Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 2013 — 35
Agric BRIEFS Institute to develop fertilizer from human waste
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FIIRO's new board chairman, Dr. Alex Obi displaying cassava bread to affirm its commitment to the development of the product and cassava value chain.
AU Commission to boost agricultural productivity through research BY SALIMAT GARBA
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he African Union Commission (AUC) says it will ensure increase in agricultural productivity in the continent through strong support for research and development. Mrs Rhoda Tumusiime, the Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the commission, stated this at the just concluded 6th Africa Agricultural Science Week (AASW) in Accra. According to her, one of the measures the commission is taking to enhance productivity in the area of research is to renew its Memorandum of Understanding with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). She explained that FARA is an umbrella that brings together major stakeholders in agricultural research and development in the continent. The commissioner disclosed that AUC was also part of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). “The CAADP is an Africanled initiative that was adopted by Africa in 2003 to increase food security, reduce poverty, promote economic growth and create wealth through agricultural-led development. “ By 2015, the CAADP
project aims to achieve dynamic agricultural markets within regions in Africa and establish a good market for farmers in both local and international market. “It will also create a more equitable distribution of wealth for rural populations and see Africa as a strategic player in agricultural science
and technology,” she said. Tumusiime noted that the AUC was working with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, to promote the CAADP agenda and public-private partnership. She stressed that science and technology are tools to increase agricultural
productivity in the continent, adding that science in agriculture demanded a lot of attention. She observed that Africa had untapped potentials that could enable it to be food sufficient, but that there were so many challenges facing the agricultural sector.
FAO Food Price Index falls for the third consecutive month
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he FAO Food Price Index averaged 205.9 points in July 2013, 4 points (nearly 2 percent) below its revised value for June and 7 points (or 3.3 percent) lower than in July 2012. The decline in July, which marked the third consecutive monthly drop, was largely driven by lower international prices for grains, soy and palm oil while sugar, meat and dairy quotations were also down from the previous month. The FAO Cereal Price Index averaged 227.7 points in July, down 8.8 points (3.7 percent) from June and as much as 33 points (or nearly 13 percent) below July last year. The sharp decline mostly reflected falling maize prices as favourable weather boosted hopes of a significant production increase in several leading maize producing countries. Wheat prices also fell but the strong pace of exports limited the decline. Rice price changes varied according to origins, with a decrease in Thai prices contrasting with higher Vietnamese quotations.
he Nuclear Agriculture Research Centre (NARC), Accra, said it had developed organic manure from recycling of human excreta, waste from slaughtering houses and market waste in order to reduce fertiliser importation into the country. Dr Godwin Amenope, the Manager of the centre, made this known during the visit of some of the participants of the ongoing 6th Africa Agriculture Science Week (AASW) to the centre . According to him, products from the project which started about three years ago has reached 2000 farmers. Amenope noted that the project was established with the aim of reducing fertiliser importation and improving farm yield through locally produced fertiliser. “This manure is very cheap and accessible to rural farmers compared to the ones being imported; it will also boost the economy of Ghana because it will generate a lot of income once it is mass produced. ‘’ NARC has the mandate to develop organic fertilisers from both solid and liquid organic waste and to conduct microbiological and analytical tests on soil and organic waste samples. “We also develop human resources capacity in organic waste recycling and management as well as assess the effect of organic fertiliser on crop yield, quality, soil characterisation and carbon sequestration. The manager, however, expressed regret that funding was a major challenge facing the institute. “We will love to extend our tentacles and produce more than what we are producing at the moment but we do not have access to adequate funding. “We have partnered with a number of organisations, one of them is the International Water Management Institute, which is working on a project called Development of Fort-fert from excreta, market waste and sawdust,” Amenope said.