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30 — VANGUARD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2022
NIHORT, lawmaker, train 50 Ondo farmers on tomato production
— To reduce post-harvest losses, unemployment
By Dayo Johnson, Akure
In a bid to reduce post harvest
loses and unemployment , the
National Institute of
Horticultural Research
(NIHORT), trained 50
unemployed youths and women,
in Ondo state, on value addition
in tomato production.
The Director/ Chief Executive
Officer, of NIHORT, Dr
Mohammed Attanda, said in
Akure, the Ondo state capital,
that the training was organized
to achieve sustainable
economic empowerment and
growth in the commodity value
chain of tomatoes.
Attanda, said that tomato is
capable of impacting positively
on the economic development of
Nigeria.
The training was organised in
partnership with the member
representing Akure North and
South Federal Constituency, in
the state, Hon Mayokun Lawson
Alade, and aimed to equip
trainees with skills on how to
improve tomato production.
Attanda, speaking through a
Director of Research in the
institute, Dr, Olagorite Adetula,
said that the training will
enhance the Federal Government
efforts and focus on agriculture
as a strong drover of diversifying
thr country’s economy.
“ Thr training will promote
food security, employment
opportunities,wealth creation,
household income and health
especially among youth and
women.
He said.thay Nigeria is the
14th largest producer of tomato
in the World, second in Africa,yet
it is the 13th largest importer of
tomato paste in the World and
third largest in Africa.
Attanda lamented that the
short life span of the storage of
tomato “ has contributed to high
post harvest losses (35-130%)
experienced in the commodity
value chain.
The Executive Director,
however, pointed out that
processing tomato will reduce
seasonal glut and inconsistent
year round supply and reduced
quantity of tomato imported
into the country.
Hon Mayowa, Lawson Alade,
who spoke through his Chief of
Staff, Alade Oladapo, urged the
participants to take full
advantage of the programme
in expanding their existing
skills in tomato farming.
Alade added that the training
would “provide our teaming
unemployed youth, women with
skills to become self- reliant.
A Scientist Researcher, Dr
CLIMATE CHANGE: Heifer,
partners give succour to
Nigerian smallholder farmers
By Jimoh Babatunde
NIGERIA’S Minister of
Humanitarian Affairs
recently said the scale of
devastation of the present flood
situation in the country can only
be compared to the 2012 floods as
34 of the country’s 36 states have
experience flooding and heavier
than expected rainfall in recent
weeks.
While many parts of Nigeria
are prone to annual floods, the
extent of flood damage has
become more severe in recent
years.
In some areas, homes and
neighbourhoods have been
completely submerged by
floodwaters. Nigeria’s
meteorological agency has
warned that the flooding could
continue until the end of
November in some states in the
south of the country. The
agency has urged local
governments to “prepare
accordingly."
This year, thousands of
hectares of rice farms in Taraba,
Jigawa, Kano, Benue, Niger,
Kogi, Kebbi, among other
producing states up North,
have been reportedly washed
away.
In the affected states, some of
the farms were either at
maturing stage or nearing the
stage when the waters washed
them away.
The extent of the damage to
farmland and crops may reduce
access to food and diminish the
quality of food across the
nation, intensifying food
insecurity, hunger and
entrenched poverty.
All this is bringing the effect
of climate change closer to
Nigerians as the induced
shocks is crippling farming
businesses and discouraging
FG donates solar-pumping
machines to Katsina farmers
T
HE Federal Government,
through the Rural
Electrification Agency (REA),
has supported 320 irrigation
farmers with 32 free solar water
pumping machines and one
electrical solar power at eight
farming community locations in
Katsina State.
Flagging off the distribution
in Katsina, the Deputy
Governor of the state, Mannir
Yakubu, commended the
Federal government’s gesture.
Yakubu, who is also the state
Commissioner for Agriculture
and natural resources, said the
gesture is part of an effort to
reduce carbon emissions by the
REA.
The Deputy governor was
represented at the event by the
Permanent Secretary of the
state’s ministry of agriculture,
Dr Aminu Garba-Waziri.
Commending the REA for the
gesture, Yakubu restated the
commitment of the state
government towards reviving
the agricultural sector for the
development of the state.
He further called on the
agency to sustain the tempo for
the interest of the general
public, especially to
complement the government of
President Muhammad Buhari.
In his response, the
Northwest Coordinator of the
REA, Engr. Sani Daura, said
the distribution of the solar
powered water pumping
machines is part of the Federal
Government’s efforts to achieve
zero emission.
He explained that Katsina
State is the first to benefit from
the gesture among the seven
benefitting states in the
Northwest zone of the country.
THE Federal Government has
inaugurated the National
Animal Identification and
Traceability System (NAITS), to
address the socio-economic and
security challenges bedeviling
the livestock sector.
Speaking on the occasion, the
Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Dr Mohammad
Abubakar, said the system is aimed
to generate comprehensive data on
livestock for proper planning.
Abubakar said the technology
would help to address security issues
plaguing the livestock sector such
as cattle rustling, herder/pastoralist
conflict among others.
He said that the ministry had
*Adesuwa Ifedi
agribusiness financiers and
investors from investing in
smallholder farms.
Uninsured and underinsured
smallholders make up most –
about 90 percent – of the farmers
in Nigeria and account for the
majority of local agricultural
production.
De-risking farming for
farmers could support them to
scale up production and
increase their resilience to everincreasing
climate shocks.
Adesuwa Ifedi, Senior Vice
President of Africa Programs for
Heifer International, said
“Building resilience will require
a combination of interventions
and more partnerships at all
levels with governments, the
private sector, and major
international foundations as
well as development
been collaborating and would
continue to partner with a wide range
of stakeholders, to ensure that the
technology was internationally
recognised.
The minister said that the
partnership would ensure that the
system was efficient and effective to
address the livestock data needs of
the country.
“The successful implementation
of NAITS will support livestock
owners to identify their animals, curb
livestock rustling, and facilitate
interventions in the livestock
sector,”he said.
He said that it provide credit and
insurance, livestock movement
The PAH
model of
insurance
specifically
addresses
farmers’
inability to pay
premiums
early in the
season
Govt inaugurates technology to transform livestock sector
control, animal recording for
genetic improvement and research.
The minister said that it would
also ease traceability, surveillance,
animal disease control and enable
trade among others.
He said that the global trade
requirements and consumer
concerns for source of livestock and
livestock products traded and
consumed makes animal
identification and traceability very
necessary.
Abubakar said this would enable
Nigeria compete favourably in the
African Continental Free Trade
Area (AfCFTA), and launch Nigeria
livestock and livestock products
into the international market.
institutions to de-risk farming
in Nigeria.
“We need to promote climatesmart
innovations in
agriculture, by working with
farmers, their communities and
market system actors to prepare
for climate shocks and identify
and invest in opportunities that
deliver positive outcomes for
farmers.”
Ifedi added “Smallholder
farmers will be better supported
if emerging technologies are
leveraged to protect agricultural
investments across Africa.”
However, this kind of program
is uncommon in Africa and the
adoption of crop insurance
programs has been weak
because farmers have not been
able to afford insurance
premiums.
In comparison, the United
States crop insurance
programme covers more than 80
percent of American crop land
and costs the government an
average of nearly $9 billion per
year.
Heifer International Country
Director for Nigeria, Rufus
Idris, acknowledges the
challenges and notes that rural
communities lack the financial
resources as well as the access
to innovation and technology
that could build resilience and
better prepare them for shocks.
In 2021, Heifer International,
in a collaboration with Pula
Advisors, Olam Agri, Thrive
Agric, and Leadway Assurance
Limited, introduced the Pay-at-
Harvest (PAH) Area Yield Index
Insurance (AYII) to rice farmers
as a means of reducing their risk
of crop loss from climaterelated
events while also
restoring investors’ confidence
in rice farming.
The PAH model of insurance
specifically addresses farmers’
inability to pay premiums early
in the season.
Farmers have insurance
coverage at the start of a season
but pay the premium after they
have harvested and sold their
produce. Farmers that
experience covered crop losses
through flood, drought, new
pests and diseases can recover
their investment.
Rufus Idris said “With
farming in Nigeria considered
high risk and liable to losses,
Heifer International is
collaborating with its partners
to help smallholder farmers in
Nigeria adapt to climate change
and maximize their outputs.
“This programme provides
rice farmers in Nigeria with an
affordable way to continue
farming. Farmers get a full
return if their insured farmland
does not produce the projected
quantity of crops due to a
climate event.”
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