| WEEKLY AVERAGE COMMODITY PRICE FOR WEEK STARTING 6/03/2017 | |||
| Commodity | Present Price ₦ | Previous Week ₦ | Diff. ₦ |
| Garri (White) | 256.69 | 256.12 | 0.57 |
| Tomatoes (Cooking) | 367.32 | 340.04 | 27.29 |
| Onion (Violet) | 215.78 | 221.28 | -5.50 |
| Groundnut (Unshelled) | 236.32 | 231.06 | 5.26 |
| Maize (White) | 176.96 | 177.97 | -1.01 |
| Rice (Local) | 322.96 | 317.40 | 5.56 |
source novusagro.com
According to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has said that the Federal Government plans to reintroduce the cassava bread initiative. This initiative will encourage the use of cassava in production and processing of food in the country. It is important to note that this initiative was first implemented in the Jonathan administration.
Ogbeh said though Nigeria was the largest producer of cassava in the world, the country was yet to fully explore and utilize the economic and industrial potential of the crop.
The minister also hinted that the FG was working with flour mills to get them to add 15% of the cassava in the wheat they milled
He was optimistic that the initiative will help save a lot of foreign exchange that is being used to import wheat into the country and also encourage cassava farmers to increase their productivity.
He charged Entrepreneurs to be ready to invest in agricultural processing industries such companies that processed flour, bread, and other Agro commodities
| WEEKLY AVERAGE COMMODITY PRICE FOR WEEK STARTING 6/03/2017 | |||
| Commodity | Present Price ₦ | Previous Week ₦ | Diff. ₦ |
| Garri (White) | 255.41 | 249.38 | 6.03 |
| Tomatoes (Cooking) | 351.49 | 330.75 | 20.74 |
| Onion (Violet) | 222.59 | 226.96 | (4.37) |
| Groundnut (Unshelled) | 233.56 | 231.39 | 2.17 |
| Maize (White) | 179.84 | 178.03 | 1.81 |
| Rice (Local) | 323.08 | 319.56 | 3.52 |
Source:http://novusagro.com/
Governor Mohammed Abubakar (represented by the state commissioner of Agriculture and National Resources of Bauchi State during the 2017 Fadama III promised additional financing for dry season rice farming at Konkiyel village in Darazo local government area of the state.
He said the state planned to double its effort from 2016 (2,500 was cultivated in 2016) by assisting its farmers to cultivate more land and increase their output.
According to the Commissioner, Bauchi state was the only state in the North- East that was privileged with the mandate of the national FADAMA development project to produce rice and sorghum. He also said that the state government has approved the payment of its annual counterpart contribution of ₦35 million.
According to him, “the world bank through the National Fadama Development Project provided the sum of $200 million for the implementation of the Fadama III additional financing in some selected states, Bauchi inclusive. The objective of the additional financing is to boost dry season farming as well as increased the income of the land users on sustainable manner”.
Governor Abubakar went on further to say that his government has also paid ₦20 million counterpart fund for the national food security and livelihood emergency support under the same Fadama III project for the benefit of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) that have chosen the state as their new home.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development who was represented by one of the ministry members of staffs, Muhammed Yusuf said that the programme is a collaborative effort of the federal Government and the world Bank to scale up food production and generate employment for youths.
He said the government has given special attention to four staple crops which include rice, sorghum, cassava, and tomatoes. He encouraged states that have been identified with the potentials of producing any of these crops to take advantage of this opportunity by concentrating their strengths into the production of these crops as these will drive up their internal generated revenue (IGR).
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The Federal Government has released ₦750 billion Agricultural Intervention Fund into the agricultural sector, this is in tune with the Federal Government goal to ensure food sufficiency.
This was disclosed by the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (who was represented by the Plateau State Deputy Governor) during his speech at National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) whilst inaugurating the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 39 held in Kuru, Plateau state. He went to further say that if the Government was serious about revamping the economy, the agricultural sector had to be developed.
According to him “ Developing the Agricultural Sector is a clear starting point of our request for not only the diversification of our hitherto noncultural economy away from oil, it is also the only economy to grow fast enough to absorb the huge number of people that are employed”. He noted that Nigeria has well over 84 hectares of land but 60% of these arable land remain uncultivated.
The VP also said that the country has the human capacity with over 180 million population, the local market is big enough to support agricultural production and at the same time provide a sustainable livelihood for the citizens.
The Director General of the institute (acting), Jonathan Juma said the theme of SEC 39 “Science, Technology and Innovation for the Development of Agriculture and Agro-Allied Industries in Nigeria” was important to the country when we consider the fear being speculated about possible food shortage in the country as well as low supply of agricultural raw materials to feed the emerging agro-allied industries in the country.
The Deputy Governor of Plateau said, “human population is increasing exponentially, while climate change with attendant implication for agricultural production is steering us in the face, the option to put in place a vibrant and robust science, technology innovation policy is imperative”.
Source: www.agronigeria.com.ng
PHOTO: SEGUN BAKARE
Agriculture is the back bone of human survival – it has been sustaining mankind over the ages. Without it, there will be no food to eat and no raw materials for our different industrial use. Through agriculture we can produce enough food for yourselves and to others who will readily buy from us and make us rich.
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has declared that given the reality of the global financial situation, the time has come for Nigerians to do more than pay mere lip service to agriculture, as crude oil and gas exports will no longer be sufficient as the country’s major revenue earner.