Tuesday, February 28, 2012 THISDAY, Vol. 17, No. 6154, Page 31

Q BusinessWORLD agricAgric: Partnering US to Make Kwara Africa's LeaderCrusoe Osagje reviews the recent partnership with the United States and other steps being takeii byKwara State to establish itself as the undisputed leader of Africa's new green revolutionAgric and Lasting Devi

Third President of the US. Thomas Jefferson,once said, "1 think our government-, willremain virtuous for many centuries; as longas they are chiefly agricultural,".

A US Congressman in the 19th Century.William Jennings Bryan, appeared U> concur b\g the following: "Burn down your cine,

and leave our farms, and your alies will springup again as if by magic; but destroy our farmsand the grass will grow in Ihe streets of everycity in the country."

With leaders that thought like this in the 18thand 19th century, it is easy to understand howthe United States tumetl out to be the world'sstrongest and wealthiest inacoupleofcenturies-

R>r the Governor of Kwara stale, AhdulfaiahAhmed, it is never loo late to take a cue fromthese great leaders and begin to plot how Kwaraand Nigeria can emeige among the most formi-dable in Ihe world, through the instrumentalityof the agricultural sector for which the country isblessed with potential beyond reckoning.

After careful consideration, Ahmed came tothe conclusion that the mosl sustainable path toeconomic development and prosperity of Kwarastale is through a properly coordinated greenrevolution. To achieve this, the governor identi-fied ihe incontrovertible need for a master planto transform the slate into an Agriculture MegaCi<y.

The objective, which he set out for this greatplan in November 2011 were as follows: Tomake Kwara the major agriculture and agribusi-ness hub in West Africa; establish the slate as amajor magnet of global agriculture investment;build the capacily of Kwara people in the prac-tice of highly innovative and globally contem-porary agriculture.

It also seeks to create new jobs through mas-sive agriculture processing to be engendered andestablish depw and outlets for agricultural prod-ucts and equipment.

US PartnershipSetting his plan in motion last week, Ahmed saidthe stale is on its way lo becoming an agriculturedriven economy, making global impact, throughthe implementation of the Kwara AgricultureMaster I'lan (KAMP) in collaboration withUnited States Experts from Cornell University.

The Governor noted this when he introducedthe team of experts led by Prof. Ronnie Coffmanof Ihe Cornell University New York who wouldwork with other professors from Cornell, KwaraStale University and the University of fllorin.

Ahmed explained that with Ihe difficultiesbeing faced by economies as they try to meetchallenges of rising food need, it has becomeimperative lo develop the agricultural sector.

"Today, we take another giant stride towardsan agro trade economy, as we seek to meet meglobal demand for food through agriculture. Wecan never gel it wrong because we are heavilyendowed with soil, sunshine and strong people."he said.

Ahmed said that is necessary to shift fromreliance on unpotts lo creating wealth for thenation and generating employment for the leem-ing youths. "Crude oil is not enough, we need loput in place, a home grown economic drivethrough agriculture by feeding others," he said-

Ahmed said that KAMP is a five year devel-opment plan designed to transform Kwara stateinto an agricultural hub that will bring about themuch desired economic growth.

He also said that KAMP is borne out of astrong political will, driven by the passion foesuccess, noting that the programme will contin-ue to improve on the efforts put into agriculturaldevelopment by the last administration.

He mentioned that the last administration didwell to initiate the 'back (o farm' campaign andto resettle the 13 displaced Zimbabwean farm-ers, proving that it is possible to develop agri-culture in Kwara.

He also emphasised the need to adopt bestpractices whereby new methods are sought ouiin order to see how others do things and possi-bly partner with them to domesticate these prac-tices.

He said that the learn of experts led byProfessor; from Cornell University has the taskof working out a unique master plan that will

•Cows in Shonga farm, symbirl of agric revolution

bnng about true agricultural growth so as toboost food production and gainful employmentfor the teeming young people of Kwara.

The governor stressed that taking ihe demog-raphy of the slate info consideration, heobserved that about 70 per cent of the stale'spopulation was made up of youths and reasonedthat agriculture will help to channel a future forthe teeming youth population.

He also charged the team to improve on whatis on ground and develop a system of farmercompartmenialisation for nee, cassava, maizeand sorghum in order to attain higher commer-cial levels for these crops.

He noted that Kwara state is also strategical-ly endowed with the Kwara terminal and riverNiger, which serves as source for water neededto irrigate farms, stressing that by taking advan-tages of these, Ihe state will become a leader infood production in Nigeria.

Also speaking at the briefing, the President,Chief Executive Officer of Bridge Educationand Technology Institute, Dr. AdegboyegaSomide, who was instrumental to bringing theCornell University team of I'rofessors to thestate, noted that it was important to continue re-inventing in order to keep up with the pace ofworld development.

Somide outlined the task before the team toinclude drawing up a plan that will make Kwaraa centre of global agriculture investments,unleash the potential of the teeming youths inentrepreneurship and position the slate on theNew York financial market.

Also speaking, the leader of the team andInternational Prof, of Plant Breeding, Director ofInternational I'rogrammes, Cornell University,College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Prof.Ronnie Coffman, said that agriculture is trulythe right choice for achieving economic growth.

He added that there is a lot of evidence in tileworld to prove that agriculture can impact posi-tively on a country's economy, citing Brazil acountry which they also partnered with andbrought in businessmen as a good example ofhow agriculture can transform a poor economyinto a wealthy economy

He said that his team has made some research •breakthroughs in agriculture and stressed thatresearches needs to be encouraged. "As an edu-cational institution, we note Ihe problems and

come up with solutions, that is what farmersneed and that is what we are here to provide," headded.

The Vice-Chance I lor of Kwara SlateUniversity, Prof. Abdul Rasheed Na'Allah, whois the 4eader of uV Local team, said that themarch for greatness in Kwara is continuing verystrong and will bring [wide to all stakeholders,adding that the team is clear about the goal setby the Governor. "The plan underscores ourcontext, vision and is clearly underlined bypracticality," he said.

The team, which is expected to draw up andsubmit a localised master plan lo GovernorAhmed by June 2012, comprises of Prof.Ronnie as team leader. Prof. Harold Van Es andProf. Peter Gregory; all from Cornell UniversityNew York.

The local numbers of the team me Prof.Na'Allah the V-C of KWASU. Prof. OluleyeFunsho also of KWASU, Prof. MoshoodBelewu and Dr. O.F Adekola; both fromUniversity of Tlorin.

Overall ObjectiveThe Kwara State Government says it intends tocontinue with the promotion of commercialagriculture as well as provide Ihe enabling envi-ronment for peasant farmers and citizens toprofitably engage in agriculrure beyond n»eresubsistence fanning and put the mechanism inplace for the promotion of all season farming

At the moment, the state's substantial cul-tivable land represents 75 3 per cent of total landarea or about 2.447,250 hectares. It is a gatewaybetween northern and southern pans of thecountry which makes for easy accessibility toLagos and Abuja.

A report from the stale says Kwara's vegeta-tion ii well-suited for the cultivation of a widevariety of food crops like yams, cassava, maize.be^ns, rice, and sugar cane. "Wide array of fruitsand vegetables and tree crops such as jarropha,oil palm, cashew and cocoa - and thus presentsa clear comparative advantage in agriculrure",Ihe report added.

"There is the existence of a large expanse ofgraze-able land for animal husbandry and largevolumes of surface and underground water forfishing and fish farming enterprises. There cur-rently exists various agro-allied research insti-

tutes (ARMT1, -JCAM. NISPRl, Unilorin,KWASU etc) for research into agnc inpuis suchagro-chemicals, farm implements, seed baggingand so on." the report staled.

The stale has created the first base line data onits farmers to ideniif) Ihe actual population of itsfarmers and farming families. The results indi-cate a clear availability of dedicated farmerswho of necessity have learnt to extract tile moslfrom a small resource endowment and are eagerto participate in the design and implementationof activities for improving the sector's prospects.

The state has introduced various initiatives inthe past eight years to boost agriculture and isreputed to have tlie foremost commercial agri-culture programme in the country (modelled bythe Shonga farms project).There is also the exis-tence of generic improvement schemes fur localcattle, for use by dairy industry.

Also the average crop yields, per hectare ofmaize, rice, soya beans, cassava, fish, dairywhich are saleable crops are relatively impres-sive and far higher than national averages withpotential still for rnore improvement. In additionto these milestones, a total of 60 irrigation siteshave been identified lo support the creation of aculture of all season farming.

However the farmers' access lo funding needslo be improved on as the Rapid Response mech-anism for processing of agricultural hind, whichis critical for success, is slow.

Also social capital, mainly in the form ofcooperatives and other local organisations, isstill at a nascent st.ige but must be encouraged asa major thrust of (.'ovemmem's focus on agricul-ture, if these farmtTs are expected lo leverage thevarious platforms currently being provided bythe government.

Kwara Slate Government says il is committed10 the development jnd expansion of its agricul-tural potential in order to ensure food securityfor its citizens; and Iransfonnation of the agri-cultural sector from subsistence to commercialfarming to support bolh export production andthe generation of raw material for agro alliedindustries.

It also pledged to ensure sustenance otemployment generation that would significant!;contribute to the internally generated revenue otthe state - as well as the socio economicempowerment of ihe citizenry.

Pagel2,THlSDAV,Vol.l7,No.6154 QTATE OF THE STATES Tuesday, February 28, 2012,

'Nigeria Loses N132bn Annuallyon Malaria Treatmenf

Tl ifinistcr of Health, Prof. C.T ! ftom all 36 stales and the Federal||/|On>Thuchianik'vu.i«- 1 _jLSiim J CapitalTaritor^rcn.^

ITAabuuf N132 Wllkm ($13 From Paul Obi mAt** of the survey included foe mra-billiun, nil* UtabiHiL prat- ^ TO ^ „, te JUHIHA li UK «I«K ufo^w-

malaria idaied rases, ventiv? treatment for Ite most assess coverage of teintomntei!Sp^ngathemaugirratoriol vulnoabte 10 the spread of malar- preventive treatment programme

the 2010 National Malaria |a Lndudillg je^mining the to protect pregnant women.Indkatur Survey (NM&) repot ^^ |ate ma]aria 50^™. „ Others were to identify prac-and (he kid-off of the h-annual iheaxmiry. bees ^oxiling to her. to treatslates programme nwnageis' Equally National Coonlinator malaria among children undermeeting, Chukwu denied the National Malaria Contra) five and the use of specific anti-highrateofmosquitOEndiiceddis- Programme (NMCP), Chioma malarial medications and measureeases, which also "puK pressure Amajoh.saidthe2010NMISwas the prevalence of malaria andon the arrrady strained health sys- thefnstd'itskindevCTconducted anaemia among children underto"-" in the country with samples taken iheageof six to 59 immths.

The report unveiled in con-

&tL^N^ Bill Gates Boost Africa s Foodwas geared towards providing .--, -p* . . (-| /tip/-quatyAttforptu^fefiui LlODS UHVC With $56111miking and up-tixlale jrrtorma- x

tiwontheimpaciofintHvenlions — A]|jance fof a ^^ , . -teS5S 1 Revolution in Africa i LAGOS

Accoiding to the minister, 1 (AGRAI vesttnlav received *—"" — •-—•"- — —^di^cortTito.»to33 ^ a$56initagrantmfu«lmg ? j£tt£2!**iHtpa- cent of all chtldhool deaths , r^L .„ ,?- .. , ,-, * forLmpdrtantfoodcronsavailable.rt about 300OT1 Eva « lost £™J *£*""*' -" nSS The programme hVs alreadyeadi >«r. Malaria affeds 70 per K™**™ <° ••*""£** ad^evedsignificant sucoss withcm of pregnant women and Ls falmas m s*-Saharao Arncato ^ ^ of fannets responsible for 11 per cent of "" pn^vity "J address aarssKl fc new, ^^ ^^maiemal mnnality." pOV ,a| 'Ulger' f ,^ dramatic increases in Iheir h»-

Whifc making teprcs-Titation. AGRA s Pn>gran]me for Atnca ves(s

Duotor-GeneralorKPCJainm s Seed Systems (PASS) began PASS Programme Director, Dr.Zubema. maintained that (he nve yews ago to produce disease ]oe rjeVries. said: "b A&ica,1-1 if, , , •-* • 1 s~< 1 • farmers have lamely not benefitedS Court to Decide Governorship n^irn^^dueto^

r of kxauscdcnjp breeding and effi-Pnll Win T10r A/farrn (\' *nendable .seed delivery1 Ull TTlllllCl IVlOltll U system.Andsociupyieldsinmosi

rptr ^uprerre uxin wu on , ; ^^ rf ^^ produced by1 March 6. dx-de wteha or ; 1NASAKAWA | famm in [rthpr fk,vpkTinp

1 not rtlrciji Urnaii l.mko Al- regions of the worids.Gond seed isJ. Makuia, w.»i (he governor- From Tobi Soniyi re* just the driving frra behmd

ship elcraon of Nasarawa StaK. ^ ^ hnvete and eliminating

bdepcndent National I;-lecoral <fe Congiess for ftugress^e j^^ for .d eco^ icCommission (IMiQ t<i ,\pnl 26. Change (CPC) at the gowanorship growth"2)11. election. .-By 2017. PASS \vill add «

Tlie Chief Justice of Nigcna DissaQsned. Doma approached !_._._ mjeneiident seed(aNlJusticeDahiniMisdapher, the Appeal Cxmit, seeking to upturn ^mrHn^ioWmMrBiitvM^who pre^ded over ;, live-man ^ Kft decision btrt he was 3SSSff££S2 ?£panel reserved the dale tor jndg- nm(eddrmll. He and the IWIal ot±±^i£S£5mem. after <xvinscl m fc matter reiitit.ne.iii.etiiliunal aHeein- Ihai P™?31™™-. llle Pnl?rammeshadidontcdtlieirttTifcnjddresses Pf'«'"ertlle.'ntlullal'.alle?ln=- aim is to achieve yearlv pmductoi

r^^M^dlTfc^ AI-MAura. m oommmcc with rf ^^ maic «„, ofon the appeal lodged t? lormer |NtC. nggcd rus way to victory. imnrnvJ WItfllrfi«((.-n1osarhppveniorof the stale and governor- Th^. gC-j lhal rNFr ilWal 'mpro 1" ^ ™ I ""il traps suchshrp candidate of Ihe Peoples M,w w^! as nw/e. cassava, and legumes totaWratic Party (Pl^^yu Y c^ led efcct™ m rane r^Uing [() millKm ^jih,AkwDcma uraLsof Lammga ward and ano(h- falmels. Theprograni wllcontin-

l»ma is asking ttearcx court f *" Oshug"- <• «" Nasarawa nBtoMwnttStoaaiOnn^to set aside the dnttOl of die Uxdr^mmenlArea.aswdlas aop sc^dsts ensmnK that eveiyAppeal Court in Makuidi. Benoe <** '" Anah area « txma ljxal major crop in 13 countries has aiStale, which uphekl the el rfon of Govenmiciit Area. aU in a _despw- ]eas, (^ fijHy^ualified cropAI-Makuia. ale effort to rob Doma of vicU»y. ^^^ PASS will also fund the

On November 12. 2)11. die WOrt counsel. UMf ^j,,™ ^ 3,, 3 0, 1 5000Nasarawa Slate Uo-.«iiorship Fagbemi (SAN), submitled thai agnKiealerstoseliipir>di%-idua]ry-Efccticn Petitions Triburel. had in rNEC had no powos to arbitrarily ^^j ani (Jpel3lelt g^ fer_a cplit dcdsion of Mo to one, cancel results <rf elections without Qjjser ^hops in remote areas"upheld Ihe victory of Al-tv'akuraof ^is&utation. EeVrics added

FG Cautioned over Export Expansion Grants

National Association of 1 -» /~>nc ment, Gezawa said the bodyHides aiid Skin Dealers | LAGOS had ascertained the implemen-

ofTered woids of a ution to By Sunday Okobi massive investment in thedie ,-eoerai ^^rriu o™ wjmj mc |ea[her M va,ue leather sector, wnicn nao tmns-the current debate « hich might c]]ajn ., laied into more jobs for the citi-lead to the termrna ion of 5™^™ lo joumal,sts in "™- as w"=" « to™Z"Export Expansron Grants Kan^ccordmg to the state- exchange earnings.(EEGl provided ft* Nigerian

SESg 2UE7JSI Awo Memorial LectureSoS?" to "* a"on 6 Billed for March 9s^r;v™s ras^.jj.a | LAGOS flion would be made jobless, if 1 £ "f UnatT1JT?T9 ~~the Federa. Qovemn.n, can- £ MlSa?toJhS ^ SUnd°J' celled the grant. Umversrty of Texas, United State

-•LSuhe±lAmeri Products, a A sta™ issued by the (US). Prof. Toyrn Fatola, as thebranch of the Manufacturers Executive Erector of dtt g^fecturer is to ep up wnhASSOC,at,on of Nigeria Foundation. Dr Olatokunbo the Rwndatia. s mandafc to jpv(LAPAN) had called for the Awolowo Dosumj. yesterday erateideastnatwillbolhjumpstaitcancellauon. on the aro-jnd that •»= "^ memorial has evolved and propd national poJibca] andthe adoption of the sdK me was and is biiied as a key intellectual eomorrac development,causing job losses event in which a distinguished Tn this light, not. 1 .". •

But Chairman of NAHSD scholarreflcctsonanaspectofthe examination of power politics andAll Abdu Gezawa. a-unlered legacy of Ihe late sage with a view wetfarcpolrricsise^ectedtoyield"- insinuation in a statement to providing a redemptive road dues for transformative initiatives

jc available to THISDAY map for a nation groping for direr- for a nation bedeviled with the oi-^intainine thai "The imple- uon and fresh vistas." sis of nationalities, the elusive

^tion of the scheme had Dosurnu staled that the eient arilhmeac of petroleum subsidy asactually facilitated the creation which has a distinguished well as a crisis of governance,- heof millions of additional jobs Professor of A&icai HLstory a the added.

«J*a FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA |Q|•••''.!£•! Federal Ministry of Education C^E^^ SKILLS TRAINING AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROJKT

TECHNICAL AUDIT OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION WORK I

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST1 CONSULTANCY SERUICES FOR INDEPENDENT TECHNICAL

AUDIT OF CONSTRUCTION WORKSDate:28 February 201

Financing Agreement reference: P-NG-IAO-00 1Project ID No.: 2100150010394

The Federal Government of Nigeria has received financing from thAfrican Development toward the cost of the Skills Training anVocational Education Project, and intends to apply part of the agreeamount for this loan to payments under the contract for carrying out aindependent technical audit of construction works on 9 sites arounNigeria in six geopolitical zones.

»

The services included under this consultancy are to

• Obtain independent and objective assessment of the technicalquality of all construction works in all the 9 sites and to assurmat the civil works are constructed with good consttuctiomaterials and as per desired standards of good quatitconstruction.

• To set up a quality control and quality assurance system witthe help of prescribed testing norms laid down in approve iStandards, and to delineate and establish a schedule ftcarrying out such tests such that no quality problems crop uagain.

• To highlight problem areas if any, and also suggeisteps/solutions for the same so as to achieve the overall targi .of quality assurance.

• For Quality Assurance the consultant shall carry out testing i 'required of materials used in construction .

For the achievement of these, it is expected that the engaged consultaijtshall among other tasks, conduct site visits to all 9 sites, review technicalspecifications and assess compliance with both technical and contractu; 1specifications.

The Skills Training and Vocational Education Project now invites eligibl :consultants to indicate their interest in providing these service; ,Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they ar :qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similarassignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriateskills among staff, etc.). Consultants may constitute joint-ventures 1»enhance their chances of qualification.

Eligibility criteria, establishment of the short-list and the selectioprocedure shall be in accordance with the African Development Bank"Rules and Procedures for the use ofConsultants"May, 2008, which ftavailable on the Bank's website at http://www.afdb.org. Borrowers arpunder no obligation to shortlist any consultant who expresses interest.

Interested consultants may obtain further information at the addressbelow during office hours between 0800 to 1700 hours, Monday tiFriday.

Expressions of interest must be delivered to the address below by14 March, 2012 at 1200 hours and mention "Technical Audit ( 'Construction".

Ann: The Project Manager,PCU, Skills Training andVocatwnal Education Project ,Federal Ministry of EducationPlot 644, Zambezi Crescent,OffAguiyilronsiWaytMatiama,fCT,Abuja ,*Tel: +234-9-873 4821, -_r 1e-mail: stvep(3)adf-stvep.0rf '"'- £

Sunday, February 26, 2012 AGRICULTURE

Revamping Dams for AgricultureRecently, the federalgovernment through itsrelevant MDAsembarked on an on thespot assessment of alldam projects in thecountry, not only toascertain their presentconditions but to fasttrack their utilisation,especially for agricultur-al development, writesMalachy Agbo

•Rice plantation stands tit benefit from the project dam

Faced with a myriad of economic challenges, ofwhich over dependence on imported goods isone, the government appear has come to therealisation lhat attaining food sufficiency andadequate infrastructure, would cater to most ofthe country's economic problems.

As it stands, Nigeria import? millions of tonnes ofgrains from foreign countries every year, which putstremendous pressure on foreign reserves as well asthe exchange rale. Similarly, epileptic the infrastruc-ture gap in die country has crippled many compa-nies resulting in job loss and capita) flight.

Based on these glaring concerns, during the 33rdNational Economic Council meeting held recently onthe utilisation of ihe Natural Resources DevelopmentFund (NHDF), the council directed the NationalPlanning Commission and the Ministries of WaterResources, and Agriculture & Rural Development toundertake working visits to all federal water projectsites in the states and report back to council beforethe end of February The meeting was held to har-ness die multiple potentials of darns and will be han-dled in coll alteration with state government officials.

In furtheram? on this directive. 12 ledinical teamscomprising tlte state governors of the- 36 states, min-isteis and experts from the tfiree ministries were con-stituted to GUT • out the inspection. The inspectionswere carried out from February 13 - 18. The TechnicalInspection leain 3 undertook inspection visits toAnambra, Eboiyi and Enugu States from February16 -18. The governors of each of the states visited,led the insperton teams, accompanied by theMinister 'Deputy Chairman, National PlanningCommission. Dr. Shamsudeen Usm.w.

Anambra River Irrigation ProjectThe team led by Usman visited die Lower

Anambra Riv-tr Irrigation Protect in Anambra State.The project i= meant to support a 3,850-hectare irri-gated rice farmland with water souite fromAnambra River. The minister lamented tiiat tliercwere too manv water project- in the country but notenough niMiev'available in die budget to fund them."Our mission is to see which ones we will be able togel off drejftjjnd. The rice projects in die south easthas great potentials to boost locally grown rice andfoodsufficitncy as well as generate huge employ-ment opportunities in the country and the initiativeshould lie encouraged and supported to succeed.

"As it is today, we have 30 million litres of watersitting unaoressed in reservoirs in Onitsha. We willtake our obse nations and reports to the nextNational Economic Council meeting. This is anationwide exercise and (here are other teams visit-ing other parts of the country on the same mission atthe moment,'' he said.

On his p,ir<, die governor of Anambra Sate, Dr.Peter Obi nmimended the initiative and noted thatthe Lower Ariambra River irrigation Project wliidi ismeant to provide wafer tor the vast rice fields in dieAyamelum Belt has been abandoned. According toObi, water hf s not being pumped from the dam forabout 10 ycais because of the high cost of diesel.

"Our appeal is to have access to die grid til reducethe cost of |X wer. The farms stand on 3,850 hectares

and employs over 8,0(10 farming families and indi-rectly provides employment for hundreds of thuu-sands of traders dial visit the belt which spreads tothe Ada rice fields in Adani, Enugu State to Abakilikinee fields in Ebonyi State," he said.

He revealed that die project, which was commis-sioned in 1987, was meant to introduce advancedfarming techniques for high yield crop production,provide intensive training to staff/farmers andenhance development of irrigated rice cultivationwliere double cropping of rice in rainv and dry sea-sons is practiced. But die greatest challenge of theproject is inadequate funding for routine mainte-nance and the high cost of diesel used in running dtepumping Station.

Ofereke Water SchemeWhile in Ebonvi, die team visited die Ofereke

Water Supply Scheme, which has attained about 97per cent completion. The water scheme with a capac-ity for 100.0(10 cubic metres of water per day wasdesigned to suppK' potable water to Abakaliki anddie newly established Federal University in EbonyiState. The Ebonyi Rice Mill project was designed toprocess 5,000 metric tonnes

of paddv rice per hour. The contract for the millwas awarded in AKJ9 and it would become opera-tional in die nest two months.

The visiting federal government representativeswere advised to adwpt •< more participatoryapproach to project implementation that allows thestate government where such projects are sitedgreater participation in die project conception andimplementation, adding that such approach will bemore productive.

Deputy Governor Cliigozie Ogbu also urged thefederal government to come to the aid of the state,particularly in the area of intervention in irrigationprojects. In lijs response, the Minister of NationalPlanning Commission, advised die Ebonyi StateGovernment to adopt die public private partnershipapproach in die operation and management of thenee mill puiject and en|oined the state government toensure die timely completion of die projects forimproved economic activities in die state.

Enugu Water ProjectsTliere are four federal projects in the state which

includes Mgbowo Earth Dain and Water SupplyProject; Adada River Dam; University of NigeriaNsukka Water Supply Scheme; and Rehabilitation ofAdani Irrigation Project

The team was infonned by both the State govern-ment and officials of the Anambra / Irno River BasinAuthority officials that the Adada River Dam projecthas generated jobs for hundreds of farming familiesand has the potential uf creating thousands of addi-tional jobs directly and indirectly.

The state government represented by ProfessorMartin Anikwe, Commissioner for Agricultureemphasised the importance of the projects to thedevelopment of agriculture in Nigeria and improve-ment in the quality of lives of the citizens resident inthe farming communities around the project site.

The state government requested for more collabo-ration between the state and the federal government

•Adada river dam

on tlie delivery of the project. Anikwe added that thestate is interested in replicating die project in odierlocal governments, stressing that the state govern-ment is determined to ensure lhat Ihe dam works.He called on the federal government to come t<i theaid of the state.

Dr. Usman assured dte state of federal govern-ment's preparedness to alleviate the suffering ofpeasant farmers in tlie country and the presentadministration's plans to make agro-business thedriver of the economy.

Quick WinsSpeaking on die effort to revamp the dams nation-

wide, experts were of the opinion that die projecthave die potential for huge success and quick winsfor die transformation agenda programme of Diepresent administration.

"Activities on project sites by key stakeholders,especially by die community, state and federal gov-ernment show a deep understanding of project goalsand objectives which were revealed in the majorproject outcomes such as extensive cultivation ofnumerous hectares of crops especially rice. Effectivesynergy between the stakeholders and the commu-nities will result in tlie successful utilisation of mate-rial resources as well as infrastructure provided bytl»e state and the federal government," said oneagronomist.

I le further advised the federal government toadopt the Songliai approach to agriculture in diecountry. "The engagement of die SonghaiAgricultural Development Partners in the project tofacilitate efficient agricultural good practices will leadto improvement in crop yields and economical utili-sation of the land and human resources available. 1will advise tile federal government to toe this line,"he stated.

"• Expertswere of the

opinion thatthe projects

have thepotential forhuge success

and quickwins for thetransforma-tion agendaprogrammeof the pres-

ent adminis-tration

Friday, March 9, 2012 THISDAY, Vol. 17 No. 6164, Page 25

.THISC3DAYBusinessWORLDR A T E S A s A T M A R C H 2 , 2 0 1 2

OVER DRAFT•PrimeNormal Ixnding

17^773%'

203040%

LOAN•Prime

• Normal Lending

- 18.1429%

- 20.8005%

•Source: KWDA

DEPOSIT/LENDING•Savings Account - 23335%

•Strict Call - 2-8M8%

•TDays - 3.5308%

•60 Days

•90 Days

• ISHDays

- 6.9339%

- 7J27%

- 73857%

EXCHANGERATE(Officiall

N156.70YSI

as at last Friday

Aviation Fuel Scarcity, Cost HampersLagos Regional Hub Status

MARITIME

By John Iwori

Tncessanl scaivity and high cost of avialion fuel are hampering theI drive to make 'he Murtala Muhammed International Airport,I Lagos, a regions! hub. The recent development lias leiidcied theAairport unattractive in spile of the fact that il records about sevenmillion overseas dejination passengers ami is die busiest in the WestAfrican sub region

Since the pasl week, airlines were embroiled in another series ofscarcity of aviation fuel, known as Jet Ai, which jerked up the pricesand also led to the cancellation of some domestic and internationalflights by the airlin-s.

Many industry experts believe thai the Lagos airport should natu-rally be a hub for tlie sub region because Nigerian airlines dominateWfot and Central /,frica; while the country has the highest numberof air travellers in t ic region and also records the highest number offoreign ain-Taft mo ,en)ent.

But mea'i cjimris and even Nigerian airline;, travel to Accra.Ghana to buy aualion fuel because it is clieaper there bul ironicallythey donotproduc.' thepnxiua.

So Gliana k;^ tecome a natural attraction to foreign airlines mspite of the fact tiiat it is a small market with tlie old Katoka airport.

So if mega-t;utiers can ensnare Nigerian passengers lo Ghanawith low fare incer lives they would prefer to have their major oper-atiim there which will naturally make Accra a hub.

Former head of jovemment relations for Virgin Nigeria (now AirNigeria) and a\.aiion consultant. Nuhu Adam, observed that for

Customs Generates inN235.2bn from Apapa Port

Not less thanN235.183-24 .803.00 wasraked in by he Customshigh command from

Nigeria's premier port, ApapaQuay.

The amouni v,as the totalrevenue gene rat. •A by theNigeria CDS ion is Service(NCS). Apapa Area 1Command last yejr.

The Apapa Qua y, a key com-ponent of Africa's largest con-tainer terminal presently underthe purview of APM TerminalsApapa Lirniled. a iubsidiary ofDanish logistic port operationgiant, AP Molle'-Maersk. isamong the terminals in LagosPott Complex 11JC).

The commard in its 2011scorecard, said ihc- money waspaid into the cental till as partof the revenue larjet given to ilby the Federal Cio/emment.

The amount «as exceededthe reunite target given to it bythe Customs High Command.NCS Headuuar-eis had at thebeginning of last \r given thecommand N216b Ilkin revenuetarget.

From the ";i:nra;ard. whichwas made available 10 THIS-DAY. Ihe command said itovershot its target by NI9 bil-lion, which was iibowl 8.8 percent of the annual target.

The scorec.TT] which wassigned by ihe Public RelationsOfficer (PRO) of tie command.Mr. Timinadi Botiodi. showedthat the commant recorded 32per cent incnw.'e o\t( the per-formance of 2010.

A comparative analysis ofthe revenue raked in by thecommand rev&ib 1 thai il has an

improvement of 81; per centover the performance for 2009.An analysis of the1 scorccanlalso reveajed that apart fromthis, the sum of N178 55 billionwas also said lo have been col-lected in year 2010, andN129.817 billion in 2009.

According to the scorccanl,in 20i 1, the command made 77seizures of various itemsincluding textiles, furniture,vegetable oil. used cars, artifi-cial floweis, used and new elec-tronics, glazed ceramic tiles andso on, compared to the 64seizures made in 2010.

The Duty Paid Value (DPV)of ihe seizures for 201 i waspulat N394.717^34.00, comparedlo mat of 2010 which stood alN174.237j005.42. This,according to the statement,showed an improvement of 126per cent.

Besides the seizures, Ihecommand also recorded suc-cess m the export sector in 2011as about 665.010.98 melrictonnes, 3,700 cartons.3386,579.96 kilogrammes, and2jfi08.44555 square metres of24 different commodities wereexported through its command.

These include cocoa beans,cocoa cake, cocoa butter,sesame seeds, aluminiumingots, ginger, rubber, palmkemel. hard wood charcoal,hibiscus flowers, cotton.cashew nuts and processedleather.

AVIATION

By Chinedu Eze

Nigeria to develop one of its airports, especially Ihc MurtalaMuhammed International Airport, Lagos, into a huh. i( must tacklethe problem of high Jel A1 (aviation fuel) prices.

He said the government has lo deal with the nil cabal that hasmade Nigeria airports unattractive because of aviation fuel cost anddenying the country the many economic benefits of having a huhwith the attendant business attractions.

Adam said without fair pricing of aviation fuel.i-agns airport orany airport in Nigeria would never develop into a hub because avail-ability of fuel, maintenance facility are a sin qua non to developinga hub in addition to huge passenger market.

Aviation fuel price in Nigeria is the highest of any country atpeace in (he worid, and it is still rising because this week the prod-uct was sold for almost N200.00 per litre in Lagos.

Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren. disclosed in a paper he once pre-sented in I-agos that a Boeing 737, which is the major aircraft typein use m Nigeria, consumes 4219 litres of fuel in one hour flight andal (he cost of N 190.00 (his amounts to N80| ,610.

Demuren noted thai aviation has become (he vehicle of econom-ic growth in Nigeria. To him, "Aviation supports the commerce ofthis country, more than 300 daily flights fnr domestic operations,more than 75 daily flights for international operations and more than400 helicopter sorties supporting ihe onshore and off shore oil oper-ations."

He said Nigeria airlines link virtually all majoi cities with thePCT, commercial centre of Lagos and the oil city of Port Harcourt."Aviation fuel. which accounts for between 25 to 40 per cenl of theairlines operating cost, has gone up astronomically," he added.

T I M E T O R E F L E C T .

•L-R : Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. ItieyoaAlhon-Moduelu, GMD NNFC. Mr. Austin Oniwnn and Director General, Department forPftrnltum Resources, Mr. Ostetn Oluntnsala, daring a retreat for stakeholders in Ihe nil induftiy Piuml: Sumfav

'Nigeria'll Be the Largest Cocoa Producer in 10 Years'

The Executive Director,Conservation Alliance(CA). Ghana, Yaw Osei-Owusu, has prediclcti lhat

in the nexf 10 years. Nigeriawill be the largest producer ofciicoa in the world, wilh theright incentives in place.

Osei-Owusu spoke in Abujaal a one-day workshop on'Greening the Cocoa Industry',organised by GlobalEnvironment Facility (GEF)and Rainforest Alliance.

Backing his declaration, henoted lhal once the right motionis set and fully put in place, thesky would be Hie limit of thecountry in cocoa production.

He gave the incentives astraining and re-training of farm-ers, provision of incentive toboost production, support fromboth private and public, gettingthe right policies from the gov-

AGRIC

From Yemi Akinsuyi

eminent, as well as the provi-sion of land and encouragemore people lo go into cocoafarming.

Explaining further, theExecutive Director stud:"Nigeria currently is the sev-enth laigest producer of cocoain the worid. One advantage thecountry has over Ghana is thatwhile we only produced fromjust six regions, about 14 statesare producing cocoa with muchmore improvement in the near-esl future."

He Iherefore enjoined WestAfrican leaders to show morecommitment in the production

of cocoa by protecting the for-est, as the product accounts fornver 70 per cenl of the region'sincome.

In his remark. Minister ofEnvironment, Mrs. HadizaIbrallim Mailafa, said for (hegreat increment in cocoa pro-duction lo occur in Nigeria, theforest must be adequately pro-tected against any form of pol-lution.

The minister, who was rep-resented by Director. JEFOperation Focal Point. Mrs.Olabisi Jaji, said only about 35per cenl of cocoa production inWest Africa occurs under goodagro-forestry systems.

In his words; "A recent base-line study showed thai ourregion has experienced signifi-cant forest loss through iheextractive practices of timbersector and expansion of the

cocoa industry by promotion of7cro shade cocoa productionsystems. These have graduallyled TO the fragmentation of ourforest landscape, loss ofwildlife corridors and forestconnectivity, and degradationof biodiversity and the ecosys-tem goods and services.

"A prominent consequenceof deforestation is on the cocoaindustry itself a significant lossof major soil nutrients. This hasbeen a leading cause of thedecline in our cocoa yields. Ihave observed a trend towardsless shaded cocoa landscapesthat undercuts the environmen-tal sustainability of productionand biodiversity conservation.Several reports have poinledout that in West Africa onlyabout 35 per cenl of cocoa pro-duction occurs under goodagro-forestry system," he said.

42 Executive Discourse Wednesday, February 29,2012 National Mirrorwww.n ationalrnirroronlme.net

AdesinaWhat Is the update on the Transformation Agenda ofthe ministry, and how is the move going to revive theeconomy?

The Transformation Agenda and Initiative of the Min-istry of Agriculture and Natural Resources is a part of theoverall transformation that the Federal Government ispursuing, with <he objective of returning and placing ag-riculture, and tr e opportunities it provides as the develop-ment basis of die country's economy

It is common knowledge that more than 60 per cent ofNigerians depends on agriculture as a source of livelihoodat both national and grassroots levels; therefore, govern-ment cannot afford to neglect the sector, that is why gov-ernment's emphasis is working towards making big andhuge business out of agric. through which Nigerians andresidents should be comfortabla

Moreso, democracy as a system of government lay criti-cal imfttrtance on the fact that the country must work; andone of the ways that democracy can work in the countrycan be through the development and implementation ofsustainable food security initiatives for the country, andalso that can guarantee exports that can earn revenue forthe country

On the whole, the Transformation Agenda Plan of theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development is fully oncourse, and the transformation agenda is meant to revivethe economy, create jobs for millions of Nigerians and re-duce Nigeria's fixxl import dependence bill, which if 1 mayadd is exceptionally high, with the top four imports con-suming over Ml 3 trillion in foreign exchange annually

Can you be mo-e specific in the way annual food import

by the country consumes over N1.3tm?Like I said before, the country's food import is unsus-

tainable. Food imports is growing at an alarming rate of11 per cent per annum, further fuelling domestic inflationand driving poverty

Currently Nigeria is importing products that we canproduce in abundance, such as the N356 bn worth of riceand N217 bn worth of sugar that are annually imported.In the same vein, about N97bn worth of fish; is importedwhile N635 bn is being spent on importing wheat annuallyMeanwhilg all these foods the country is importing areproducts that we can easily find local alternatives for

What specific area Is the ministry intending to explore inIts job creation effort?

From the livestock and feed sector alone, there is the po-tential of being able to create 350,000 jobs within the nextfour year.

As a country, Nigeria has one of the largest herds of ani-mals in Africa, but has not been able to meet the demandbecause of several reasons, including poor nutrition, poordisease management and control and poor breed of ani-mals, despite the fact that the yearly demand for meat andlivestock products is high.

For example, the annual demand for beef stands at over600,000 tonnes, that of goat meat about 450,000 tonnes, thedemand for poultry meat is over 500,000 tonnes and for egg250,000 tonnes, while the demand for milk is about 649.000tonnes.

With such a huge market, focusing on the livestocksector, and managing it with a business sense of agricul-ture will in the long term, create more than the projected

'Nigeria hasTTie Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina ispassionately committed to thedevelopment of agriculture as asustainable alternative to the country'sdependence on petroleum. In thisinterview with NATIONAL MIRROR'SEDITORIAL TEAM, the ministeremphasises that agric businessprovide unlimited opportunities forentrepreneurship and job creation aswell as a key channel for economicdiversification. Exerpts

350,000 jobs.So to bridge that demand and supply gap, while also

using the livestock transformation programme to aim toachieve self sufficiency in meat and livestock productionwithin the given time frame, the ministry will throughquality investments in livestock value chain programmes,such as large-scale farming in (he five gee-ecological zones,the upgrade of local breeds through selective breeding andartificial insemination, and expansion of hatchery capac-ity to 25 million day-old chicks for broilers and layers willmeet its target of job creation.

There is also the ongoing oil palm transformation agen-da, where teams have already been engaged in field visitsto secure commitment of state governments to the schemethat is also meant to boost employment and revenue.

Those teams will identify nursery operators to partici-pate in dry season oil palm nursery in addition to register-ing smallholder oil palm farmers, with the ministry set toestablish zonal offices in the six geo-political zones to co-ordinate its operations.

What is the latest on the Cassava, Rice, Cocoa, Sor-ghum and cotton Transformation Agenda of the Ministry,particularly on the plans to utilise cassava for develop-ment through the banning of wheat importation?

Like other specific plans of the ministry of Agriculture,the Cassava Transformation Plan is meant to revive theeconomy and create jobs for millions of Nigerians.

The Cassava Transformation Plan is a part of the Fed-eral Government overall effort to revamp the agriculturesector, ensure food security diversify the economy and en-hance foreign exchange earnings. The transformation ac-tion plan is focused on key aspects of value chains, includ-ing the provision and availability of improved inputs (seedand fertilizer), increased productivity and production, aswell as the establishment of staple crop processing 2ones,while also addressing reduction in post-harvest losses, im-proving linkages with industry

Put together, the transformation agenda sets out to cre-ate over 3.5 million jobs from the rice, cassava, sorghum,cocoa and cotton value chains, with many more jobs tocome from other value chains under implementation.

The programme aims to provide over N300bn (US$ 2bn)of additional income in the hands of Nigerian farmers,while over N60bn <$3SOm) is to be injected into the economyfrom the substitution of 20 percent of bread wheat flourwith cassava flour.

Bt that singular agenda when fully implement, the min-istry would have enabled Nigeria to be food secure by in-creasing production of key food staples by 20 million tons:which when broken down will be Rice 2 million metrictons. Cassava: 17 million metric tons and Sorghum, 1 mil-lion metric tons.

Most importantly however in all of these initiatives, isthat the transformation agenda will also call for targetedinterventions to increase efficiency and profitability alongthe value-added chains of these crops.

Still on the cassava agenda, what particular strategy areyou using to achieve your objectives?

Ml National Mirrorw ww.nal ionalm irroro nline.net Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Executive Discourse ! 43

no business importing food'The Cassava Transformation Action Plan was formu-

lated to move cassava from a food and subsistence crop toan industrial raw material in Nigeria. The plan was de-veloped following a series of consultative meetings withstake-holders.

The strategy consists of two main pillars. One; createsustainable demand in the industrial food, beverage, andchemical sector for cassava-based products via policy re-forms that incentivize import substitution as a means ofstabilizing fresh cassava root prices and raising livelihoodsof cassava farmers.

Secondly, build an effective cassava value-chains forhigh quality cassava flour (HQCF), starch, sweetener, fuelethanol, dried chips, and traditional food product throughorganisation of farmers into clusters around small andlarge scale processors.

Then train farmers in supply chain management; whiledemonstrating the advantages of proven production pack-ages of modern varieties, stabilise fertilizer rates, andimprove cultural practices for increased productivity;while also providing and improved access to agro-inputs,finance, and tractorisation.

At the policy level, some of the strategies include inter-ventions to support the cassava industry through a man-datory 10 percent inclusion of HQCF in wheat flour; a 12percent corporate tax waiver for bakeries who blend 40percent of cassava flour in bread, and increase in levies onimported wheat flour and grain.

Others are a 10 percent inclusion of fuel ethanol in pet-rol (E-10).,and the establishment of a Cassava Trade andMarketing Development Corporation (CTMDC)to be runby the private sector that will represent the cassava sectorbefore government and build much needed market institu-tions around farmers. The ministry already have imple-mentation agreements with 23 cassava producing statesacross the country.

The ministry recently embarked on the audit and up-grade of SMEs Producing HQCF and garri. How tar hasthat audit gone in its assignment?

As part of the plans to boost the supply of High QualityCassava Flour (HQCF), for bread making and confectioneryproduction, it is pertinent to ensure that the 105 cassava pro-cessing SMEs in the country become operational again.

hi order to carry out the audit of all the cassava SMEsin the country within the short time period, it was agreedthat Nigerian Engineers and socio - economists should betrained and deployed to the 6 geo - political zones of thecountry to carry out the SME audit Two engineers andone socio-economist per zone were agreed upon.

So far, the engineers have been responsible for assessingthe machines and equipment already installed in the 105SMEs, with a view to ascertaining their status and iden-tifying how to revamp them. The social scientists have as-sessed the socioeconomic variables that affected the per-formances of the SMEs in the past and recommend whatcan be done to revamp them.

On that of the audit and upgrade of SMEs producinggarri, we are aware that more than 90 per cent of garri/Fufu producers are women. A meeting was held December8 last year between the leader of the garri working groupand officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs.

The goal of this collaboration is to upgrade all garri/la-fun/abacha processing centres to produce quality and wellpackaged products in a hygienic environment that will beinternationally acceptable all over the world. In other toachieve the above goal the committee agreed to take the fol-lowing tentative actions:

How is the serialisation of bakers and bakeries on 40percent HQCF Bread going?

Following the adoption of 40 percent cassava bread, theministry called a press conference to seek the full supportand cooperation of the three largest players in the Nige-rian bakery industry, namely: Food Concepts, ButterfieldBread, UTC and Leventis - Value Bread.

All three bakeries publicly supported the 40 percent cas-sava bread, and considered it an achievable goal. They also

pledged to work towards achieving the 40 percent targetwithin the 18 months period of grace in exchange for the12 percent rebate on corporate taxes.

The ministry is also working individually with eachbakery and HQCF producers in Nigeria to ensure reliablesupply of HQCF at a reasonable price. The plan will ensurequality and fair prices for bakeries, and sustainable cas-sava prices for farmers.

Some stakeholders have questioned the rationale be-hind your ministry's engagement of Advanced ResearchInstitutions (ARIs) to drive its vision for the country,what is your take on that?

For the success of the cassava transformation, or otheragendas of the ministry it is important that valuable les-sons gained on value chain development of cassava in Asiaand Latin America is brought to bear on efforts in Nigeria.

Members of the Cassava Transformation Team whowere in China for the 9th Asian Regional Cassava Meet-ing met with Directors and cassava program leaders fromthe International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT,its Spanish acronym); International Institute for TropicalAgriculture (TITA), and Central Tuber Crops Research In-stitute (CTCRT), Trivandrum, India.

What Is the goal of the Rice Transformation Action Planand how well is the plan going, especially as it alsoconcerns the upgrading of integrated mills?

The goal of Rice Transformation agenda is to achieveself sufficiency in rice production and complete substitu-tion of imported rice by year 2015. Products in focus areparboiled milled rice and unparboiled milled white rice.

The target is 6.0 million metric tonnes per annum of lo-cally produced and internationally competitive milled riceby 2015.

The Rice Transformation Action Plan highlights com-plementary interventions needed to develop the Nigerianrice sector, which includes the modalities for increasingefficiency along the commodity chain to make it price com-petitive.

This is been addressed through reduction of cost ofproduction .which include mechanisation, intensificationof paddy production in rainfed lowland and irrigated riceecologies and use of improved rice varieties; and the organ-isation of farmers into cluster groups to aggregate themfor access to improved technologies, market and mills.

Target states like Niger, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kano, Plateau, Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Borno, Eb-onyi, Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ogun and Ekiti State are allalready committed to the project

On the upgrading of the integrated mills, the ministry,in collaboration with the Agro-processing departmentof the ministry team met with the beneficiaries of the 17Integrated Rice Mills to assess their preparedness for thetransformation. Three of the mills - Ebony mills in Eb-onyi State, Labana Mills in Birni Kebbi (2 mills) will gointo operation in February 2012. We are working with Ni-ger State Government to upgrade the Badeggi Mill, an oldmill concenssioned to Deanschanger Ltd. We are collabo-rating with Federal Ministries of Water Resources, Power,

* FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE

CASSAVA TRANSFORMATION,

OR OTHER AGENDAS OF THE

MINISTRY, IT IS IMPORTANT

THAT VALUABLE LESSONS

GAINED ON VALUE CHAINDEVELOPMENT OF CASSAVA IN

ASIA AND LATIN AMERICAIS BROUGHT TO BEAR ON

EFFORTS IN NIGERIA'

and works to resolve all issues around the OMO Mills inEbonyi State.

What advice would you have for the country's tannersand other stakeholders in agriculture?

First, Nigeria has no business importing food. With al-most 84 million hectares of arable land, the "prodigal men-tality" that drives food importation must stop. *

Secondly, this ministry is working for Nigeria farmers,One of our cardinal goals is to take the country's farmersout of poverty, and put the nation on a sustainable path ofdevelopment through the development of the agric sector.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.ne! Friday, March 9,2012 Escape 25

youthful zeal

' •VJi&H4rii! < •*£ ... , • % * ' •'• *«r"Pn*v -- ,

1 **4

Travel News

Contestants in Omodo Forest Osun State.

ing of the ancestral Eri traditions,Mmaku has continued to be agreat place cf spiritual revivaland accorcirg to 2006 Census,the populaiicn of Mmaku is256,000 people consisting ofmore women than men. Sur-rounded by streams hence theperennial prc>duction of veg-etables and tubers and agricul-ture remains the main economicstrength of the people.

Mmaku has a weekly Afor mar-ket located <it Ezioha Village.

Omodo Forest In OsunState

The Omoco Forest is a place

with many tourist endow-ments. Among the hills, a ma-jor one, Oore rises 400 to 500feet with a foot path leading tothe top.

Many towns around Osogbo,Mesa and Ede are visible fromthe hill top. Beside it, there isanother hill called Oofi Hill thatis also a wonder.

Aside the Omodo River, thereare also smaller rivers all ofwhich get their source fromthe hill.

MicCom Golf Resort located inAda over hectares of land thatmelt into the Omodo Forest isthe major pull to the area.

Trans Wonderland: Oyo Statewarns against encroachmentThe Oyo State Government, on Monday.

warned that any individual or corpo-rate organisation caught encroach-

ing on its property at Trans Wonderland inIbadan would be dealt with in accordancewith the law.

The state Deputy Governor, Otunba MosesAdeyemo, gave the warning during an un-scheduled visit to the facility located in theheart of the state capital. He said that govern-ment waas now ready to transform the facil-ity into a world class multi-purpose outfit inline with the transformation agenda of theAbiola Ajimobi administration.

"We will do everything legal to transformthis place; we are taking over the facility and

we will use it for the benefit of the people ofOyo State", the deputy governor said. Accord-ing to him, the restoration of the facilitiesand introduction of more projects within thepark remain the priority of the government,stressing that the park would serve as a goodsource of employment for the people as wellas an avenue to generate revenue for the state.

The acting General Manger of the compa-ny, Mr. Sunday Kolawole, told the deputy gov-ernor that some people had been making at-tempts to take over the premises before it wasbrought to the attention of the government.Kolawole commended the state governmentfor the take-over of the park as well as the pro-vision of security within the premises.

Meetings Africa 2012beats all time recordsThe 2012 edition of Meetings Africa has

been hailed as an undoubted success forthe South African travel and business

tourism industry and also for the local andforeign buyers, exhibitors and visitors whoflocked to the show in record numbers this year.

When the three-day exhibition closed onThursday, March 1, overall attendance (at 3,452)was 20 percent up on attendance in 2011 (2,637),with registered international visitor numbersnearly doubling from 106 in 2011 to 205 in 2012 (up93 percent). A major success for what is primarilya busi ness-to-business trade show is that a total of8,906 meetings were requested during the three-day show through the Meetings Africa match-making electronic diary system, giving realsubstance to the show's usefulness as a business-enabling and revenue-generating environmenL

While there was good business tourism in-terest from South Africa's core tourism mar-kets, there was a noticeable heightened inter-est at Meetings Africa this year from emergingmarkets, with a lively BRIGS panel discussionon the show's penultimate day highlightingthe potential and interest in South Africa fromChina, India, Brazil and Russia.

There were 68 percent more international jour-

nalists at Meetings Africa this year (37 in 2012compared to 22 in 2011). "There is no doubt look-ing at the numbers that this has been the mostsuccessful Meetings Africa show yet It showsthat there is keen interest in destination SouthAfrica and bodes extremely well for our plans togrow business tourist arrivals, entrench our sta-tus as Africa's leading business tourism destina-tion and increase our share in the global businesstourism market," said South African TourismChief Executive Officer, Thulani Nzima.

Elena Demidova, a buyer from Russia whohas been working for three years with destina-tion South Africa said it was important to co-opt the professional services and the interestof as many Russian buyers as possible. "Meet-ings Africa gives us a great opportunity tobring our best specialist people to South Africafrom Russia. This has been the first time thatour market has been exposed to your destina-tion on this scale and to this extent. It makespeople talk about South Africa. It's been a greatbusiness opportunity, and we look forward tothe rewards it brings for all of us".

Meetings Africa is held each year at the endof February in the Sandton Convention Centrein Johannesburg.

'

Cross section of exhibition stands al Meetings Africa 2012

14

ISSUESTHE NATION WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2012

Should fertiliser subsidy go?• Continued from p«ge IS(N150) a day, live far away from markelcentres and cannot access the markets eas-ily. Not only do the farmers find il difficultto come up with die cash to buv the 50kgbag of fertiliser, but carrying it home fromthe marketplace also poses a challenge forthem," he said.

He added that while introducing the onekilogramme bag, they selected salesmenalso Known as Village Promoters. Notore,Okoloko said, conducted a rigorous andtransparent nationwide recruitment of dis-tribution partners, in which one of everyfive applicants emerged as a distributionpartner.

To enhance farmers' access to fertiliser, hesaid Notore has embarked on aggressivefertiliser processing.

Okoloko said the development would en-hance farmers' productivity and income.

According to him, the company is target-ing 1.7 million tonnes in the next four years,adding thai such wiD enable Nigeria to beself sufficient in food.

Case foLSubsidyMrs Atim Udoh operates a farm on Eket-

Etinan Road in Akwa Ibom State. After mucheffort, her harvest increased, producingplenty of food for her family and more Ihanenough lo sell al Ihe local market

Ahmed Kwa, said the nation has the poten-tial to produce its fertiliser. He said theabundant natural gas flared could be har-nessed to produce nitrogenous fertilisers.

He said there are large quantities of rockphosphate deposits in Sokoto, Niger,Kwara, Oyo, Ogun that can be used for theproduction of phosphate fertilisers.

"The only raw material that is not yetfound in substantial quantity in Nigeria ispotassium deposits. Even this can besourced from our North Afr icanneighbours."

Due to the lack of local production, Kwasaid most of the fertiliser used in the coun-try is imported.

The consequences of relying on importedfertiliser include draining the foreign re-serve, insufficient supply due to high capi:tal for importation and high retail priceswhich make the inpul unaffordable. These,to a large extent, nave led to insufficientfertiliser and the little available very ex-pensive." *""""

Despite this, he said there was hope forthe revitalisation of local manufacture offertilisery. The factors that favour this, Kwasaid, include, large expanse of arable landand ecologies that are conducive for the cul-tivation of a variety of crogs; withdrawalof the Federal Government trom direct pro-duction and importation of fertiliser - es-pecially the privatisation of its two main

IIUUKll v.f ^tll rtl IIIC lUldl UKUJitl. i '.. j t

The^difference, she said, is fertiliser. For Pr"ducti°" Planls ~ a£lF'vat£ltl°?1- °fyears, this basic input was simply beyondher means and these of other farmers.

Costing about N7,000 a bag, fertiliser wasjust too expensive to use, and buying it oncredit was too gre.it a risk for farmers whoare at Ihe merq' of me rains and poor-qual-ity seeds.

Then the government began subsidisingfertiliser ana high-vie! ding seeds for farm-ers. The move cut fertiliser prices by 80 percent.

There is no doubt that making high-qual-ity seeds and fertiliser affordable for smallfarmers, such as Mrs Udoh, wiil be die keylo the governmert's agriculture transfor-mation agenda.

The fertiliser subsidy programme is seenas a model by a number of African govern-ments and international agriculture devel-opment agencies.

Speaking with The Nation, Etekhai Martins,a professor of Fisheries at the Lagos StateUniversity (LASU). said farmers need sub-sidy on fertiliser to mitigate the effects offood crisis.

The success of Ihe agricultural transfor-mation agenda, he noted, depends to a largeextent on optima' fertilisation and timeli-ness in planting. ^Jone of the essential in-put is wilhin the grasp of many small farm-ers.

Martins said fertiliser subsidv is impor-tant; and if truly managed has the potentialfor big gains in a short time. Even with thereduction of interest rate, Martins said mostfarmers are too poor to pay commercialrales for fertiliser and seeds.'

He advised the government to set up moredistribution channels in remote areas to in-crease farmers' access to fertiliser, and toencourage banks to provide guarantees.

Government's positionThe Federal Government is set to with-

draw from fertiliser import and distribu-tion to allow the private sector to move in,a rgu ing that Ihe fertiliser subidyprogramme is coMly and prone to misman-agement and corruption.Minister of Agriculture and Rural Devel-

opment Dr Akmwumi Adesina said therewould no longer be fertiliser contractorsbecause the systrm in which the govern-ment imported and distributed fertiliserwas ineffective, inefficient and corrupt asonly about 11 pe." cent of farmers enjoyedthe subsidy.

Adesina said under the new arrangement,fertiliser importers would have to buildtheir markets and sell directly to farmers.Last year, the Federal Government said itspent N22.30 billion on subsidy for 900,000metric tons of fertiliser so that farmerscould get the commodity at a lower priceyet most farmers could not access the com-modity.

Experts' opinionsThe Executive Secretary, Fertiliser Suppli-

ers Association of Nigeria (FEPsAN),

state governments' fer t i l iser blendingplants, among others.

Substantial investments have made toboost fertiliser supply. This includesNotore Chemical Industries Limited's in-stalled capacity of one million metrictonnes for Urea, Ammonia and NPK andFederal Super Phosphate Fertiliser Com-pany (FSFC) with the capacity for 100,000metric tonnes of single super phosphate.

There are about 25 bulk blending plantsin the country. Most of them are owned bystate governments. About five of them areowned by private entrepreneurs. They havean installed capacity of about 1.8 millionmetric tonnes.

An effective fertiliser distribution system,Kwa explained, ensures that the right qual-ity of fertiliser are delivered to farmers inthe right quantity at the right time; and thatthey have access to fertiliser close to theirfarm gates.

Under the public sector distribution sys-tem, Kwa said various models were ap-plied, and different prices charged due tovariation in subsidy level. This, he ex-plained, promoted diversion and recyclingas well as corrupt practices.

Following the liberalisation in 1997, hesaid many private sector entrepreneurs haveentered the fertiliser market. Kwa saidmany set up distribution networks, andwere using their outlets/depots lo sell totheir dealers in major agricultural areaswho resell to farmers.

According to him, the liberalisation sawthe rapid development of fertiliser sellingpoints in the country.

Except for one or two companies, Kwa saidthe private suppliers are not making effortsto develop the market chain.

"Most suppliers rely mainly on govern-ment orders, which they readily deliver oncredit basis. But ihey insist on full paymentfor orders by private distributors. Whilegovernment takes delivery on credit, pri-vate distributors are required to operate oncash-and-carry basis. However, this may bebecause of the experiences of suppliers whohad lost money fraudsters This is commonin the country."

A consultant to the African DevelopmentBank, Prof Biyi Daramola, said neither thesubsidy nor fertiliser is a solution to thecomplex agricultural problems.

He noted that making-farming profitable,sustainable and productive will require

land use reform, political empowerment ofrural communities, long-term investmentsin irrigation, sustainable fertiliser use andsoil management, modern farm technologyand extension services, and transport andcommunication systems.

According to him, the seeds of food secu-rity can grow with just a little fertiliser anda lot of political commitment at the top.

Although poor farmers rarely accessfertiliser, the major beneficiaries of subsi-dies, he noted, are politicians.

ChallengesAt present, the nation doesn't have a

strong commercial fertiliserindustry.There are three major companiesinvolved in the business: Notore Chemi-cals Industries Limited, Federal SupperPhosphate Fertiliser Company and TAKContinental Limited.

There are many small enterprises whichhave no primary chemical production atall, they buy their materials to make mix-tures or blends, which are termed com-pound fertiliser.

Clearly, investments in infrastructureand transport (roads, rail, ports) and re-duction in clearing processes by the Cus-toms are part of the long-term solution toincreasing fertiliser use in the country.Fertiliser is bulky. As a result, transportcosts are a major element of the total costof delivery to the farm and can have amajor impact on the profitability of a fac-tory or distributor.

Cost disparityChanges in fertiliser prices and/or subsi-

dies are as politically sensitive as changes infood prices. In the past two decades, the gov-ernment has not made tremendous effort lodevelop domestic supply and reduce depen-dence on the world market.

Government, banks to fundfertiliser, seeds supply

Last year, the federal ministries of Financeand Agriculture signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) with commercialbanks for the supply of N30 billion worthof fertiliser and seeds to farmers.

Speaking at the signing of the MoU, Fi-nance Minister Dr Ngozi Okonjo-lwealagave a breakdown of the loan. She saidN22.6 billion was earmarked for fertiliser,N2.7-billion for seeds procurement and thebalance for agro-dealers with each of thementitled to N3 million.

She added that the loan shall be madeavailable to registered agriculture inputdealers across the six geo-political zonesat a subsidised interest rate of seven per

'Changes in fertiliser prices and/or subsidiesare as politically sensitive as changes in foodprices. In the past two decades, the govern-ment has not made tremendous effort to de-velop domestic supply and reduce depen-dence on the world markef

cent per annum with the Ministry of Fi-nance guaranteeing 70 per cent of the loanprincipal payment.

It is envisaged lhat the partnership willensure that at least 500,000 farmers haveaccess to the input and the initiative to cre-ate about 3,500 jobs and also generate 20million metric tons of food.

The minister said the Growth Enhance-ment Support (GES) programme, which isprivate- sector driven and supported un-der the financing arrangement with thegovernment guarantees 70 per cent of thetotal loan (about N17 billion of the loanamount) replacing the old ineff ic ientfertiliser system that was led by the gov-ernment.

Fake fertiliserThere have been reports of some tradeft

selling fake fertiliser believed to be a com-bination of fertiliser residues and stones.

The composition of Ihe product is very lowcompared to the chemical fertiliser. Itschemical composition shows that it is or-ganic fertiliser (manure). Farmers in KwahArea Council of the FCT alleged that adul-terated fertiliser was sold to them by thecouncil at subsided rates.

A farmer, Mr Yohanna Gabriel Bako .saidhe bought 24 bags of fertil iser from thecouncil which were adulterated with sands.

In his reaction, the Chairman of KwaliArea Council, Mr Joseph K. Shazin, con-firmed the allegation, describing the inci-dent as unfortunate. He said the councilwould investigate and report to the Fed-eral Ministry of Agriculture for further ac-tion.

Fertiliser pricingThe financial status of farmers could be

improved if their production prices arehigher Ihan the costs of fertiliser. In gen-eral, farmers produce below costs thus los-ing a great deal in the bargain. Fertilisercosts 35 per cent more than the list price bythe time it gets to farmers. Small farmers'income from farming is insufficient forthem to live on. they have to subsidise withother on-farm and off-farm income-gener-ating activities.

The main issue is that producer prices arenot keeping pace with the cost of fertiliser.This has innibiled usage. Government ap-proved the selling of fertiliser for 2011 crop-ping season as follows; NPK N2.000 andUrea Nl,900 against the purchase price ofN4.750 and N5,500 per bag.

There are many challenges for small farm-ers. Labour is insufficient to allow morethan small areas to be weeded. Yield lossesand total crop failure are often due to inad-equate weeding. Small larmers' crops aresubject to attack by pests.

Generally, understanding the importanceof matching crop variety with field condi-tions is poor among small farmers,

Need for local manufacruteImportation of fertiliser can be reduced by

using locally available raw materials tomanufacture them.

The constraint is the availability of rawmaterials such as lime, nitrogen and ver-miculafe used to manufacture fertiliser.

High transportation costs and other trans-action costs also push up fertiliser costs, mak-ing them unaffordable by farmers.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2012 13

ISSUES

First, it was fuelsubsidy removal.Now, it is fertilisersubsidy removal.Thefirst generated heat;nothing is beingheard about the otherbecause the issuesseem not to be assignificant as the fuelsubsidy. But suchanalogy may bewrong becausefertiliser is crucial tofood production.Self-sufficiency infood can only beachieved by makingfertiliser easilyaccessible to andaffordable byfarmers. The FederalGovernment intendsto stop fertiliserimport to allowprivate investorsdrive the business.But somestakeholders, aresupporting fertilisersubsidy retention,reports DANIELESSIET.

E)R Nigeri.i to feed itself and others,needs lo increase Ihe productivity

f farmers. Farmers need better seedsand fertiliser, which boost productivity,yields and pro-jfability.Althoagh (lie government subsidises

fertiliser, being the sole importer of theproduct, the subsidy seems lo have hin-dered easy access to, and the free flow of,the commodity resulting in its determi-nation to leave the business of fertiliserlo Ihe private sifctor. The decision is gen-erating heat. While some stakeholderssupport the deregulation of the fertilisermarket to enthrone accessibility, othersare pushing for the continuedsubsidisation of Ihe commodity in viewof the poor financial capacity of most ru-ral farmers.

But the question is: Do the farmers whoneed the product more get it?

Sidi Bweta, a'32-year-old farmer livingin Guyuk, a rur.il town in Adamawa State,lamenting the dif f icul ty in accessingfertiliser, said for as long as he could re-member, his mother had been buyingfertiliser for tntir small family farm Fromone of the lo.-al households that has ac-cess to it.

Bweta, who s;nd he has started his ownsmall maize ant I sorghum farm of 1.5 hect-ares, is unsure of where to buy fertiliserfor his crops. He said he is stiil depend-ingon his rmitier's connections.

'TTie government controls fertiliser dis-tribution in oui state, ff you are not con-

Bags ol f e r t i l i

Should fertiliser subsidy go?nected to one of the households taht hasaccess to the product, you cannot access if,"he explained.

According to him, the government pro-vides subsidised fertiliser to the ward coun-cilors, who redistribute it lo the lown el-ders. The elders resell fertiliser lo thosehouseholds thai have been providing po-litical patronage over the years.

The households either use the fertiliser ontheir farms or resell lo relatives and closefriends, such as Bweta's family. The ruralretail market is also an unreliable sourceof fertiliser as the traders often buy up thesupplies and sell at big markets in urbancentres at higher costs, Sidi said.

Bweta, however, has discovered an alter-native source. Across Ihe street from his lo-cal bank, Ayuba Bwangale, a rural salesagent, sells fertiliser produced by NotoreChemical Indust r ies Limited, PortHarcourt, a leading fertiliser company, inone-kiiogramme packs. When Bweta

bought fertiliser, Bwangale taught him howto space and plant the seeds in addition tousing the fertiliser properly.

Bwangale is one of 10 Village Promoters(VPs) trained by Notore to act as indepen-dent rural fertiliser merchants in AdamawaState. The VPs' sales training is unique inthai they educate farmers who buy theirproducts.Support for privatesector interventionSpeaking with The Nation, the Programme

Co-ordinator, Farmers Development Union(FADU). Mr Victor Olowe, said fertilisersubsidy has not helped farmers. Those ben-efiting from it, he noted, are politicians whodon't have farms.

Canvassing Ihe deregulation of thefertiliser market, Olowe said it wouldenable farmers to access various brandsand improve their farm productivity. Farm-

'The Federal Government is withdrawingfrom fertiliser import and distribution to al-low the private sector to move in. Theprogramme was said to be costly and prone tomismanagement and corruption'

ers, he said, need fertiliser for better pro-duce.

In his contribution, the Managing Direc-tor, Mid-Century Agro-Allied VenturesLimited, Mr Ray Obiajulu, said thegovernment's involvement in fertiliserpurchase and distribution is one of Ihemain reasons for low consumption. Thefertiliser programme, he observed, isheavily politicised, with many politiciansusing fertiliser supply and subsidies togarner votes and reward patronage.Chief Executive, Notore Chemical In-

dustries Limited, Mr Onajite PaulOkoloko, said: "The subsidies cost thegovernment dearly and often benefit thewrong people."

Above all, he said many poor farmersfind it difficult to buy the BOkg bags offertiliser. They either buy in small unitsfrom open bags, which often contain de-graded or adulterated products, or waitin vain to receive subsidised fertiliser,thus missing out on applying it at the op-timum time, if at all.

He said the company, aware of Ihe in-consistencies in government distributionnetwork, decided to develop private dis-tribution channels to make fertiliser avail-able to farmers in small quantities.

Okoloko said the introduction of the onekilogramme fertiliser bag was lo addressthe financial challenges ofsubsislent farm-ers.

"The farmers, who earn less than $1

* Continued on page 14

THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

AGRO-BUSINESS

•Project Manager, Cassava EnlerpGbassey Tarawali -left); Executive II1TA Director-General Dr. Nt.Atser, during a visit lo the goi

i Development Project of Ihe International Institute of Tropical Agricullure(IITA)Dr.istant lo MTA Director-General Mrs. Toyin Oke; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekili Slate;

lya Sanginga; and Ihe Communication Officer [West & Central'Afrka), I1TA Mr Godwinor in Ado Ekili.

$40m rice farm coming, saysA $40 million rice farm/% that will leduce im-

JL iports b) l!i per cenland cut costs b\4 billion($342 million) a veir is to beestablished, Agnci llure Min-ister Or Akimvvrt i Adesinahas said.

The project, he sa d is a jointventure between DominionFarms Lid., an Cklahorna-based farming company thatproduces rice in Kenya andthe Federal Government. Hesaid the FederalGovernment 's p i o d u c f i o ntarget is 300,000 met r i ctonnes a year.

"There's absolute ly no rea-son in the world f'>r Nigeriato be a food importing na-

MinisterBy Daniel Essiet,

Agile Correspondent

tion," Adesina said. Nigeriamust be a "food self-suffi-cient and exporting nalion."

Nigeria is the world's larg-est importer of rice, at 2.3million Ions a year and con-sumpt ion of 4.9 mil l iontons, according to theUnited stales Department ofAgriculture. Demand in thecountry will be 35 milliontons bv 2050, Adesina said.

Nigeria imports 2.1 mil-lion tons of rice yearly and

will produce enough grainin four vears to cover itsneeds, which would allow itio export to other West Afri-can countries and competewilh Thailand and India,Adesina said. The farm willstretch over 30,000 hectares(74,132 acres) in Taraba State.About 90 per cent of Ihe landwill be operSted by contractfarmers, and the resl will berun as a corporate farm andfor t ra in ing purposes, ac-cording lo the statement. Thef a r m w i l l require 15,000workers Dominion Farms is

based in Guthrie, Okla-homa, and operates a 17,000-acre leasehold in westernKenya.

Agriculture accounts for 44per cent of gross domesticproduct, ana contributes toabout 77 per cent of all em-ployment in Nigeria,Adesina said. Africa's top oilproducer spends"well over"N1.3 trillion annually to im-port the four basic food itemsof wheat, rice, sugar and fish,he said.

Nigeria plans to add 20 mil-lion tonnes of productionover the next Four years ofcrops including rice, cassava,com, soybeans, sorghum andcotton, Adesina said.

'Old practices hamper food production'A RCHAIC agricultural

production practicesare hampering the

nation's que-t to become afood basket, an expert hassaid.

Johnson Ekpeii., .i'ho is aninternational consultant onagriculture and c imate is-sues, said agricultural outputhas not grown r^p dly, evenwith the abund.in :e of landand labour d«vt>leci to farm-ing. He said far i rers mustadjust production practices innumerous ivay • t i remaincompetitive.

Ekpere, a rctir ;d professorof Agriculture or ti--e Univer-sity of Ibaden ' U • ) , said alarge number of -iniall farms

produce verv l i t l le in a typi-ca l year. Meeting the in-creased demand for agricul-tural gixjds and services, hessid required the use of mod-ern farming practices,

hkpeie said changing pro-duc t ion practices wouldonly increase agriculturalproductivity but cause a sig-nificant growth in Iheamount of goods and ser-•. :-es produced by the agri-cr.ltural sector.

U'ith change in productionpractices, he said farmersv. '11 re.ilise enormous eco-n. mic benefits, includingJo'ver pesticide costs, sav-ir.-js in management time,ai 'ri , in manv esses, higher

yields through reducedlosses to pests.

He said changing farmingpractices along with grow-ing adoption of agriculturetechnologies vv i l l help thefarm sector lo increase totaloutput.

According to him, price in-creases for agricultural com-modities have lagged far be-hind both economy-wideprice increases and increasesin prices of agr icul tural in-puts. This, he explained wasnot in the interest of farm-ers if thei have to make al iving f rom i t . He said acombinat ion of changes infarming practices, and otherstructural tr^nd* will result

in environmental benefits.According to him, changes inpractices such as tillage andlivestock feed ef f ic iency,when coupled with efforts byfarmers to improve nutrientand pest management willhelp limit soil erosion andnutrient runoff. Changes inagricul tural product ivi typractices will not help keepprices of produce low, anexpert has said.

He called on Ihe govern-ment and stakeholders, toback full-scale adoption ofmodern agricul tural tech-niques. These should includeintensifying a g r i c u l t u r a lproduct ion by managingland and water.

UNAAD targets rural fanners to stimulate agric

T Hi- tJnti- rsity of Ag-n,:ult'ir( A be ok ut a(UNAA3 i. improv-

ing its research, k preparerural farmers in neet thechallenge of inc '-a-ing fooddemand its C t p i t y Vice-Chancellor,7iol • olaSaiako,has said.

In art interview ,/i hTtmNa-tion, Salako s.iid the institu-tion is working or rebuild-ing fanners'cap; city onsmall farms, .vK-ri' farmerswill integrate a>'d managecomplex farming sv stems in-corporating crop?. Tees andlivestock.

He said the institution is

[?--nmot ng jii .\teiiiiofi svs-It-m.

According :j him jjoodquality produce results rromsiritjitf produc-'"n practices,proper landfing during andat'er harvest.

-ie Slid research wilfp.'csenl information aboutproduct1 and variety selectionfi T markets, choosing thebust time and how to harvestoops for the appropriatemarket.He said yields must rise

across the sector and that foodsecurity depends on agricul-ture and improved yields.

lo increase yields, Salako

said farmers nei d the samet ' r i i i^ j as larmers in highlysuccessful agricultural coun-tries - access to teomology andservices.

The challenge fi>r the fann-ing sector, he notf d, is not jus*to deliver die technology thatcan improve yields, but toshare the knowledge, to helpfarmers increase their profit-ability.

Salako said modest farmersneed to acquire knowledge toseea return on imestment. Byincreasing ihe profitability ofthe farmers, he s^id the insti-tution would empower themto become more productive.

j y sharing its research andpracticalltnowledge with

He reiterattii thai the uni-versity is ready to contributeto improving food suppliesby sharing its research andP'larmers.

Since more women are in-volved in farming, he said hesupports training in agricul-tural research.

He said this could helpwomen scientists to bringpractical, sustainable im-provements to the farm sec-tor such that small farmers -most of whom are women -can build better lives forthemselves and their fami-lies.

STATE FOCUS

Borno home of fishingAGRICULTURE is the mainoccupation of Borno Stale. IIinvolves 80 per cent of thepopulation. Farming, fish-ing and animal husbandryrepresent the main agricul-tural activities in the state.

The key agricultural pro-duce of the state includemillet- , sorghum, wheat,rice, mangoes, citrus fruits,vegetable, gum-Arabic, on-ions, carrots, groundnuts,berries etc. The state hasconsolidated its hold inthese areas.

The goal of the govern-ment is to increase food pro-duction to achieve internalfood sufficiency, while pro-v id ing the enabling envi-ronment lo boost exportproduction.

Experts in the industry seethe opportunities and bright

Eromise that Borno State isolding out for the future.

A strong agricultural stale,good climate and a lot ofland for agricultural produc-tion to feed the Northernregion.

f-ollowing the FederalGovernment efforts to boostthe production of major cashcrops, farmers in the statecan benefited from strongeconomic performance.Continued high prices incrop and livestock marketsare predicted, meaning thai

Erospects for Ihe farmersiok solid in the year ahead."The sector will see an in-

crease in overall fa rm in-come levels due to higherprices for grains and oil-seeds. The governmentneeds private investors toplay an imporlanl roie itsagriculture and agri-foodsector. The Ministry of Ag-riculture is targeting devel-opment of agriculture andrelated industries.

This means increasing thecompetitiveness of the sec-tor, increased volumes ofproduction, and improvedthe social sphere in rural ar-eas. The governments wantto keep positive growth inlivestock breeding and theiivestock industry. This willinclude increasing meatproduction by constructionand upgrading of livestockand poultry facilities. Shareof pedigree livestock has in-creased. There is slate wideeffort to improve quality ofcattle and, replace less pro-ductive breeds with moreproductive breeds. Themain goals of the stateprogramme on develop-ment of agriculture is foodsecurity, support of ad-equate level of farmers' prof-its, support of the attractive-ness of agriculture for in-vestment, and the complexdevelopment of the socialsphere in rural areas.

fubsequen'lv, the govern-ment ha> outuned ne-.v pri-orities including, de\--.r.e'.it of agro-food market in-frastructure, support of pri-vate larms and small agri-cultural enterprises, supportoi exports of agriculturalproducts, upgrading of foodand processing Industriesand strategic measuresaimed at mitigation ofweather and climate risks.

Tiie state government haplanned to increase competi-tiveness of the agriculturalsector using the negotiatedfavourable terms to wooforeign and local investors.The strategy supports infra-structure development, so-cial development of rural

territories, irrigation andland reclamation. The stategovernments want to useagric to promote employ-ment and advance the socialand economic welfare ofresidents, ensure small andmedium enterprises (SMEs)have opportunity to partici-pate in the sector and reviewits policies to ascertain re-strictive practices whichmay adversely affect theeconomic interests of farm-ers.

The sector is witnessingconsiderable transforma-tion and commercial orien-tation and it has to bestrengthened for effectivecompetition.

The government is provid-ing a wide range of farm in-puts, including fertilisers,improved seeds, herbicides,pesticides and agriculturalimplements and machinery.Certain farm services arealso subsidised.These in-clude land clearing and Irac-tor hiring services, irriga-tion, farm credit, extensionservices, and agricultural in-surance. Fertiliser was themost prominent of the vari-ous inputs and activitiessubsidised by the govern-ment. To improve competi-tiveness, the government isimproving access to marketinformation not only for Ihetradi t ional food crops butalso for other crops of indus-trial importance. The state isestablishing the environ-ment for a thriving and com-petitive indigenousagribusiness sector that re-lies on a-system of flourish-ing and innovat ive enter-prises.

The frame work will besustained by good infra-structure, regulations andaccess to appropriate financ-ing. Addition to access toproper equipment andmaintenance services, thegovernment wants agric en-trepreneurs to be able to as-sess market feasibility andraise investment capital.The considerable amount oftraining is involved addressthe needs of farmers in therural areas on the need toembrace modern farmingtechnology. Farmers aretaught new technologiesand connected to the state'sagriculture ministry, and re-search centres.

The government believesharnessing its agricultur.ilresources will contribute tothe national income.

To this end, it is champi-oning mechanised and com-mercial arable farming.

The government hopes toimprove the living standardof farmers and increisedproductivity.

•Gov. Kashim Sheltima

PUNCH

FF.BRUARY26.2012

PAN set to assemble 3,000 Chinese cars annuallyRASHEED IJ1SIRIYU

PAN NigeriaLimited, themanufae lu re r sof Peugeotvehicles in

Nigeria, is set lo diversify itsbrand portfolio with massproduction of \lsvin model,a brand of the ChongqingChangan AutomobileChina.

The aut<J companysaid on Friday (hat it hadcompleted a full scaleinstallation of the factorylines for the production ofthe Alsvin -with an enginecapacity of 1.5 litres.

It also said the firm hadconcluded arrangementwith the Chinesemanufacturer Hoprovide Ihetechnical support to enableit to assemble 3,000 Alvinvehicles in Nigeria.

PAN is on? of the fewsurviving au:o assemblyplants in Nigei ia, which wasprivatised in >OO3 as partof measures to reinvigoratelocal vehicle production.

According to a statementby the acting Head ofCorporate Communication,PAN Nigeria Mr. MusaUsman, the company hadrolled out icme units ofthe product, which areprototypes.

It said, "Tiis is on thestrength of a TechnicalAgreement .signed betweenPAN Nigeria Limited andChangan AutomotiveManufacturing Company,brand ov. nersi .f the ALSVIN,a B and Mi segments car."

Hie Memorandum ofUnderstanding was signedin China in October lastyear, the state nent said.

"Chairman Board of

Directors of PAN Nigeria,Alhaji Sani Dauda, ledtop management of thecompany to China for thehistorical event in Octoberlast year," it said.

The team from China wasin Kaduna. the productionbase of PAN Nigeria, onWednesday to assessthe preparedness of theNigerian aulo firm.

''During an inspection

tour of the first set ofthe Nigerian producedALSVIN to ascertain theoverall readiness of thecompany, the chairmansaid PAN would initiallyproduce ahout 3,000 unitsof the ALSVIN from itsKaduna plant in 2012 withproduction target expectedto increase annually," itsaid.

It gave The attributes

of the product as havingEuropean design, strongChinese elements and anamenability to the Nigerianterrain.

The Managing Director,PAN Nigeria, Alhaji SliehuDauda, said the decisionto diversify into a multi-brand was market drivenand hinged it on the need toproduce affordable vehicleswithin the reach of the

middle class in the country.He said, "We have

achieved lest productionof the Alsvin. We have alsoexhaustively conductedroad lest of our productionto assess quality anddurability which signify ourreputation.

"The results were veryfavourable as the AI,svinproved to be very suitablefor Nigerian roads."

First Bank as atNov. 24, 2011

Billing SeMing

$ 157.50 160.50£ 245.00 253.00€ 217.00 220.00

EXCHANGE RATESCBN as at 24/11/2011

YEN 2.0204

WAUA 239.9906

$ 155.71

SDR 41.0802

CFA 0.3057

GBP 242.2225

" - /

:

•L-R: Country Managing Director. DHL. Mr. Randy Buday; Commercial Managing Director, Mr. ChrisOkereke; and Retail Manager. North. DHL. Mr. Charles F.ke, during the Nigeria Oil and (las Coitfereitce, inAbuja... on Friday

NIPC wants NASS to ratify trade agreementIFEANYI ONUBA

ExecutiveSecretary ofthe NigerianI n v e s t m e n tP r o m o t i o n

Commission, Mr. MustafaBello, has called on" the

Nigerian Youths Parliamentsto use their legislativepowers to influence theNational Assembly to ratify'all bilateral agreementsthat Nigeria has enteredwith other countries of theworld

He said there were over

IITA offers recipe for food insecurity, unemploymentjpMAPPING research

outputs fromi n t e r n a t i o n a la g r i c u l t u r a l

-JL i research centerscould help lational andstate governments to tacklethe twin proMerns of foodinsecurity ?.ni the risingwave of unemployment,says the Dinx:or-General ofthe International Instituteof Tropical Agriculture, Dr.Nteranya Sa:ijinga.

He said this during acourtesy visi! t-> the Governorof Ekiti State. Dr. KayodeFayemi, a ;&iternent fromthe institutes; id on Friday.

Sanginga said, "Wehave the technologies andknowledge t<> help boostagriculture : nd we areready to sha 'e these with

partners.He said investments in

research and developmentbacked with the necessarypolitical support couldalleviate the situation of highfood import burden andimprove agriculture.

Pledging to step upassistance to farmers in EkitiStale, Sanginga called forgreater cooperation betweenIITA and the government ofEkiti.

According to thestatement, Ekiti is amongthe states that have over theyears benefited from HTA'sinterventions in researchand development work incocoa, yam, cassava, andbanana and plantain.

"For instance, farmers inthat state received improved

cassava cuttings from theinstitute, while the cleanseed yam technology isequally offering farmers'seeds of hope"1, it said.

Sanginga was quotedas saying partnership wasimportant if the goal ofreducing the number of poorpeople and guaranteeingfood security was to beachieved.

While urging thegovernor to tap the availableimproved planting materialsat the institute to maximi7.eyield on fanners' fields, hesaid that the yellow cassavavarieties recently developedby IITA and nationalpartners could help the slatein improving the nutritionof people suffering fromvitamin A deficiency.

40 of such agreementson trade, investment andother related matters thatwere aimed at advancingthe economy of the countrywhich are yet to be ratifiedby the National Assembly-

He emphasised thatwithout the ratifications,Nigeria would continueto lose on the benefitsa Deniable from suchAgreements.

The Executive Secretaryspoke when principalofficers of the parliamentsled by the Speaker, Mr.Abdullah! Mairasira, paidhim a visit in Abuja, urgedthem lo promote andadvance the economic andpolitical development of thecountry.

Bello also enjoined themto work with Ihe FederalGovern men I lo bring aboutthe realisation of the jobcreation programme inorder to ensure that youthswere gainfully employed.

While advising youthsto shun all vices lhat wouldrelard their own progressand the country at large.

he said with the successfulimplementation of theWorld Bank Small andMedium Scale Enterpriseprogramme coordinated bythe commission, Ihe NIPCcould successfully assislthe government to ensurethat youths were gainfullyemployed.

Bello disclosed thatthe World Bank MSMEprogramme that waspiloted in three stales of theFederation — I.agos, Abiaand Kaduna — had assistedover one million artisansand other small businessenlrepreneurs in Improvingtheir business.

This, he noted, wasachieved through the loanobtained from the scheme.

He further called on theFederal Government andthe World Bank to revisitthe programme and providethe needed fund to promotethe MSME.

He maintained thatinvestment promotion andfacilitation remained the keyto economic transformationof anvcounlrv.

New licencesfor fixedtelephonyunderway

-P23

•Ajintobi

Erosionthreat: OyoLGs underpressureoverprojects

-P56

TUESl>.Vi. FEBRUARY 28, 2012 PUNCH

business^economy

FG to boostagricultural

productivity toN48tn"

Friday Olokor, Abuja

'"pHE Federal Go .'eminentJ. has announced plans

to increase the nation'sagricultural productivityfrom the preseiit Sgtibn(Ni5.84bn) per ; iioum toSgoobn (N48tn| liy 2030.

It has a Is o pi edgi :d the s u mof $15111 as its contributionlothe Interne lion: 1 Fund forAgricultural De\elopmentfor the rcpknishment of tileIF An resouices.

Tlie Minister ofAgriculture and RuralDevelopment. Br..\ki nwumiAtlesina, according lo astatement made availableIn our correspondenton Monday in Abuja byhis Special Assistant(Media and Strategy),Dr. Olubayoik Oyeleye.disclosed tins during thejust concluded 35 ill sessionof the governing council of1FAD in Rome. Ifcily.

He said in order tocreate jobs .ind ensure amore balanced economicgrowth; the governmentwould be refocusing onthe agricultural sector,adding, "Our vision is lomove Nigeria to l>econ]e anagriculturally industrialisedeconomy. l<i cre<te wealth,jobs and markets forfanners, and to revive therural eronomj."

Adesiivi siiid thegovernment hnd developeda Vision 2020 strategy tomake Nigeiia one of the top20 economies in llie worldby 202 o.

"We plan to srw the sizeof the agi iculti-ral sectorfrom the present level of$99bn per veal today toabout $3"Ji)bn per year by2030," he said.

The ti.sm pledgerepresents a 3013 per centincrease over tlie regular$5in, which Nigerianormally gives Ic IFAD.

This is the ninth time theFederal Government wouldbe making contribillions toIFAD for the icp enishmentof its resources.

The minister said thatthe prospect <-f agricultureto the global economy andnational development wasvery bright in Nigeria.

He said, "Nigeria'seconomy is one of thefastest growing in the world,growing by 7-t per centannually, and it s projectedthat Nigeria will becomethe fifth largest country inthe worFd by 2050 and thelargest economy in Africaby 2015.

"Agriculture is very-important for Nigeria, whereit contributes ic pw cent ofthe GDP and ever 70 percent of all .?mt If. >Tnent."

SURE programme has not been dropped - Presidency• Jonathan visits exploded Chevron facility7

Ihuoma Cliiedozie andMike Odicgwu

THE Presidency onMonday denied reports

I hat President GoodluckJonathan had said theSubsidv Reinvestment andEmpowerment programmehad been jettisoned.

The President hadreportedly said at the58th National ExecutiveCommittee meeting of thePeoples Democratic Partyon February 20 lhal theSURE programme wasno longer realisable asoriginally planned becauseof the partial reversal of thetotal removal of subsidy onpetrol.

However, in a statementby the Special Adviser tothe President on Mediaand Publicity, Dr. ReubenAbali, the Presidency saidthe reports were untrue.

The statement describedtlie reports as a deliberatemisrepresentation ofJonathan's comments atthe POP event.

•

Abati said, "As hasbecome the pattern by somepolitical pundits, whosedefinition of oppositionis to undermine any goodpolicy initiative of theFederal Government,there has been ;i deliberatemis representation of thecomments by PresidentGoodluck Jonathan at the58th National ExecutiveCommittee of the PeoplesDemocratic Party onFebruary 20' 2012 on theissue of reviewing the SUREprogramme.

"Hence, it has beenalleged that tlie FederalGovernment has abandonedor is attempting to truncatethe Subsidy Reinvestmentand Empowermentprogramme."

The statement saidJonathan only meant til atthe programme would haveto be reviewed, in view ofthe government's inabilityto fully remove petrol

subsidy.The programme,

according to the Presidency,was based on the totalremoval of subsidy.

Abati said, "At no timedid President GoodluckJonathan said that theFederal Government hadabandoned the SUREprogramme. What he said inhis opening remarks at themeeting last week was thatthe full implementation ofgovernment's palliatives tocushion the negative effectsof the fuel subsidy removal,as contained in the originalSURE programme was nolonger feasible and wouldbe reviewed in view of thepartial rather than fullremoval of the subsidy onpetrol.

"The SURE programmewas predicated on a policyof full deregulation as statedin the SURE documentreleased to the generalpublic. However, due to

widely publicised eventsafter the commencementof full deregulation, thegovernment, after a series ofnegotiations with organisedlabour, reduced the pumpprice of petrol.''

He added, "It, therefore,follows that the funds thatwere expected to accruefrom full deregulation willno longer accrue since thepolicy of full deregulationwas stepped down for thetime being.

"This new realityinfoi med the President'sdirective that the originalSURE programmedocuments alreadycirculated lo the public bewithdrawn in order notto give the public falseexpectations."

He added, "For thosewho are still in doubt,let it be stressed that theDt. Christopher Koladecommittee charged withimplementing the SURE

Chairman, Visafone Communications Limited. Mr. Jim Ovia (m)- and othei- management members of staff of Ihecompany during the 4th anniversary of the company in Lagos... recently.

Nigeria to earn Ns*49bn daily from Usan field.Stanley Opara

'-pOTAL'S Usan oil field,J- which commenced

production on Friday, isexpected to generate forthe country an income ofS22.2$m (N3.49bn) dailywith its capacity to produce180,000 barrels per day ofcrude oil.

Ba-5ed on 8123.61 priceper barrel at an exchangerate of Ni57 per dollar asat Monday, the countryis expected to make overN;).4°bn daily from thefield.

Total, which operates OilMining Lease 138. deliveredthe project as scheduled.

Usan is the second deepoffshore developmentoperated by (he company inNigeria, coming on streamless than three years afterAkpo.

The country currentlyproduces over 2.5 millionbpd of crude oil andcondensate pel day.

Discovered in 2002, theUsan field lies around 100kilometres off the SouthEast Nigerian coast inwater depths ranging from750 metres to 850 metres.

The Usan developmentcomprises a spread mooredFloating Production,Storage and Offloadingvessel designed to process

180,000 barrels per dayand with a crude storagecapacity of two millionbarrels-

Commenting onIhe achievement, thePresident, Explorationand Production. Total, Mr.Yves-Lou is Darricarrere.said on Friday, "I amparticularly proud toannounce start-up of thismajor project togetherwith the concession holder.the Nigerian NationalPetroleum Corpora lion.This project demonstratesthe ability of Total, a keyoperator of large-scale deepoffshore developments inthe Gulf of Guinea, to lead

ambitious projects thatwill contribute to increaseproduction for the groupand for Ihe country.

"Total, as operator, hasintroduced a number oftechnological innovations,among which is a solutionthat drastically reduces gasOaring and thus minimisesthe project's environmentalimpact. The developmentof Usan has involved arecord 60 per cent of localcontent man-hours andthus has contributed tostrengthening the know-howof the Nigerian industryin the area of hydrocarbonexploitation in the deepoffshore.'"

programme is still al workand has not been disbanded,whileanewSURE documentcontaining the reviewedpalliatives will soon bereleased to the public.

Meanwhile, the Presidentsaid on Monday that theFederal Government wascommitted to addressingthe environmentalproblems resulting from oilexploration and productionin the Niger Delta region.

Jonathan gave theassurance in Koluamacommunity, Southern IjawLocal Government Area,Bayelsa State, when hevisited the exploded gas wellhead belonging to ChevronNigeria Limited.

The President, whopromised tlie impactedpeople of Koluamagovernments readiness toaddress the environmentalproblems in the area,also directed the NationalEmergency ManagementAgency lo distnbute reliefmaterials to the affectedcommunities lo alleviatetheir plights

Banks remainshut in Ogunover security

concernsAdemola AJawiyc

(EPOSIT MoneyBanks in Ijebu and

Remo divisions of OgunState, which were shuton Thursday following anattack on one of them; haveyet to open to customers.

Our correspondentgathered from workers ofthe different banks thaithe decision to close downwas taken by the BankersForum in the stale followingincessant attacks by armedrobbers since June las!year.

The forum comprises ofbranch managers of all theDMBs and microfmancebanks in the state.

One of the bankers,who pleaded not to benamed because he was notpermitledlospeakofficially,told our correspondent thatthe workers had agreedto stay away from workuntil the slate governmentprovided adequale securityfor them.

"We have beenexperiencing theserobberies since June lastyear. In October last year,they came to Ago Iwoyeand robbed five banks al ago. We met the governorand he promised to providebelter security, armouredtanks and patrol vehicles.After a while, they struckand robbed four banksagain in a single attack, andjust last week, they robbedanother bank in Ijebu Igbo,"he lamented.

D!

_l FRI1FRIDA1, KARCH 9. 2012 PUNCH

Opeifators initiate new scheme to boost cashew productionLavi Adeloye

THE Natioii.il CashewAssociation ol Nigeria

has unfolded I lans toembark on a Sprcu I CashewProduction Scheme in 10states in Nigeria.

'Hie President ufNCAN.Mr. Tola Faseni. isted (hestates In be used as pilotschemes to include Ahia,Cross River, Kogi, Kwara,Oyo. Nassjirawa Osun,

FDI, key tosustainableeconomicgrowth-BATN

I.ayi Ade oye

rt~i}lF. Rrilish .\merican_L Tobacco Nigeria, has

described Foreig i DirectInvestment as tha key tosustainable socio- -conomicgrowth in Nigeria.

The Ari'-a I I auagingDirector of the rompany,Mrs. Beverley Spencer-Obatqyinbo, i. ss quoted.is stating tliis during theMarch 2012 breakfastMeeting organise! by theNigerian British Chamberof Commei ce in Lagos.According lo a statement bythe firm, in a pie? entation.titled, 'Driving NationalGrowth tli rough ForeignDirect Investment.'Spencei-Oljfitoyin^o, saidthat the issues "f global ornational socio- conomicdevelopment were pivotal loreducing, if not completelyeradicating, ih-? growingproblem of global insecurityand poverty.

According lo her, FDIis one of the most dynamicavenues for internationalresource flicv; intodeveloping countries, thusbringing with il 111 _' benefitsthat are capable of drivingsustainable grow-Ill.

Spencer -Oba toy inbosaid that there was agrowing consensus thatFDI had become essentialto attaining t le newgoals set by ihi.'- currentarl ministration. ;tnd [hatNigeria as a coiin'ry (givenitsnaturalresouici'baseandlarge market si?e) qualify tobe a major recip'e it of FDI.

She urged stakeholdersto critically look into howthe country ci;u d utilisethe FDI Mndo.v to drivethis growth, e^'cially inthe non-oil sector;.

She enjoinec. Migeriansnot to give up. addingthat there was \h: need tocollect]veU woi k togetherlo creatively overcome allthe challenges <~f operatingwithin the economy.

Delta, Akwa-Ihom andEdo.

According to a statementbv NCAN, a copy of whichwas made available lo ourcorrespondent in Lagos onWednesday, Kasem addedtbat each of the slateswould make availablei.ooo hectares of land for

the scheFaseru was quoted

as stating this at thecommencement of thejust concluded NigerianCashew Season 2O12 inIlorin, Kwara Stale. He saidtliat under the scheme, aprocessing plant wouldbe established in each of

the states to be fed by thecashew plantations.

He also said thatthe new plan would \>eproviding jobs and wealthcreation opportunitiesfor the country's teemingunemployed youths.Specifically, he saidover 25,000 new job

opportunities were beingexpected from the scheme.

According to him. thestrategy will not only providenew jobs, but will alsopromote entrepreneurship,as it is structured to makethe workers owners of Ihefarms.

added that the

• '

."

•L K Brand Manager. Lucozade Boos*. Kunle Faioye. comedian, Julius Agwu; Innovations Manager. GRK Consumer.V, inston Aileirtob: and Marketing Director. GSK Consumer, Mark Pfister, during a uisit by finalists in Lucozade Boost FreestyleTelevision Shoiu to the company in Logos on Wednesday

Pharmadeko plans capacity expansion,celebrates returnI.avi Adelove

PHARMADEKO Pic.manufacturers of the

popular SANS Cream Sodaramong other products, hassaid it plans to embarkon massive capacityand product expansionprogrammes in furtheranceof its market reclamationactivities.

The com pa ny a n nou n cedthis at the celebration of itsreturn to profitability andmarket prominence, whichwas marked with an awardceremony in I,agos onMonday. According lo themanagement, the companyis currently sourcing • forfacilities to achieve theobjectives.

Addressing journalistsshortly after an awardceremony be Id for thecompany's distributorsin Lagos, the ManagingDirector, Mr. Kunle Abibu,said that the decision toreward the distributorswas horn out of the needto invest in them so as lobuild confidence and renewits existing relationship,which had been built overthe years.

Abibu said efforts wereon to secure a bail-out ofNibn through Ecobank toprosecute the big expansionprogrammes. While

expressing confidence inthe process of accessingthe fund, he, lamented thedelay in the processing,which he blatned on thebureaucracy involved inthe merger between thebank and former OceanicBank, rather than Ecobanksystems.

He said with the fund,the company would be ableto achieve the much neededlurnaround it was pursuing,particularly in the area ofbringing back some of itsproducts, which held swayin the past.

The Pharmadeko bossnoted thai since the newmanagement came onboard, investment in humanresources, provision ofappropriate remunerationand motivation bad beenput in place to enhancegreater performance.

He said that althoughthe company's focus wasto expand and consolidateits local manufacturingcapacity and profile, Abibusaid the firm was not totallyaverse to consideringpartnerships. especially onfranchise terms, providedthey were favourable lo thecompany's vision.

In its renewed efforts

to win back the confidenceof its customers, themanagement of thecompany rewarded somedistributors, who weredescribed as having madeoutstanding performancesin the sales of its productofferings in 2011.

The distributors, whowere awarded several giftitems, commended thecompany for the laudableinitiative, which wasaimed at rewarding theirloyalty. However, thehighpoint of the event wasthe ptesentation of a KiaPicanto ear to Mr. Mahabn

Kaz.eem, who emergedthe best distributornationwide.

Some otherdistinguished distributorswere rewarded with variousprizes, having recordedoutstanding performancesin other different categoriesof awards. Other recipientsof the award included AyiVenture Limited, MabroPharmacy Limited andCarnaco Pharmacy Limited,among others, but withdifferent types of prizes,ranging from heavy dutygenerators, motor bikesand refrigerators to airconditioners.

Governor of Kwara State,AbdulahiFatai Ahmed, hadgiven the go-ahead for thescheme to commence in thestate.

On his part. Ahmed,who was represented bythe state Commissioner ofSpecial Duties, Mr. AliyuMohammed, said thatKwara was proud to be amajor producer of cashewin Nigeria.

The governor alsoprojected that the slatewould play a leading rolein the SCPS initiative aspresented by NCAN.

The Minister of Tradeand Investment, Mr.Olusegun Aganga. hadearlier called on NCANand its promoters to putmachinery in place andwork towards doublingproduction and processingfigures of previous years asa way of enhancing cashewtrade in Ihe country.

Aganga, who was said tohave been represented by adirector in the ministry,Omololu O pee we, saidfurther that the 201^cashew season would be thebeginning of a paradigmshift in the history ofcasliewindustry in Nigeria,

The event alsowitnessed the signingof a Memorandum ofUnderstanding on thefacilitation of Ihe Nigeriancashew cluster financescheme between theNigerian Export andImport Bank, EcobankNigeria Pic, Abod SuccessInvestment Ltd. ACET Ltd,KD Foods, African CashewAlliance, AIMS Limited andNCAN. Faseru, on his part,said the signing of the MOUwould assist in makingfunds available to cashewproducers in the country'.

He, therefore, called onallparticipantsinthecashewvalue chain, from buyersto Ihe local buying agents,merchants, exporters andprocessors in the country,to take advantage of thisopportunity and improvethe cashew subsector.

Truth Construction bags NIS qualityTayo Famutimi

THE StandardsOrganisation of

Nigeria has awarded Truth

Construction CompanyLimited, Lagos. withthe NIS quality award.The award was givenin recognition of thefirm's activities, covering

t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n sequipme-nt, installationsand materials supply.

According to a statementby the firm on Thursday,the quality management

awardsystem certification cameon the heels of the pre-assessment work carriedout by the inspectorateSON's team in July 2011with the main assessmentfollowing in Novemberton.

It staled, "The apexstandard regulatory body,following the inspectiontours and awessment testsconducted by its team ofauditors, adjudged TruthConstruction Company lo

have complied with theminimum requirementsfor Ihe relevant industrialStandards."

"With this honour, thecompany has now receivedauthorisation by thequality assessment apexbody in Nigeria to displaySON logo on all its officialcommunications pertainingto tel ecom in unira lionsequipment installationsandmaterial supply having metminimum requirementsfor the relevant industrialStandards."

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COMMENT13Tuesday 28 February 2012

The subsidy question: Wickedness, propaganda, and distrust (6)

IKMUOconsultant in fftf deportment of business

administration. Olafrisi OnabanjoUniversitj, Ago-iwoye

One crucial and curiousquestion we did notask last week and whichcaptures the subsidyabtacadabia was why

our subsidy ma|;icians were import-ing, paying for :ind 'subsidizing' 59million barrels dairy while by theirown admission, we consumed about35 million? This can only happen inNigeria and the answer, if/when itcomes, must also be mily Nigerian!But today, being a veteran of thevarious subsidy wars (participating,monitoring, analyzing], my concernis to examine how the 2012 subsidywar compares with several othersbefore it. '[he reality is that the morethings appear to change, the morethey remain the same. The key issuein the current war is that Nigerianscannot be furthfer pauperized bygovernment po icies while the elitesfive like Arabian princes and corrup-tion is moving on all fours. But thatdid not si ait tot I ay.

About 30 years ago. ShehuShagari imposed 'frusterity' [aus-terity-induced frustration] on Nige-rians, and the complaint was that 'ina country where frauds are reporteddaily, where th<i governments havethrown financial prudence to thedogs, and where public functionar-ies live in outrigeoiis opulence, ilis the height of man's inhumanityto man for the masses to be sub-jected to this hcjsh and smotheringausterity: jlk Muo, "The ShagarianBrand of Austerity"! Financial Punch,IB/1/84, p.3.] Tills was actually writ-ten on 28/12/83, and before it waspublished, Buhari and his 'fellowcountrymen' were on board. Therulers and 'miners' of this country

always shield [ring-fence] them-selves from the pains and shieldus from the gains.

The 1988 subsidy war was verybrutal and this was how it went."Hie word subsidy suddenly resur-faced and its withdrawal becameour only saviour. Opposition wasunanimous and bitter. Bui Ihegovernment which knew what wasgood for us (as always] insistedthat subsidy must go. The NLC hadlogic and mass support; the gov-ernment had power and 'nationalinterest'...NNPC suddenly becameautonomous and could fix pricesas the market dictated. Then onemorning, a 'mere' 2.5 kobo incre-ment took effect, unannounced.Demonstrations unhmited started,from the hitherto docile UN1IOS....The whole nation caught fire. Someappealed, some threatened, someknocked logicality against illogical-ly [how many students own cars?all workers on strike sacked!]. Someinstigators were blamed.... Calmreturned but before then, therewere arrests, detentions, chargesof treason, negotiations, commu-niques. Meanwhile, tbe prices ofvirtually everything increased geo-metrically. And we keep waitingfor the happy days.' (Ik Muo: "Thestate of the nation: A one-act play^Democrat, 12/7/88, p.8).

In January 2012, it was the sameambuscade by an 'independent'PPPRA. Politicians were blamed;there were arguments like 'thepoor did not enjoy the subsidy) andprices of everything went up, andwe are still waiting.

Another fuel war was fought in2003 and this is the report card:'One thing is obvious: this sub-sidy being preached in Nigeriais a 'strange doctrine!... We haveplaced ourselves in a curious,no-win situation, where we do thesame thing for the same publicreasons, and in the same way,every time, and expect differentoutcomes. Well, it shall come topass, following the usual laugh-able cycle. The government willjust announce an outrageousprice increment, supporting it with

phony and funny arguments; labourwill reject it outright and the circusshow will begin. Several meetings,consultations, 'lobbying' [yes lobby-ing], blackmails, threats, intimidation,sabotage and divide and rule tacticswill follow. There will also be 'appealsfrom well meaning Nigerians andobviously sponsored solidarity ralliesurging the government to ignore theignorant detractors and carry on withthe good works. After all this, a newprice will be announced which will

Ihe 2012 subsidy warwas similar to the onesbefore: it was hasty and

sneaky and the sameargument in support.

There was official hardline position [arrest anddetention]; the govern-

ment used its favour-able balance of terror

effectively

satisfy neither party, and we shall allheave sighs of relief. But. .the sighs ofrelief will only be temporary becauselike the VW Beetle, the subsidy doc-trine has refused to die. It will onlygo on a brief retreat and return witha frightening recrudescence, and thatwill not usually take much more than12 months.' [Ik Muo, "This too shallpass away" BusinessDay, 9/7/03).This was exactly what happened inJanuary 2012!

Beyond the examples above, the2012 subsidy war was similar to theones before: it was hasty and sneakyand the same argument in support.There was official hard line position|anest and detention]; the govern-ment used its favourable balance oftenor effectively as the police whocould not protect us against rob-bers and the Boko-Haramisis wereunleashed on innocent and peaceful'occupiers! Prices increased as Nige-rians exploited themselves; govern-ment attempt to foil it through thecourt failed as usual; arranged pro-government demonstrators emergedwhile the proposal was presented ona TINA framework [TINA - There isno alternative].

There are, however, some stark dif-ferences. There was acute lack of col-laboration between government de-partments and officials, accusationsand counter-accusations, contradic-tory submissions and figures, eSortsat self-exemption ['it wasn't me'syndrome] while Sanusi's views actu-ally did damage to the government'sposition. In fact, government officialsand offices were fighting againstthemselves [il appeared as if Godhas put enmity among them (Indges7:22 and 2 Chronicles 20:22-23}[. The'occupy1 forces were an assembly ofsaints and sinners, including A-classcelebrities, certified reverends; thosewho had inflicted greater pain on thepeople; those who should be in jail;and those whose credibility accountswere in the red. The 2012 subsidy warwas the greatest 'I-no-go-gree' as-sembly of Nigerians since June 12; itlasted more than a week, the civil so-ciety organizations were very visibleand it had international dimensionsas Nigerians also occupied foreign

lands and unlike before, there werespecific protest squares [the freedomsquares]. The 2012 war also involvedstates/FG alliance; there was a hur-riedly prepared and now endangeredSUR£ document; and this was the firstin this BB and tweeter age. Nigerians,united by poverty, pain ana angeragainst their traducers, were readyto obey the biblical injunction: 'Oc-cupy til 1 come' (Luke 19:13). It wasalso peaceful/orderly and relativelyless deadly.

The war also assumed a resource-control dimension with Bayelsawomen supporting their 'son? Clarkeadvising those who lost politically totake it in good fate, the Occupy NigerDelta Resources group warning thatif Goodluck is not good for Nigeria,'then our oil is not good for you, andAssari Dokubo threatening to chasePENGASSAN out of the delta. Thismindset ignored the fact that the warhas been on for the past 30 years:against Hausa, Yoruba, military or ci -vilian leaderships. The war also wentbeyond subsidy to discuss issues ingovernance: corruption, federalismand governmental hypocrisy. Theusual argument thai subsidy is arightwas downplayed.

There were also some surprises.Those for and against agreed onseveral issues like the deregulationimperative, dealing with officially or-dained corruption, refinery manage-ment, and determining the exact sub-sidy. It was also a shocking surprisewhen Prince Tony Momoh declaredthat he felt 'fulfilled as a Nigerianlooking at the chaos surrounding ustoday1 [Sun, 15/1 /12, p.5|. One of thegreatest surprises was that mosi ofthose protesters, now termed miscre-ants, cordoned off with soldiers andbathed with teargas were the samepeople who demonstrated in 2009against the cabal {political] but forlonalhan. Today, they are demon-strating both against lonathan andanother CABAL. The rahle has turned.

• To be concluded...

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Rebranding farming in Nigeria

CLEMEHTT.OFUANIQfuani is Managing Partner at

Ofuani Maidoh & Co. (CharteredAccountants) and former Senior

Special Assistant to the President{Policy) at Office of the Chief of Staff

to the President, Nigeria.

Sometime in 2004, I visitedZimbabwe. It was at the heightof the British-in spired interna-

tional san n i > r: against the coun try.As if the sanctions were also sanc-tioned by the almighty, the countrywas experiencing a drought. It hadnot rained in almost four years.From-Harare, we drove throughkilometers of the countryside andbeheldatres arLd acres of lush greenfields under cultivation.

Zimbabwe is easily the foodbasket of the region and they takefarming very seriously, as we wereto find out. The country has gonebeyond rain-fed agriculture thatdepends on the vagaries of nature

to intensive irrigation system thatenables them to produce crops allyear round. For them, farming isnotabout cultivating crops during rainyseason and waiting it out during thesecoiW half of the year. Thus, theyhave overgrown the capacity limita-tions imposed by nature on farming.We were told that in summer, forinstance, they grew summer wheat,and in winter, they grew winterwheat, among many other crops.In addition, the farms we saw werehighly mechanized - they were nolbeing worked on by hoe and cutlass -wielding poor folks but by fairlyeducated and informed farmhandswho managed the farm machinery,from tractors to the water sprinklers.

Then we visited a cattle ranchand saw that cattie being raised forbeef were fed on a different variety ofgrass from the cattle being reared formilk. This was a product of agricul-tural research in which Universityof Zimbabwe had excelled. Indeed,we were to find out that it wascompulsory for every Zimbabweanundergraduate of the university totake courses in agriculture for thefirst two years before majoring inwharever field of study. And it re-flected in the people we interactedwith at the farms. They took intensepride in their tanning which elicited

envy from us Ihe visitors.One other lesson we look away

from the ranch was the application of"economics to cattle rearing. We wereinformed thai by confining the cattieto ihe ranches, it was more efficienlto grow the variety of grass best suitedto each set of cattle. In addition, thecatile were fed lo gain weight Themeat was sold in kilogrammes, whichmeant that the heavier the cattle, themore revenue they could realize Fromits sale. Cattle thai range over longdistances for grazing lose weight in theprocess of searching for grass. By con-fining the cattle to the ranches, there-fore, they conserved their weight,which translated to profils.

Our visit lo a chicken farm waseven more revealing- The grandpar-ent stock, the parent slock, the layersand the broilers were separated byphysical distances of not less thanone kilometre due to concerns aboutbin-security. This was something thaiwas scrupulously enforced by the gov-ernment. The government enforcedfarming regulations very seriously,WP were told. The species of chickenin the farm was called "Ross" and wewere told that the morto of the farmwas "Ross is boss and boss is Ross"Whatever made Ross better ruledthe farm as everyone recognized thattheir employment and indeed overall

well-beingwas tied to the well-beingof Ross.

Once again, we were introducedto another interesting applicationol economics to the farming. Thebroilers were reared for meal, whichdepended on their weight The feedswere formulated to enhance andachieve precise weight gains, andonce that weight was achieved, thechicken had to be slaughtered ascontinued feeding after they hadattained the desired weight was amonetary loss.

In our interactions with govern-ment ministers and even the vicepresident, I was struck by their en-thusiasm for agriculture. No matterwhat the topic of discussion was, thetalk invariably veered off to farm-ing, and you could notice the glintin their eyes as they described Iheirfanns, their crops, and their har-vests. Government ministers wereobviously very proud lo identify withtheir farming population, and thispercolated to the ordinary citizens.

As 1 reflected on the visit, I couldnot but compare Zimbabwe withour own country, Nigeria, wherefarming is synonymous with povertyand holds no economic attraction.Nigeria is blessed with abundantarable land and plenteous waterresources which together represent

potential wealth through agriculture.All the factors seem to be in place lopromotefood production and createjobs for the teeming unemployedpopulation. Despite this, the real-ity of Ihe Nigerian situation is thathunger stalks the land and acuteunemployment is prevalent in theeconomy. Successive administra-tions have always expressed desireslo make us self-sufficient in foodproduction and create employment.Between the desire and actual out-come, however, is a wide gulf. I havecome to the conclusion that weneedlo rebrand farming in Nigeria so thatpeople can perceive it as a businessor enterprise from which wealth canbe created if sensible managementpractices are deployed.

Listening to the minister foragriculture on Channels TV a fewdays ago expounding on this themeand value chain development inagriculture, I had renewed hope inour country that perhaps we canfinally get it right. The initiatives torebrand farming must therefore besustained for us to attain food secu-rity in our land.

Send reactions lo:comment@businessdayontne. com

The first farmer was the first man,and al! historic nobility rests on

possession and use of land.-Ralph Waldo Emerson E-mail

AGRIIC nrD||C|i|[OO ZO

ag@businessdayonline.com Tel.: 0803 Ilk 0471 BjPVff HwLff ff

I BUSINESSDAY: www.businessdayonline.com Wednesday 29 February 201 2

IITA offers steps to tackle foodinsecurity, unemploymentW m Vjpping reifareh Ekiti State, Sanginga said, and plantain. For instance,

o u t p u t s f r o m "We have (he technologies farmers in thai state receivedi n t e r n a t i o n a l and knowledge to help boost improved cassava cutnnrjs fromagricultural research agriculrureanuwearereadyto the institute, while the clean

. L. centres could help share these with partners" seedyannechnologyisequallynational and state governments The IITA director general offering farmers 'seeds of hope.'to tackle the twin problems of said investments in research According to Sanginga,food insecurity and the rising and development backed with partnership is important if thewave of unemployment, says the necessary political support goal of reducing the number ofNteranya Sanginga, director could alleviate the situation of poor people and guaranteeinggeneral. International Institute high food import burden and food security is to be achieved,of Tropical Agriculture {UTA}. improve agricu rure, pledging While urging the governor

Faced with the challenge of tostepupassistancetofarmers to lap in to the availablefood deficit, most governments in Ekiti State, and called for improved planting materialsin developing countries and greater cooperation between at the institute to maximiseespecially Africa rely on food IITAandthestategovemment. yield on farmers' fields, heimports to meet local demands. Endowed with favourable said that the yellow cassavaAlso, the rising populanon in agro- ecological zones, Kkiti is varieties recently developedIheregionposcstwoirnportant among the states that have over by the institute and nationalchallenges: more mouths to the years benefited from IITA's partners could help the statefeed and unemployment. interventions in research and in improving the nutrition of

During a recent visit to development work in cocoa, peoplesufferingfrom vitaminKayode Fayemi, governor, yam, cassava, and banana Adeficiency.

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licrobiotogistContinues from page 24

vernment.To mi t iga te these

lallenges, ! have joinedcooperat ive and Itend semina r s and

orkshops organised bye government. So far,e business has beenIf-funded except for fewans ai exorbitant interesttes. We expect the statevernment to make goodi promise on return ofmmodity boards that giveputs to farmers, buy offeir produce at harvest andduct the cost of inputs.I also plan to join the

ammercial Agricultureevelopment Association^ A D A ) with the hope

getting support fromvernmentFuture prospectFernworth Farm is readystock 50,000 to 100,000

rds with adequate fundingjt at min imal interestte. Currently, I have three•opie as staff but I wouldadily employ more.AdviceFarming is a demanding

isiness; it requires at of hard work and;rseverance. But I have» regrets; in fact, I am so

i filled to be a farmer, whoself-employed and an

nplovLT of labour. Also,od is getting so expensiveat many families canrely afford good food

t regular basis, but thermer has the advantageproviding some good

od for the family at very

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mAtdulfa lan Ahmed, Kwafa slate governor receiving Exco members of Nations Casliew Association ofNigena (NCAN). from right, eiecut ue governof, next to him Tola Faseru. Sotonye Anga, naiional publicrelations officer. Ibrahim Garba. chainnan NCAN Kwara Chapter Shogo Moshood. national secretaryand Roi i r r i i Ayeka. financial secietary

1 February 17-23 2012 Niaeria Commoditv Index

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6BUS1NESSDAV: www.businessdayonline.com Friday09-Sunday 11 March 2012

L-R: Ibidunni Itueh Ighodalo. founder'CEO. Elizabeth R; Ijeoma Onwu, partner. Akinlola Williams Deloitte: Fola Laoye.chairman, Hygeic Nigeria Limited, and Maria Goretti Idigo, diamond manager. Forever Living Products, dunng the AkmtolaWilliams Deloille 3012 International Women's Day celebration in Lagos yesterday. Pic by Francis Abiagam

AMCON seeks advisors to determinefate of nationalised banks

The Asset M a n -agement Corpo-ration of Nigeria(AMCON) says it

is searching for advisors 10determine the fate the threenationalised banks.

the managing director ofAMCON, Mustapha Chike-Obi, told the News Agencyof Nigeria (NAN) on Thurs-day in Lagos that reportsthat AMCON had put up thebanks for sale was not true.

"We are only looking forcompetent hands who willadvise us on what lo do asregards the banks.

"We have been misinter-preted and misunderstoodwith our statements, but wehave not said that we willsell die banks.

"So there is nothing likeproposed sale of the threehanks," Obi said.

He said that the corpora-lion could not delerminewhether the banks would besold, adding that it was onlythe advisors to die corpora-tion that could do that

Chike-Obi said that toachieve the aim, the corpo-ration had started placingadverts to ensure that theprocess would lead to Wringofcompetentadvisors.

He said that the f inaldecision would be in theinterest of the depositorsand investors.

Chike-Obi said that AM-CON did not have the powerto determine the directionof the outcome, but onlyhad powers lo engage theservices of advisors whowould determine die fate ofthe banks.

"Ihe three banks are Key-stone Bank (formerly BankPHB), Mains t ree t Bank(Afrihank), and EnterpriseBank (Spring Bank).

The hanks were nationalised in August last year be-cause of inability to meet thecriteria for recapitalisation.

The apex hank has in-jected N679 bil l ion into thethree hanks to improve theircapital base and meet obli-gations to depositors.

Thieves trnpling oil , gas industryoperations, N N P C boss warnsOLUSOLA BELLO sfated thai the activities of

The Nigerian Nation- menace to the downstreamal Petroleum Cor- sector where increasedpotation (NNPC) vandalisation of petroleumhas raised the red produri pipelines has made

flag on what ii termed sus- iialniostimpossibletopumptained nef;'.riiiu; activities produi tstorhi' depots acrossof oil pipeline marauders the country through thewhose activities ire posing pipeliresdierebydependinga potent threat ti the sue- on bridging with trucks,cessful operatirm rfboththe "Lc- us take diis menaceupstream and dcwnstream ^ bit further by looking at thesectors of ihe o 1 and gas dangei it poses to our collec-industry. live existence as a nation. If

The organisation said in we fail to curl) this trend wethe last few months we have are inadvenendy empower-lost millions of dollars in ing these criminals to lakeshut-in oil well; is a result over our local governmentof the activities of oil thieves areas and by the time they dowho bteach oui crude lines dial they would move on toto steal oil. So far the Trans- take charge of the states sinceForcados and ihe Trans- they now have die resourcesNiger Trunk lines have been to decide who gel to powershut-in due to att ick on the and one day we may as wellfacilities by Thieves. wake up lodiscoverthat they

Speaking at an nteractive have taken over the entireforum between '.o jmanage- country," the GMD noted.men! of the NMPC and the Oniwon warned mat theboard and commissioners situation, if left uncheckedoftheRevenueM-ihilisation could degenerate to the\llocation and Fiscal Com- scenario in countries likemission (RMAFC), group McxicoandColombiawheremanaging director (GMD} criminals have empoweredof the corporation, Ausicn themselves through nefari-Oniwon, declared thatpipe- «us activities and now callline vandalism presents the the shots because they havesingle biggest thieat to the stolen so much horn thesmooth operation of the systemlhroughuiiderworldpetroleum iiidusty today in operations.thecoimtry.nornjihatifleft "These criminals stealunchecked Nigerhwill wake both crude and refined pe-up one dav to discover that troleum products and sellpipeline thieves have taken sametoenrichtheifpockets,over the countrv. we must work collectively (o

The NNPC hslmsman stop them." Oniwon urged.

AGRICULTURE

Lagos creates 200 farms withNibn loan for youthsJOSHUA BASSEY ^"* vears' are selected annu- j it has entered Lagos economy

^^_ of applicants and are taken f , , *K 'ijf • '<• • And this economy, 1 believe|T-n a Did to continually th h sb[ nlonths of j t l_ ; ./fWfc^Mjii'l'fc't'bwi isvielding more result.• mcrease employment lensLw ^ ^ £K<^lfiMvd< "Again if vou go to theI opportunities ,r i t he sU months of internship on IjlSIlBSSflffi farmsof the 300 people that• state, the l,agos State , ,. u- L utiSmXt- iBHMKRjMlAB(I ", . iarms, after which they are ]aKEi''-^Krf&nlfKl "ave been empowered, you

"^S/lV,!Tmem ,S a empowered with financing to '• ^••^&K&f3\* will see that ihey are notvanced Ni billion in loans , - at; ^f, mV/E j • • n i n.begin commercial agriculaire f,iitm\M fSSdfSii doing it all alone. They areto youths involved in agn- il llMliM* 1 1 BtiMI rlH

on farm settlements in the BUHlaDatJJ^S^iyJH eilBa8inS other hands. So. Epe area of the slate- Bffl J.iffTlMWfifJ they have helped to cre-

The luans^vere sourced BusinessDaywasreliably I -'fllf "P»tfpH -f ft ate direct employment fortrorn micro- tin.inc* . mforme(J that the youths w«Waa*«*^Wf« ^ people working with themtor the youths who success- have exce[ied jj, areas such sixmonthsofintemship,and jn the farms and indirectfully wentthroug.Timens.ve as crop cultivatiorii fisheryi then they are settled," the employment, by keepingtraining and internship on hfie kee in pinery and permanent secretary said. vendors supplying goodscommercial farnung, under po^ ^ J He addcd however, that ,o the farms in business. So

' ' ' " According to Basorun, the monies were usually not therearemultipliereffectsonpowen-nent Scheme, popu- "Sofar300pcoplehaveben- given to the beneficiaries die economy," Basorun said,larlyknownas Agnc-Yl efilteddirectly.Theselection directly in cash, but in kind. On how government

Yakun Basorun, perma- [s done aimliauy_ 100 per throughtheircooperativeso- morutorstheprogressofthenent secretary, Lagos Mate set; (he firs( ba(ch of |()() has defies by cross- guaranteeing scheme and proper utilisa-Muustry of Agnculture and {^shed and haw bem each otller. -So mey idenniy tion of me faci]in, Basorun

' s> sPea^"6 '- givenlheirNSOOmillion.The whattheywanttodo.andwe said extension officers as' ' - ' ' second set has finished, and pay directly to the vendors we|| as the representativesClosed that over 300 youths ,hevareaccessingtheirown who supply the goods'! of the financial institutions

h , A° VPS N500 million. In fact, we are On the impact of the work with the youths onthe Agric-YI-.S programme- naving a meeting with the scheme on the economy of their farms. "We also have

lie scheme initialed oy the mjcro finance agency to fi_ Lagos stale, Basorun said: both local and internationalstate ' - ' ' nalise the process. Ihey have 'Three hundred people; consultants working withre-capture the dying inter- sjgned ^ fonns; ^e-H youngmenandwomenhave (hem. Don't forget thai the

l ; ' feasibility has been looked been taken off the streets. project is in collaboration' '" addlllon at. So they are accessing their That is to say we have re- with the Hebrew University

to making the beneficiaries own N5(K) miUion duced unemployment by of Jerusalem. So. we haveeconomically self-reliant, as ^ wfi k_ ^ ^ much MKady_ ^ firet lrainfirs fmm ^ m

the state pursues its large! of ^ jg Jn |hp pfocess of com ba[ch has bem $ven N500 evcfy mon(h m [[a[n ^^

pleting their internship. You million, the second batch is and oversee what they areIhebenehcianes,whoaie ^^ Uic programme js m receiving another N500 mil- doing to ensure that the

mostly unemployed youths phases lhe rust phase fe [ion means tha( Nlbu_ desjred ^ |s achjeved -

between the ages of 20 and n^ths of intensive training, Hon worth of investment he said.