Agro Hub Nigeria

Nigeria’s Federal Universities of Agriculture have been returned from the supervision of the Ministry of Education to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Minister of Agriculture and Rural development – Chief Audu Ogbeh who made the disclosure at a recent stakeholders meeting with Vice Chancellors and Governing Boards of the universities in Abuja, said returning the universities to their original supervisory ministry was aimed at refocusing the institutions to fulfil their core mandates. Describing the move as one informed by sound reasoning and logic, the minster stated that the universities are expected to train Nigerian youths in agriculture, help to move agriculture forward and proffer solutions to the challenges faced in the sector especially in the area of research. Chief Ogbeh regretted the long departure of the universities from agricultural disciplines to non-agriculture courses such as accounting, engineering and medicine etc. which were be...

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, has disclosed the plans to boost local production of fish species in an attempt to reduce the huge importation of the product into the country and also to conserve foreign exchange in the fishery sector. He made this known during an interactive session with the Management of Triton Group, one of the leading Stakeholders in Nigeria’s fishery sector, during their courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development head office in Abuja. Ogbeh said that a whooping $700 million (about N210 billion) is spent annually on the importation of fish and  it is no longer sustainable for the present administration under President Muhammadu Buhari to continue to spend such amount on fish imports at this period when the Nigerian economy had slipped into recession. The Minister stated that more funds would be provided to research institutes to scale up research work into the local production of other species...

The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has decried the hike in the price of fertilisers by suppliers and other middlemen in the distribution chain. The apex farmers’ body claimed  the subsidy paid by the government does not reflect on the price being sold to the final buyer, noting that the price is being hiked by individuals while farmers are at the receiving end. AFAN, speaking through its National President, Arc. Kabir Ibrahim said it is high time the Federal Government took actions against suppliers who have inflated the price of the commodity, hence farmers encountering difficulties accessing and purchasing it. He also called for proper monitoring of government policies and activities to avoid bottlenecks and sharp practices at all levels. Arc. Ibrahim while speaking during the AFAN National Executive Committee meeting held in Abuja identified the major role the organisation played to revive the Nation’s economy through the agricultural sect...

 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...

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 tak...

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 bac...

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...

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 Develo...

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....

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 y...

The Federal Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed has told Nigerians not to panic over the issue of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO). She said presently no genetically modified organisms are officially grown in the country .The Minister stated that, “what we have approval are for field trials”. “All officially approved GMOs in Nigeria are under experimental fields, citing the insect resistant cotton for commercial release will still be subjected to further processes for the next two years, she added. In a statement released by the Minister today in Abuja, she stated that the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), established in 2015, under the Federal Ministry of Environment was charged to among others, ensure proper regulation of modern biotechnological activities and genetically modified organisms so as to protect the lives of Nigerians .According to her, with the Act in place, Nigeria has taken laudable strides in order to adopt the necessary legal b...