Agro Hub Nigeria

Maize or corn is the third important cereal cash crop in India after wheat and rice. It is a Kharif crop and needs a generous rainfall for its growth. The optimum temperature for growth of maize is 22-30 degree Celsius but it can also tolerate temperature up to 35 degree Celsius. Corn has many health benefits. It - •    cuts the risk of heart diseases as it helps in reducing bad cholesterol in our body •    contains a lot of fibre and thus improves digestion •    keeps eyes healthy •    helps control Alzheimer’s disease •    helps fight cancer and makes our immune system strong •    keeps our skin and hair healthy A large part of corn produced is consumed by poultry. Corn flour, baby corn, sweet corn and pop corn are various forms in which maize is consumed by human population. Corn also makes good fodder for animals. Corn serves as a raw material for various industries: •    Almost one-tenth of total maize production goes in th

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has guaranteed that the agricultural and manufacturing sectors will enjoy single digit interest rates, this  it believes would fast track lending of a reserved special intervention fund set aside for the sectors. The CBN has set aside N235 billion and N750 billion as intervention funds for the manufacturing and agricultural sectors respectively, which it describes as pivotal in the  revitalization of the nation’s recessing  economy. The CBN Director, Banking Supervision, Mrs. Tokunbo Martins, made this known in Abuja, while addressing newsmen on the outcome of Bankers’ Committee meeting. She also disclosed  the joint decision by CBN and Bankers’ Committee to increase limit of banks’ FOREX sale to Bureaux De Change (BDCs) to $50,000 from $30,000 it was two weeks ago. Mrs Tokunbo Martins was accompanied to the briefing Group Managing Director of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Kennedy Uzoka, Zenith Bank Group Managing Director, Peter Amangbo, and Hassan

About 75,000 wheat farmers under the umbrella of  Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) in Kano State are to benefit from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) facilitated borrowers scheme. The registration of farmers for this programme has commenced and beneficiaries are expected to use the loan to cultivate the commodity throughout this year’s dry season. Speaking about the registration of farmers ahead of the programme, the Kano State chairman of WFAN, Alhaji Faruk Rabi’u said the decision to commence the registration was borne out of the  Association’s effort to process the loan early, to enable farmers prepare before the dry season. According to the WFAN chairman, farmers are required to open an account with one of the commercial banks as one of the conditions before accessing the loan. “We want to make sure that all registered farmers fulfill the conditions for accessing the loan before the dry season farming commences,” he said. Rabi’u, however, expressed optimism that the

About 75,000 wheat farmers under the umbrella of  Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) in Kano State are to benefit from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) facilitated borrowers scheme. The registration of farmers for this programme has commenced and beneficiaries are expected to use the loan to cultivate the commodity throughout this year’s dry season. Speaking about the registration of farmers ahead of the programme, the Kano State chairman of WFAN, Alhaji Faruk Rabi’u said the decision to commence the registration was borne out of the  Association’s effort to process the loan early, to enable farmers prepare before the dry season. According to the WFAN chairman, farmers are required to open an account with one of the commercial banks as one of the conditions before accessing the loan. “We want to make sure that all registered farmers fulfill the conditions for accessing the loan before the dry season farming commences,” he said. Rabi’u, however, expressed optimism that the

The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh has said that The Green Alternative Policy roadmap will help to assemble agro information, harness intelligence & capacity and make knowledge available to farmers for practical implementation. The Minister said this in Abuja at the official launch and public presentation of the Green Alternative. He cited that it is a policy document that would exploit  the sector’s potential for economic development. Identifying the policy as central to the development of the agricultural sector, Ogbeh said it is an attempt to build on a previous foundation and avoid policy somersault. He added that, “we are not throwing old policies overboard but expanding, deepening and adjusting policies where necessary.” The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, speaking at the launch, said the problem has never been with the lack of policy but implementation. He thereby requested for the full participation of everyone as the new policy document navigates eve

 The WorldStage Economic Summit 2016 is set to address the challenges facing agriculture in Nigeria and review strategies to create millions of jobs through the agricultural value chain. The Nigerian agricultural sector has been battling  diverse challenges, especially spending over $1.3 billion to import milk or dairy products despite it's huge potential to produce. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh had insisted that it was unsustainable and unacceptable for Nigeria to spend such a sumv on importing milk with the huge potential she has, not only to produce enough dairy for local consumption, but also for export purposes. The WorldStage Economic Summit 2016 which would be held at Lagoon Restaurant, Lagos on September 7 and 8, 2016 would have in attendance  Senator (Dr.) Abdullahi Adamu, Chairman Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development  as part of the panel discussion session with Sub-Theme “Creating Millions of Jobs through Agricul

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has launched a Smart Phone Application – “Wetin App” for flood forecasting especially along the Niger and Benue rivers. The application, which will be available on Google App Store is a collaborative project of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Speaking at the launch in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Shehu Ahmed, said Nigeria sought the help of the International Agency to develop the application following the devastating flood of 2012 which led to huge destruction of farms, houses and human lives. The Permanent Secretary who was represented by the Ministry’s Director of Agricultural Businesses, Processing and Marketing, Alh. Azeez M. Olumuyiwa added that the country had decided to turn that bitter experience into a blessing by looking at the various ways farmers and government could take advantage of the tech

$56 billion has been approved by  The Board of African Development Bank, AfDB, to scale up industrialisation in Nigeria and other African countries on the content over the next ten years under its Industrialisation Strategy for Africa 2016-2025. The bank in a statement stated: “The Strategy, approved by the Board, represents a roadmap for implementing priority programs to scale up the industrial transformation of Africa. “It addresses key issues such as: (i) Why we need to industrialise Africa; (ii) What it will take to industrialise Africa; and (iii) How AfDB will help to industrialise Africa. “In designing the strategy, the Bank underscored the vital roles that industrialisation plays in development as it leverages all the value chains of economic activity ranging from raw materials to finished products. It catalyzes productivity by introducing new equipment and new techniques, increases the capabilities of the workforce, and diffuses these improvements into the

Africa spends $35 billion a year on food importation says the President of  International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mr Kanayo Nwanze says This is contained in a statement issued by the IFAD and made available to the press in Abuja. According to the statement Nwanze made  the disclosure at the opening of a three-day African Union-European Union Conference of Ministers of Agriculture, tagged: “Investing in a Food Secure Future.’’ The conference, which was hosted  the Government of The Netherlands,  discussed  how to deepen cooperation between Africa and Europe to mutually invest in food and nutrition security. Nwanze said that investing more in Africa’s rural areas will stem the flow of economic migrants and minimize the acts of desperation that makes the continent’s newspaper headlines. “People are leaving the rural areas of Africa because they can’t find jobs or feed their families and the ripple effects are felt here in Europe. “The irony is that Africa spends $

The President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Kanayo F. Nwanze,  on a visit to Senegalese leaders recently said " .Investing in agriculture and farming technologies will help to change the perception that young people have about farming, making it an appealing career choice that will also contributes to the long-term development of rural communities". He added that with more than half of Senegal’s population under the age of 20, creating employment opportunities for the younger generation needs to be topmost  of the nation’s agenda. “Young people are Senegal’s greatest resource and are the key to the country’s prosperity. We need to channel our investments so that rural areas become vibrant, economic centres that offer attractive employment opportunities. We need to give young people a good reason to stay in rural areas.” He added. Agriculture remains the main source of employment and income for about 70 per cent of the population, most of S

The governor of Osun state, Rauf Aregbesola, has called for a ban on the export of primary farm produce as a way to ensure food sufficiency in the country. Aregbesola who made the call in Osogbo in a statement issued by his media aide, Semiu Okanlawon, stated that the ban would facilitate  the value chain of the nation’s agricultural industry. The governor cited that it is very necessary to provide enough for local consumption before exporting the produce. The governor  also impelled government at all levels to wrk out measures that would make agriculture attractive to  the younger generation. Mr Aregbesola noted that this would be a potent  option towards  diversification of the economy, adding that Nigeria is yet to show serious efforts towards making farming a viable venture. “We should stop exporting primary produce and start adding value. The value of a kilogramme of exported cocoa beans increases 5,000 percent by the time it comes back as chocolate,” he said. Aregbes

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has threatened to shut down any fertiliser plant that makes their product unaccessible to local farmerswhile exporting the same commodities. The minister made this decision following  allegations that one of the two big urea plants in the country is producing for export while selling to Nigerian farmers at a very  high rate, making affordability and accessibility very difficult. The minister disclosed this  in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on media, Dr. Kayode Oyeleye. He said: “Two urea plants are big enough to run the Nigerian demands. We know their capacities. But where there are allegations that some people are exporting instead of putting in the Nigerian market, and prices shot to N10,000 per bag of urea, we became extremely angry with them. Thank God now, many of them have started producing and putting into the market. The price is already dropping.” Ogbeh cited  that the Nigerian market is

In a bid to facilitate the government’s efforts to diversify the country’s economy from being sole oil dependent type to a more reliable, agriculture based type, Agric House Ventures has established Basanyin Integrated Farm Estate (BIFE). BIFE hosts an Agric Academy, which would help train and empower youth in farming, agric tourism, aquaculture, poultry farming, crop farming and animal husbandry. The Agric Academy, which was established in 2013, responds to the need to reverse the negligence in the agricultural sector and the unemployment crises in the country. According to the initiator of the Academy Mr. David Kayode, it aims to partner with the current administration in its effort to create five million jobs annually through agricultural diversification. He added that the Academy is expected to form a network of farmers across the nation to meet the food needs of the nation and produce financially independent and self sustaining farmers. Kayode said that BIFE has great potential

The Federal Government in it's effort to provide food and employment , is set tostart its Graduate Farmers’ Scheme as the Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu starts  off the programme. Engr. Adamu launched the first Graduate Farmers’ Scheme recently at Kampe Irrigation Scheme (Ejiba), Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State. It would be recalled that the Federal Government of Nigeria in June 2016 signed an agreement with the Songhai Nigeria Farms on Graduate Employment Scheme/Farm Settlement Schemes. The scheme would be located across the 109 Senatorial District. They will facilitate the ability of the River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) to package their water services with the provision of complementary basic rural infrastructure which would improve agriculture and food security. According to the Director of River Basin Operations and Inspection of the ministry, Dr. Musa Ibrahim, the project is anchored by the Lower Niger Basin Development Author

A research by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has revealed that the importation of rice from the United States to Nigeria has dropped by 300,000 metric tons in the last six months. According to the report, Nigeria’s rice imports dropped by 300,000 tons due to federal government's policy to limit the commodity importation between January and June, 2016 on prospects for a larger crop. Nigeria, the world’s second largest rice import market, accounts for the largest share of the decline in the global rice trade since the beginning of the year. And as the largest grower of rice in West Africa region, Nigeria is projected to harvest 2.7 million tons of rice in 2016/17, according to USDA. The USDA report revealed that foreign rice consumption is expected to decline in 2016/17 in China and Nigeria. It noted imports by Nigeria would fall 17 per cent in 2016, due to the recent increase in import tariffs, declining oil revenues, and foreign exchange restrictions.

In view of achieving self-sustenance in agriculture, the Imo State government has put in place  a policy tagged “BACK TO LAND FOR AGRICULTURE”. This initiative became important because the state can no longer depend on monthly allocation from the federal government. The Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha disclosed  the “Back To Land For Agriculture” policy in a courtesy visit by the state traditional rullers under the aegis of Royal Fathers in Agriculture. He said the State Executive Council has given approval to the new policy. The “Back to Land for Agriculture” Programme would enable public servants in the state work from Mondays to Wednesdays, and use Thursdays and Fridays for agriculture (farming), while Saturdays can be used for ceremonies. This directive takes effect from Monday August 1, 2016. However, the governor exempted public servants on essential duties like teachers, nurses, doctors and people involved in Internally Generated Revenue drive. Political appointees

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, says it will start the ranch development (growing of special grasses for cattle) in August. He said that the ministry has began importing the special seeds of grass (Fodder seeds) into the country. Ogbeh made this known at an interactive session with the press on Wednesday in Abuja and said that after some time, Nigeria would become an exporter of the grass to earn foreign exchange. He said “The Saudi Arabia is asking that if Nigeria can grow enough grass they will buy to feed their cows”. He assured that with the paddock development, the clash between farmers and herdsmen in the country would be stopped, PM news reports. “The clash between farmers and herdsmen has been getting worse by the years and by the grace of God I will bring it to an end,” He said. Ogbeh also said that no farmer would allow his crops to be eaten by cattle. He also noted that the problem had persisted because over the years, successive govern