved and imported varieties, it will be more expensive, looking at the logistics and middlemen. The retailers may also skyrocket the prices,” he said.

Mr Akule, highlighting slow growth in the agricultural sector, said all efforts to improve the sector have almost failed as farmers rely on low-quality seeds which usually produce a poor harvest.

“There is an issue of using good seeds. They lack knowledge of seeds. Many farmers do not use first-generation seeds that is why farmers have very poor yield,” he said.

Read more at https://allafrica.com/stories/202004220051.html

Within the last three weeks of  lockdown in Nigeria due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the disease has done serious economic damage to millions of farmers and agro processors in the country. Already, all the sub-sectors of the nation’s agriculture are under intense pressure as they continue to incur heavy losses.

Anger and frustration are building up among farming communities as they watch their investments go down the drain.

But the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Mohammed Sabo Nanono, while speaking with journalists in Abuja few days ago, said government was doing everything to ensure that the sector did not suffer.

“We are trying to make sure that farmers and agro processors do not suffer in terms of inputs and fertilisers, as well as other logistic problems that would arise. We are making sufficient arrangements to ensure that supply chains are not negatively affected by the shutdown,” he said.

But things are not going in that direction as farmers continue to tell their tales of sorrow.

Read more at https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/farmers-agro-processors-lose-incomes-to-coronavirus.html

We are facing great uncertainty on the African continent. The global spread of COVID-19 and the rising number of coronavirus cases in Africa are fueling anxiety about negative economic growth, failing healthcare and collapsing food systems. We are already grappling with a locust outbreak in the Horn of Africa, drought and flood extremes due to climate change and increasing food importation costs  of more than $47 billion in 2019. The convergence of all these sets the stage for an imminent food crisis –  unless measures are taken to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

Consider also that the U.S. dollar has surged against emerging market currencies, reducing the purchasing power of countries reliant on commodity imports and sparking higher consumer prices. Inflationary pressure on food staples can breed social tension and even unrest.

Anti-pandemic measures like nationwide lockdowns and border closures compound food shortages – especially of nutritious but perishable foods like fruit and vegetables. Restrictions on movement and quarantine measures impede farmers’ access to markets. In Nigeria, rice prices are 30% higher than in January, thanks to panic buying, transport restrictions and rising global prices.

Also, foreign direct investment and aid into Africa is expected to fall, or be delayed as international investors and development partners redirect capital to their local economies and into stimulus packages to combat COVID-19.

But Africa is coming up with its own solutions for these challenges, with the African Development Bank being prominently involved. To address the threat of food security, several short-term measures are being taken:

Creation of a “green channel” for the free flow of food and agricultural inputs.

Creation of strong demand for agricultural inputs of fertilizer, seeds and agro-chemicals through smart input famer subsidies.

Measures to prevent food price hikes by releasing food from government grain reserves and implementing anti-hoarding policy.

Rapid scale up of food production technologies, including high-yielding, early-maturing, drought-tolerant, disease- and pest-resistant staple crops, livestock and fish through programs like the Bank’s Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation initiative. (taat-africa.org)

Feeding programs for the worst affected and most vulnerable zones.

Medium to longer-term food security interventions include:

Provision of recovery strategy support to key supply chain players like logistics companies and anchor farmers.

Strengthening food supply chain resilience via efficient production, processing and value addition.

Enforcing food safety, improved food quality and traceability policies in the post-coronavirus period.

Promoting digitalization and e-commerce in markets hit by COVID-19.

Guided by lessons learned from previous health crises, including the Ebola epidemic, the Bank has responded to the pandemic by putting together a package of support for the public and private sector. The COVID-19 Response Facility will mobilize up to $10 billion to provide financial assistance to African countries fight the pandemic. The Bank has also raised a $3 billon COVID-19 bond, proceeds of which will go to address fiscal challenges, as well as emergency procurement of drugs, vaccinations, ventilators and other health-related expenditures, as well as feeding programs, agro-input subsidies and other socio-economic interventions.

To rebound from the pandemic, Africa must maintain adequate food reserves, avoid protectionist policies and promote value chains that link domestic and international markets. As the Bank takes a key role in supporting African countries to design and implement coordinated policy responses, it will work with regional partners including the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, as well as international ones such as the World Trade Organization, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Bank, and other international partners.

Source: https://www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2020/04/17/mitigating-covid-19s-impact-on-africas-food-systems/

As many people are now aware, the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in China rapidly permeated and profoundly changed the world.

While this crisis is first and foremost a public health issue, which has claimed the lives of over 123,600 people worldwide, and counting, the economic damages are unprecedented on several fronts: Crude oil prices declined dramatically to as low as US$17 per barrel by the end of March, even before applying the discounts many oil exporters are offering; Stock valuations for the NSE-ASI, Nikkei, Dow Jones and FTSE-100 declined by an average of 23.8 percent between January and March 2020; Global airlines have lost about US$252 billion in revenues and across the broad range of industries from hospitality to services, the pain is growing.

These outcomes have expectedly thrown the global economy into a recession, the depth and duration of which is currently difficult to fathom. In fact, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that the global economy would decline by 3 percent this year.

Around the world, countries have moved away from multilateralism and responded by fighting for themselves with several measures to protect their own people and economies, regardless of the spillover effects on the rest of the world.

According to the World Customs Organization, a total of 32 countries and territories, adopted stringent and immediate export restrictions on critical medical supplies and drugs that were specifically meant to respond to COVID-19. As of 10 April 2020, an updated count of total export restrictions by the Global Trade Alert Team at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland suggest a total of 102 restrictions by 75 countries.

On 4 March 2020, Germany announced an export ban that applied to all sorts of medical protection gear including breathing masks, medical gloves and protective suits.

Around the same time, President Macron announced that France will requisition all face masks produced in the country, a de facto export ban.

Between 8 February 2020 and 6 April 2020, India released eight (8) different export notifications banning several drugs and medical supplies including hydroxychloroquine, ventilators, personal protections masks, oxygen therapy apparatus, and breathing devices.

On 3 April 2020, the Trump Administration invoked the war-era US Defense Production Act to stop major US mask manufacturer, 3M, from exporting N95 respirator masks to Canada and Latin America.

Fears of a long global recession have also led to worries about unprecedented global food insecurity, with concerns that agricultural production may be dislocated by containment measures that constrain workers from planting, managing and harvesting critical crops.

Rather than seek cooperative and global solutions, several countries have resorted to export restrictions of critical agricultural produce. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), about 37 countries have enacted various forms of food export restrictions in response to COVID-19, even in countries where average production exceeds domestic consumption.

For example, Vietnam, the world’s third largest exporter of rice, suspended granting rice export certificates until the country “reviews domestic inventories”. Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, announced a ten-day ban on the export of buckwheat and rice due to concerns over panic buying in local supermarkets.

What if these restrictions become the new normal? What if the COVID-19 pandemic continues in a second wave or another pandemic occurs in which all borders are shut and food imports are significantly restricted? What if we cannot seek medical care outside Nigeria and must rely on local hospitals and medical professionals? For how long shall we continue to rely on the world for anything and everything at every time?

Although these developments are troubling, they present a clear opportunity to re-echo a persistent message the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been sending for a long time, and at this time even more urgently so: We must look inwards as a nation and guarantee food security, high quality and affordable healthcare, and cutting-edge education for our people. For a country of over 200 million people, and projected to be about 450 million in a few decades, we can no longer ignore repeated warnings about the dangers that lie ahead if we do not begin to depend largely on what we produce locally. The security and well-being of our nation is contingent on building a well-diversified and inclusive productive economy.

When I became Governor of the Central Bank in June 2014, imports of rice, fish, wheat and sugar alone consumed about N1.3 trillion worth of foreign exchange from the Bank. My immediate question was: can we not produce these ourselves? After all, only a few decades ago, Nigeria was one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of many agricultural products like palm oil, cocoa and groundnuts. Today, we import nearly 600,000 metric tonnes of palm oil, whilst Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries that were far behind us in this crop, now combine to export over 90 percent of global demand. In 2017, Indonesia earned US$12.6 billion from its oil and gas sector but US$18.4 billion from palm oil. I believe that this pandemic and the immediate response of many of our trading partners suggest it is now more critical than ever that we take back control; not just control over our economy, but also of our destiny and our future.

Read more at https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2020/04/15/covid-19-tragedy-an-opportunity-for-a-new-nigeria-emefiele/