Kwara Registers 250,000 Farmers

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources said on Friday that it had so far registered 250,000 farmers in Kwara under the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES).

The State Director of the ministry, Mr Buhari Adebisi, disclosed this during an interview in Ilorin.

The Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES), according to him, is one of many critical components of the Federal Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA).

He said it was designed for the specific purpose of providing affordable agricultural inputs like fertiliser and hybrid seeds to farmers in order to increase their yields per hectare and make it comparable to world standards.

Adebisi said the programme had impacted positively on the lives of the farmers by boosting the yield of their crops.

``A farmer who was buying two `mudus' of fertiliser before said he now has two bags of fertiliser through the e-wallet value chain.

``He said he was happy because his crops will yield more now that he has enough fertiliser.

``The expectation of the government is to register 10 million farmers nationwide.

``The projection is that five million

farmers will be registered every year thereafter and by 2015, we hope that we will be able to reach 20 million farmers all over the country.''

He expressed the hope to be able to register 100,000 farmers more to receive the inputs.

He said the number of farmers who had received government's subsidised inputs through mobile phones were negligible due to ignorance.

``Some have also lost their phones; some have even received messages but ignorance. Some cannot be reached or the network is having a problem'', he said

He added that the help-line workers were introduced in order to bring the farmers on the cellular platforms.

Adebisi said that the help-line workers were able to substantially bring the level of those redeemed by e-wallet to a level acceptable to the network providers.

He said 100 per cent of the farmers now have e-wallet even though it has to be done offline sometimes to bring them up to the cellular platform for the sake of transparency and accountability.

The director also said that GES had impacted well on the lives of farmers in the state in terms of the accessibility to input. ``They are properly covered.'' 

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We'll Grow Maize Without Water - IITA

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has embarked on
some researches to produce drought-tolerant maize to boost agriculture in
the country.
Dr Sylvestro Meseka, a maize breeder at the institute, made this known on
Thursday when he addressed a group of scientists who visited the
institute's research farm in Ikenne,
Ogun State.

Reports shows that the scientists are Fellows of Bio-sciences for Farming
in Africa (B4FA).

Meseka said that the development of the variety was imperative because of
the effects of climate change.

He said that the new maize seeds had the capacity to resist and withstand
any form of drought that could plague the country.

``We are developing a maize variety that would be good for farmers in the
marginal rain areas, particularly in the northern parts of Nigeria where
the rain pattern is too short. So, you need to have some of these varieties
there.

``We should not forget the fact that due to climate change, the rainfall
pattern has changed; we are looking for more varieties that are not only
drought-tolerant but also tolerant to heat stress,'' he said.

Meseka said that the experiment was being conducted; using the irrigation
system of farming, adding that the seeds would only be watered for 28 days
and left to germinate.

He stressed that apart from its resistance to drought, the new maize
variety was also resistant to diseases such as stem borer disease.

He said that crops that were able to survive and produce significant yield
would be selected and multiplied for further distribution to seed companies.

Besides, Meseka said the institute would develop flood-resistant crops that
could withstand flood, since floods had now become incessant because of
climate change and rainfall patterns.

On the various varieties of seeds developed and released so far, the
breeder said that 370 varieties had been released this year, in
collaboration with the institute's international and local partners.

De Edge Farms

More Ethanol Plants for Green Plains

U.S. ethanol producer Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc said it has completed a previously announced acquisition of two ethanol plants from privately held Ethanol Holding Co.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition of the two properties, in Wood River,Nebraska, and Fairmont, Minnesota, increases Green Plains' production capacity to more than 1 billion gallons of ethanol per year.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Nov 15 proposed cutting the amount of bio fuels - the vast majority of which is corn-based ethanol - that would be blended next year into the fuel supply to 15.21 billion gallons, down from 18.15 billion gallons under the current law.

Agribusiness companies have been restarting ethanol plants in anticipation of a record U.S. corn harvest that is replenishing stockpiles diminished by serious drought last year.

Green Plains owns and operates grain storage assets in the U.S. corn belt as well as bio fuel terminals in southern states.The company is also a joint venture partner in Bio Process Algae LLC, which was formed to commercialize technologies for growing and harvesting algae biomass.

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Poultry Sunami

A correspondent at Ede in Osun State learnt on Thursday (21 November) that  rainstorm destroyed poultry pens worth several millions of naira during the rain which started around 6pm on Wednesday.

The Farm Manager of Kojeh Farms Limited, Francis Odemba, told the correspondent that farm owners were at loss on what to do because of the enormity of the damage.

He said, “The storm caused a huge damage to our multimillion naira state-of-the-art poultry pen. The pen has two auto-layer cages imported from Germany.

“The pen with the auto-layer cage has the capacity of housing 30,000 poultry birds.”
Some of the owners appealed to the state government to come to their aid in order to remain in business.

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Security Men Arrest A Donkey

Is this funny or serious?

The security operatives in the Northern Nigeria Friday, November 22 arrested a Donkey without the owner for trespassing.

It reminds us of the old good time when goats and sheeps are arrested in southern Nigeria for damaging people's crops.

What do you think? Do we need animal policing agency?

A Man Marries Tree

An Argentinian environmentalist Richard Torres married a tree to draw people’s attention to environmental issues; he is planning to bring his unique style of activism to countries throughout Latin America. 

To enhance his relationships with the nature, Richard, dressed in a white suit and blue hat, invited guests to perform readings at the ceremony in one of the city’s main parks.

What can you do to show your love for nature?

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What Is ATA?

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in its avowed commitment to Mr. President's Transformation Agenda, has embarked on a paradigm shift in the agricultural sector with some primary focus:

• - Focusing on agriculture as a business instead of a developmental project
• - Utilising the transformation of the agricultural sector to create jobs, create wealth and ensure food security
• - Focusing on value chains where Nigeria has comparative advantage
• - Sharp focus on youths and women

 

The Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) is the largest ever government-enabled private sector-led effort to grow agriculture in Nigeria. This comprehensive effort aims to increase domestic food production, reduce dependence on food imports and expand value addition to locally produced agricultural products.  Through de-regulation, attractive financing, concentrated infrastructure investments, and competitive policies, the sector will be more productive, efficient and competitive.  Specifically, the plan will add 20 million tons of food to domestic supply and create 3.5 million jobs by 2015.

Nigeria Under Hunger Threat?

No!

The Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, said on
Thursday in Abuja that Nigeria is producing enough
food and therefore not under any threat of hunger.

Adesina said this on the sideline of a breakfast meeting with
the Central Bank Governor and some Chief Executive Officers
of Commercial Banks.

A report claimed that there were strong indications of
looming food crisis in the country as fresh indices showed
that more than 65 per cent of 160 million Nigerian population
were food insecure. According to the report, the indices also revealed that more
than 1.4 million children in northern Nigeria were at risk of
severe malnutrition in 2013, while the country was losing
estimated N1 billion on contraband rice on daily basis.
The report attributed the situation to the activities of the Boko
Haram insurgency, the military crackdown and the state of
emergency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

"The information that there would be hunger in Nigeria is
mischievous and it is not correct.
"We are producing enough food today in this country; we have
reduced our food import bill by N857 billion which shows you
that agriculture is working,'' Adesina said.
He said that the country produced 1.1 million metric tonnes of
rice alone in the last dry season and more would be produced
this year.

What do you think?

De Edge Farms

Palm Wine Now In Cans!

Wow!

We are bracing up quickly. The introduction of packaged palm wine into the Nigerian Market is the latest technology in food processing. Our economy will grow more and the lovers of palm wine will find their favourite drink ever ready and fresh.

Have you seen the packaged palmi?

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1000 FARMERS RECEIVE 32,000 HYBRID PLANTAIN /BANANA VARIETIES

The FG says that building capacities of Nigeria Farmers in modern agriculture is fundamental to the actualization of the nations self-reliant and sustainable Food Security/sufficiency. To this end, well-over thirty two thousand (32,000) disease free improved varieties of Plantain/Banana nurseries/suckers have been distributed to about one thousand (1000) prime farmers including Women and Youth Entrepreneurs in four Pilot States in the Federation. The States include Abia, Delta, Oyo and Cross River among others.

The Minister expressed Nigeria's profound gratitude to FAO-UN Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Louise Sethswealo for supporting the campaign for global food security especially, in Nigeria and urged it not to relent.

I am confident the Nigeria's ATA will change the face of the country's economy. What do you think?

De Edge Farms

Mobile Phones for 10 Million Farmera

Have You Heard?
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and rural Development in Nigeria has announced the last stage of its plan to distribute 10 million phones to farmers across the country. This was revealed by the Minister, Akinwumi Adesina at a workshop under the National Presidential Initiative on Youth Employment on Agriculture Programme (YEAP).  

The Federal Government intends to use agriculture to tackle youth unemployment. According to the Minister, the government intends to achieve a shift from seeing agriculture as a social service to being seen as a business. Akinwumi said succeeding government failed to attract the right kind of investment as well as participation into agric-business because it was not treated as a business enterprise. "Today, we have launched the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme through which farmers now receive their fertiliser and seed support through their mobile phones, or Electronic Wallets. By 2013, we plan to distribute 10 million mobile phones to farmers across the country to make it easier for them to access inputs. Nigeria is the first country in Africa to use electronic wallets to reach farmers with inputs," he said. The distribution of the mobile phones by 2013 will help farmers get access to agriculture inputs, which will eliminate the challenges the farmers face on a daily basis. "The YEAP workshop which has as its theme, 'Achieving Youth Employment In Agriculture For Nagropreneurs', is organised to enable stakeholders, comprising young entrepreneurs, the civil society, financial institutions and donor agencies in the agriculture sector, design a roadmap that will make agribusinesses attractive to youths across the country," he concluded.

Go pick your how's and join the team!

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De Edge in Awka

The Edge Farms has opened a contact office in Awka.

All you need in and about agriculture. Push your contact @ De Edge Farms
Suite 6A, Plot 50, Obi Okoli Avenue,
Y-Junction, Okpuno,
Awka, Anambra State
+234 815 294 0648

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