Olam management has re-instated its commitments to helping Nigeria advance its journey to self sufficiency in rice production by bridging the gap in local production and importation. This is coming on the heels of the company call for caution in the handling of excessive import duties and levies on rice as it might lead to smuggling of cheaper rice from neighbouring countries which will be counter productive to the protection of domestic rice producers and local rice investors.

Fertilizer suppliers who participated under the Federal ministry of Agriculture’s Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) are appealing to the government to redeem the N52 billion (Fifty Two Billion Naira) being the subsidy portion they are being owed by both the Federal and State Governments. The Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) is a Federal government initiative to actualise the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA). It is also aimed at subsidising the costs of major agricultural inputs, such as fertiliser and seedlings for farmers.

Fertilizer suppliers who participated under the Federal ministry of Agriculture’s Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) are appealing to the government to redeem the N52 billion (Fifty Two Billion Naira) being the subsidy portion they are being owed by both the Federal and State Governments. The Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) is a Federal government initiative to actualise the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA). It is also aimed at subsidising the costs of major agricultural inputs, such as fertiliser and seedlings for farmers.

Olam management has re-instated its commitments to helping Nigeria advance its journey to self sufficiency in rice production by bridging the gap in local production and importation. This is coming on the heels of the company call for caution in the handling of excessive import duties and levies on rice as it might lead to smuggling of cheaper rice from neighbouring countries which will be counter productive to the protection of domestic rice producers and local rice investors.

ABUJA-THE government Poland has concluded plans to partner with Nigeria in fish production in order to achieve self sufficiency in producing the commodity. This was disclosed by the Deputy Minister of Economy of Poland, Andrzej Dycha, during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina in Abuja.

The Ogun state government has entered into partnership with the British-American Tobacco Nigerian Foundation (BATNF) on human capacity development and materials empowerment of women poultry farmers in the three senatorial districts. Speaking at the certificates presentation for the first set of women farmers who were trained on poultry value chain in Abeokuta, general manager, British-American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) , Abimbola Okoya, declared that the foundation was established with the vision to reduce poverty in Nigeria Communities, targeting all divisions within the state.

Members of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, PAN, has called on the Federal government to stem the tide of smuggled poultry products into the country as over 1.2 million metric tons of poultry product estimated at about 2.75 billion dollars get into the country illegally annually. Speaking at the 3rd edition of the Nigeria Poultry Summit, President of the association, Dr. Ayoola Oduntan disclosed that the continued smuggling of poultry products is depriving the country foreign exchange and job opportunities for Nigerians.

THE Management of Ikeja Electric has blamed the current very poor power supply situation across its network to low power allocation from the National Grid. The Chief Executive Officer, of the distribution company, Mr. Abiodun Ajifowobaje, was quoted as saying in a statement that in the last one week, the average power allocation to Ikeja Electric is 350 megawatts, MW, against minimum load demand of 1,250MW.

Many may have given up that the bill on Biosafety will be passed by the 7th National Assembly not to talk of being signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan before he leaves office on May 29, 2015. But all that doubts changed when the National Assembly passed the bill and it was signed by President Goodluck Jonathan the National Biosafety Agency Bill into law on Monday, April 21, 2015.

ABUJA — THE Rice Processors Association of Nigeria, RIPAN, at the weekend backed the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina as the next president of African Development Bank, AfDB. Chairman, RIPAN, Muhammed Abubakar, disclosed this in Abuja while he while speaking with journalists, where he said the performance of the Minister in the agricultural sector and his track record at various international organisations makes him the preferred candidate for the job.

The accredited laboratories would boost the nation’s diversification and export promotion drive. One cheering news and indeed a key positive development from SON’s establishment of the accredited labs is that once local products are tested and certified, they are automatically accepted to have met local and global standards.

COCOA farmers in Elebisere community near Ofosu in Idanre Local government area of Ondo State watched helplessly as bulldozers mauled down their Cocoa farmland on which they had toiled for over 80years. Tears flowed freely as their source of livelihood was destroyed by agents of a quarry company who stormed the community with armed men ostensibly to intimidate them to submission.

ABAKALIKI—Brand new agricultural equipment imported by the Ebonyi State government for distribution to farmers have abandoned to rust away at the state Civil Service Secretariat, Unity Square, Abakaliki, the state capital. The equipment, which were worth millions of Naira include tractors, harvesters, planters and reapers were heaped at an open space in the Unity Square even as the farmers who were supposed to be the beneficiaries were wondering why the equipment were purchased in the first place.

Instead of young graduates wasting an entire year doing next to nothing, the government should ensure that these youths get the needed training in both the operation and business of agriculture. By the time they finish the service year, you’ll discover that they would not head to the cities for white collar jobs that are simply not there, they are ready for business” he explained.

A LEADING player in Nigeria’s agricultural commodities promotion drive, Elephant Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a global organisation, AfricInvest for the purpose of boosting the federal government’s backward integration initiatives on rice, crude palm oil and fertilizer Supply Value Chain across the world.