Author: Adewale Kupoluyi
The National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN) has lifted its suspension on onion exports from Nigeria to Ghana with immediate effect, following renewed engagements aimed at resolving challenges affecting cross-border trade. The association, in a public notice, signed by its President, Alhaji Aliyu Maitasamu, said the decision followed consultations with relevant stakeholders, including the ministries of trade of Nigeria and Ghana, diplomatic authorities, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other institutions. NOPPMAN had earlier suspended onion exports to Ghana over unresolved difficulties confronting Nigerian and Nigerien onion traders and exporters in the Ghanaian market. The challenges reportedly centred…
As AGRA, formerly known as Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, marks its 20th anniversary with a continent-wide celebration tour, new evidence has allegedly tells a different story that hunger has risen sharply across AGRA’s focus countries since 2006, even as billions of philanthropic dollars poured into the industrial agricultural model. The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA)’s General Coordinator, Million Belay and Tufts University researcher, Timothy Wise would present two new reports that show the extent to which Gates-funded model of agriculture devastated the continent., saying food sovereignty movement leaders would ground the findings in their lived…
The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) has said it is strengthening support for women farmers by expanding access to finance and inputs to boost production, strengthen livelihoods, and improve their participation in the agricultural value chain. The bank disclosed this in a statement issued to journalists, highlighting its interventions to address persistent barriers confronting women farmers, including limited access to finance, inputs, technology, mechanisation, and markets. According to the statement, women are widely-recognised as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s agricultural economy, with estimates cited by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of United Nations, placing their share of the agricultural workforce at up to…
Five farmers, comprising four males and one female, have been feared dead after a canoe conveying them to their farmland capsized while crossing River Kuji in the Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State. The Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, disclosed this in Minna, the state capital. Baba-Arah said the incident occurred when the victims left Shaba Woshi village for their farmland across the river. Baba-Arah identified the victims as Yahaya Abubakar, Usman Abubakar, Lamin Hussaini, Baba Ahmadu, and Salihu Aliyu, all residents of Shaba Woshi village. He said the farmers travelled from the village to Katcha,…
Across Nigeria, educators, agribusinesses, and government agencies are asking the same question: How do we make farming interesting to a generation raised on phones, games, and fast food? The answer, they say, is to stop teaching agriculture like punishment and start selling it like an opportunity. With the average Nigerian farmer now over 50, getting kids interested is no longer optional. It is a food security strategy. In some states, schools are partnering with agri-tech firms to set up hydroponics kits, aquaponics tanks, and smart greenhouses. Students use sensors and apps to monitor soil acidity and alkalinity, temperature, and growth. It…
A farmer in China claims to have lost 25 acres of crops overnight after following pesticide advice from an Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant. The 67-year-old from Chuzhou in Anhui province had been using artificial intelligence software for a year prior to the incident. According to local report, he has been using it to ask for advice on everything from scheduling to fertilising. Initial success led to him trusting the AI and blindly following its instructions without confirming the information with other sources. After asking about the best course of treatment for controlling weeds and pests on sesame crops, the AI suggested a…
The Federal Government has identified five states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the pilot implementation of its National Ranching Policy. The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, disclosed this after briefing President Bola Tinubu on the ministry’s activities at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Maiha said the pilot programme would commence at the Wase Grazing Reserve in Plateau State, as a proof of concept for the new ranching model. He identified the six states altogether as Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Adamawa, alongside the FCT. According to the minister, the areas were selected because they have recorded some of the highest incidences of…
A 33-year-old poultry farmer, Oreoluwa Osonuga, has been abducted by armed men at the Ikenne Farm Settlement in Ogun State. Osonuga’s abduction was made known in a statement released by the Chairman of the farm settlement, Seye Kehinde According to Kehinde, the kidnappers briefly reached out to the victim’s family, demanding N500 million for his release. Part of the statement read, “The farm settlement in Ikenne witnessed an ugly situation as one of our members was kidnapped. He is Mr. Oreoluwa Osonuga, Male and about 33 years of age. “He is a poultry farmer and was on his way out of the farm when…
The Nigerian Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN) has suspended onion exports and called for an urgent roundtable involving the Federal Government, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and all countries importing Nigerian onions. NOPPMAN says the idea is to negotiate and sign a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to protect cross-border trade. The association stressed that the proposed agreement must go beyond the current dispute with Ghana, but cover all countries that import Nigerian onions, insisting that a permanent regional framework was needed to prevent recurring disruptions to the trade. The President of NOPPMAN, Alhaji Isa Aliyu, made the…
President Bola Tinubu has said Nigeria is targeting more than doubling the livestock sector’s estimated US$32billion annual contribution to the national economy, as part of efforts to make the country a leading hub for livestock production and processing in Africa. Tinubu stated this in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the 9th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture, themed, “Repositioning Animal Agriculture for Africa’s Agricultural Food Security and Global Competitiveness”. The President, represented at the event by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, said the Federal Government is committed to transforming livestock production from a…
