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THE NATION FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
AGRO-BUSINESS
Flood: Food crisis imminent in Adamawa, says Fed Govt
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DAMAWA State, which was recently ravaged by flood, faces an imminent food crisis, the Federal Government has said. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said following the flood which affected almost half of the state, thousands of farms were confirmed “totally submerged or washed away”. The Federal Director of Agriculture, Dr Walia Hamman, said in Yola, the Adamawa State capital: “According to report reaching us from our staff across the state, between 30,000 and 50,000 tonnes of maize, rice and other food crops were likely to be lost to the flood in the 2012 farming season,“ he
Stories by Daniel Essiet, Agric Correspondent
said. The director noted that considering the large damages on the farmlands there was likely to be food crisis in the state if immediate action was not taken to address the situation. He said most of the farmers affected by the disaster were more preoccupied with how to save themselves and their families from the disaster than thinking of their farms. “Unless the federal and state governments assist the farmers in time, if the situation was allowed to run out of hand, it could result in possible food crisis and poverty among the farm-
ers, “ he said. He advised the government to come up with a new agricultural insurance scheme that would cover rural farmers to enable them get relief whenever there was any natural disaster of this nature. On the rural infrastructure damaged by the flood, he said the ministry was still compiling report on it. According to reports, some villages in Borno have been hit by severe flooding potentially lowering output this year. Heavy rainfall in the southern part of the country could spell doom for farmers as the resultant floods are hindering the transportation of their products to the markets. Trucks
used for evacuating the products are stuck as a result of the floods. Also, the delay in evacuating harvested items to end users is raising concerns about the quality of the products that might serve as raw materials in production, more especially with cassava that is being promoted for bread making. Torrential rainfall could hurt rice, and sugar cane crops in the Deep South, an agricultural expert has said. The Programme Co-ordinator, Farmers Development Union (FADU), Victor Olowe, told The Nation that strong wet weather was affecting farmers in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states and that it is possibile areas that
Association donates N15m to farmers
Prices of fruits soar in Abuja
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HE Perishable Foodstuff Sellers Association of Nigeria, Mile 12 Market, Lagos has donated N15 million to assist irrigation farmers in the North. The association’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Alhaji Isa Mohammed said the gesture was to complement the Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda. He said:“The association is doing this to assist farmers who do not have enough money to purchase fertilisers and other inputs and farming equipment and also to prevent food scarcity in our society. “We are not giving out the money to the farmers on interest basis but we entered an agreement with such farmers that we will be buying their farm produce. “And as we are buying their produce, we will be deducting our money installmentally till it is complete,’’ the chairman said. He regretted that most farmers were handicapped by lack of access to credit to expand their businesses. “Most Nigerian farmers engage in subsistence farming because they don’t have the capital to manage commercial farming. But with this development, I believe they can do better. “Most Nigerian farmers cannot afford to buy a bag of fertiliser; and how do you expect such farmers to produce for commercial purpose that will help to promote the good image of Nigeria in agriculture?’’ he asked. Mr Usman Abubakar, who farms in Sokoto and sells his produce at Mile 12 market, confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he benefitted from the association’s gesture last year. “I benefitted from the exercise last year and I am also interested in it this year, because it helped me a lot last year as the association did not give me any problem last year,” he said. Abubakar praised the efforts of the association and urged other corporate bodies to emulate the gesture to curb food insecurity in the country.
•Menye (right); Ms Rebecca and Sanginga at the event
Cameroon releases IITA improved cassava varieties
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HE Cameroonian government has released five new improved cassava varieties to help improve food security. The varieties, which were developed through conventional breeding by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and partners, are recognised as IITA genotypes as TMS 92/0326, TMS 96/1414, TMS 96/ 0023, TMS 92/0057, and TMS 92/0067. They were released in Yaounde, Cameroon capital, by the Cameroonian Minister for Agriculture, Mr Essimi Menye and the Permanent Secretary, Ms Ebelle Etame Rebecca, who represented the Minister of Research and Scientific Innovations. With an estimated yield of between 20 and 35 tonnes per hectare, the improved varieties have improved nutritional qualities and are rich in caratenoids, iron and zinc. Partners that worked in the varietal development include the Programme National de Developpement des Racines et
Tubercules (PNDRT), the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), non-governmental organisations and local farmers. The varieties will help close the yield gaps, improve yield and also put more money in farmers’ pockets, the Director-General, IITA, Dr Nteranya Sanginga said. Sanginga said the release of the varieties would help improve the fortunes of farmers who depend on the crop for their livelihoods. According to him, IITA will continue to support farmers in Cameroon by offering improved varieties and technologies that address the constraints to development in tropical nations. Menye said the new improved varieties would help Cameroon to take advantage of the opportunities of cassava. He also praised IITA’s efforts in developing the varieties. Grown by most farmers, cassava is one of the major staples in Cameroon
that is contributing to food security and wealth creation. The crop is either boiled and eaten, or processed into local delicacies such as Mitumba, Baton de manioc, Beignets de manioc, gari, and Ndas among others. The root crop has also gained industrial importance with uses in ethanol production, High Quality Cassava Flour in bread production, and glucose syrup production. Despite the strategic role, the root crop is challenged by poor yields, pests and diseases, decreasing soil fertility and climate change. IITA’s role in addressing these challenges helped Cameroonian farmers to double yields in the past decade. Farmers who participated in the varietal release process ‘loved’ the varieties for their cooking qualities. IITA Country Representative, Dr Rachid Hanna said the release of the varieties ‘is significant’ as it would improve the nutrition and livelihoods of farmers in Cameroon. “We see it as a new dawn for cassava farmers,” he added.
How to tackle livestock disease outbreak, by expert
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OW can livestock disease outbreak be tackled? It is by a national data on animal movement, a livestock expert, Dr Aderemi Adeyemo has said. Adeyemo, Head of General Management Department, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, said the farm animal movement data is essential
witnessed heavy rainfall may have low crop yield due to frequent wetting and flooding during ripening time. He said farmers in the areas have had to deal with an extremely unsettled season, with rains falling more than double the average. The unpredictable weather condition means that farmers need to adapt accordingly and change their planting routines if they are to increase on crop yields. In flood-hit fields in Akwa Ibom and Cross River State, he said rice planted in swamp areas could be submerged. He noted, however, that prospects are also bright for farmers in the Southwest.
in the event of an outbreak such as foot-and-mouth disease. He said there was a need for programmes to train animal health officials. He also said the livestock industry should ensure foot-andmouth disease (FMD) never occurs again. Adeyemo stressed the need for a communication system that will pro-
vide Despatch Alerts, Warning, and Notifications (DAWN) via email, voice messages, or text messages to assist farmers and veterinarians to monitor disease outbreaks. He said by not investing in animal monitoring the authorities are not only jeopardising the agriculture economy, but also putting the health and welfare of livestock at risk.
Adeyemo said the Federal Government should make it mandatory for local health authorities to record animal health information. In the face of an outbreak of foot-andmouth disease (FMD), he said such information would be vital in helping to control the effects of the disease on the industry and the economy.
HERE is some confusion in the prices of fruits in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as prices are increasing in spite of the decline in demand, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. A market survey conducted in Abuja showed that the demand for fruits declined because of the rainy season, but the prices increased because of the high cost of transportation. The market survey showed that the prices of pineapple, water melon, bananas, oranges and pawpaw are up by between 11 per cent and 100 per cent. A pineapple now sells for about N600 for a large sized as against N300, while water melon sells for between N400 and N500 as against N200 and N300, depending on the size. At the Mararaba Orange Market, where many Abuja residents shop, a bag of oranges increased from N11,000 to N14,000, while pawpaw is now sold at about N600, up from about N400. A bunch of bananas now sells for N3,500 as against N2,000. Malam Usman Abubakar, a trader at the Mararaba Orange Market, attributed the increase to the high cost of transporting the items. Abubakar said though people had interest in buying the fruits, they could not afford them as a result of the high cost. Mr Suleiman Mahmud, another trader at the Kubwa Market, agreed with Abubakar and said the increase in prices was due to the high transport fares caused by scarcity of petrol. He added that farmers were also no longer interested in growing some of the fruits. “The cost of transporting these fruits is high, therefore, we increase our prices, coupled with the security challenges in most parts of the North. Mr Mohammed Nura, another fruit seller, decried the increase, saying he would only purchase little of the affected items until the rainy season was over. He, however, said that though the business was profitable, he would not advice anybody to venture into the business in the rainy season. He said: “Because of the cold weather people are no longer interested in buying fruits. The rain is really affecting us; sometimes we lose our capital due to low patronage and the perishable nature of fruits.’’