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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, August 4, 2015
Agriculture Fertiliser: Farmers resort to animal dung in Zaria
F Wheat farm
FG to cut down high cost of wheat importation to support farmers By Doyin Ojosipe with agency report
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he federal government has said that it will support wheat farmers to encourage more farmers into planting of the crop in large quantity. Speaking at a stake holder’s forum in Kano, Dr Oluwasina Olabanji, the Executive Director, Lake Chad Research Institute and Team Leader-Wheat Value Chain programme said massive production of the produce will also
help government to cut down high cost of wheat importation. Olabanji also added that federal government has plans to focus extensively on agriculture and minning in the country in order to diversify and address the menace of unemployment in the country. In his words, “the intervention is necessary in view of the fact the Federal Government was spending huge amount of money on the importation of the commodity annually. ‘’The current insecurity stems
from the youth unemployment. Agriculture and mining are the focal points of the new government,’’ he added. The director further urged the Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) to inform and educate members on how government intends to support them in order to ensure bumper harvest in this season. Responding, WFAN national president, Alhaji Salim Mohammed, urged the government to ensure early distribution, of seeds and fertilizer
to farmers., adding that there was also a need to make provision for harvesters including market outlets so the farmers don’t end up working in vain. ‘’Without combine harvester and ready markets, wheat farmers will just be wasting their time,’’ he said. Mohammed also called on the Federal Government to make adequate provision of funds to the Lake Chad Research Institute so as to enable it carry out its activities effectively.
Agriculture: Anambra attracts $745m By Doyin Ojosipe with agency report
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nambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano has said that his administration will continue to focus on agriculture as means to an end, adding that the state agricultural sector attracted almost N150b in just two years from agricultural programmes initiated by the state. He also disclosed that his administration is working towards becoming one of the top three states to engage in massive agricultural production. Obiano who maintained that there was need to create ways to sustain agricultural gains, revealed that the state has further created an agricultural scheme to assist small farmers in the state. Speaking at the event of the flagging off of the 2015 farming season in Otuocha local government of the state, the Governor commended Coched Farms Limited, a subsidiary of Coscharis Limited for investing
$150m into the state agricultural project. He further disclosed that the state agricultural sector had attracted two agricultural investors Joseph Agro Limited,
which has invested the sum of N40 billion into its rice farming project, while Ekcel Farms which is situated at Umueje community, ha also invested N44 billion into cassava and tomato paste
Agricultural produce at the market
production, He also added that another investor; Lynden Farms Limited, has indicated plans to invest about N12 billion to build an ultramodern poultry farm in the state.
armers in Zaria, Kaduna state, have expressed concern over the delay in the distribution of fertilisers for this year’s farming season which has forced them to resort to using animal dung. The farmers made their position known in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zaria on Tuesday. Alhaji Musa Dogara, a Zariabased farmer, said the call became necessary following the commencement of rain across the state. He said: ``We thank God Almighty rain had already commenced, therefore, I want to appeal to governments at all levels to speed-up effort at supplying fertiliser to enable us put in more efforts towards realising a bumper harvest. ``This delay has forced us to resort to using animal dung in order to bridge the gap,” he said. Dogara observed that the delay in the supply of the commodity would not only affect the input of individuals and farmers generally, but it would negatively affect the overall output. On his part, a peasant farmer at Rafinyashi village, Malam Mutawakkilu Rafinyashi, described early supply of fertilisers as a path to national food security. He called on farmers not to rely 100 per cent on inorganic fertilisers, advising that they should endeavour to be prompt users of organic fertilisers such as animal dung and refuse. ``Relying 100 per cent on conventional fertilisers is not the best for our farmers but they must resolve to use organic fertilisers with a view to reviving the soil acidity.” Rafinyashi also appealed to government to consider the possibility of replacing the conventional fertilisers with organic. Malam Maiwada Karaukarau, another peasant farmer in Karaukarau village, also expressed sadness that such a delay would have a negative consequence on not only farmers but on the entire economy. Alhaji Abubakar Hamisu, a large scale farmer, also appealed to the federal and Kaduna state governments to look into the problem with a view to tackling it. (NAN)