In order to tame the tide of sky-rocketing food prices, the Federal Government says i has started the distribution of subsidised farm inputs to small holder farmers across the North Western States of the country. push({});

This is contained in a statement signed by Mrs Mabel Obe, Principal Information Officer, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Tuesday 1st August, 2023 in Abuja.

She  said the distribution was carried out by the ministry through the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agropocket (NAGS-AP).

Obe  said the initiative would boost food and nutrition security, attract private sector investment, reduce post-harvest losses, as well as add value to local agriculture produce.

She said  that Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State who spoke at the event  in  Bunkure Local Government Area, Kano, said that the scheme was being implemented through the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme Phase One (ATASP-1) of the Federal Government.

He said ATASP-1 was funded by African Development Bank as a Pilot phase to pave way for successful implementation of the forthcoming Policy Based Operation.

”The Policy Based Operation (PBO) was a Sector Budget Support (SBS) operation prepared under the African Emergency Food Production Facility (AEFPF).

“It is  funded through a loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to be Implemented across the 36 states of the Federation and FCT for a period of two years beginning from 2023,“`he said.

The governor who was represented by his Deputy, Mr  Aminu Abdussalem, said that the objective of NAGS-AP was synonymous with the objectives of ATASP-1.

Yusuf said that the benefiting communitiesincluded, Bunkere Rano, Bagwai, Dawakin Kudu, Bebeji and Garun Malam Local Government Areas of the State.

In an address, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Ernest Umakhihe, said that the event  would  boost agricultural production and guarantee access to quality agricultural inputs.

Umakhihe was represented by the Director, Projects Coordination Unit Department (PCU), Mr Bukar Musa.

He said that the programme was targeted at supporting 60,000 farmers in the five ATASP-1 5 States with highly subsidized inputs to help increase their production level.

”The programme is targeted at supporting 60,000 farmers in the five ATASP-1 5 States with highly subsidized inputs to help increase their production level and achieve economic well-being.

“Government is committed to paying 80 per cent of the total cost of the input package, while each participating farmer is expected to pay the 20 per cent balance for the redemption of his/her inputs at the Redemption Centre.

“The Government this year approved the introduction and use of ICT platform for delivery of the inputs to farmers, making this year’s program a very notable one,” he said.

The National Programme Coordinator, ATAPS 1, Dr Ibrahim Arabi, said that the Global challenges of Covid-19, insecurity as well as food insecurity had informed the Government to restructure ATASP-1.

He said NAGS-AP would be implemented in five states namely Niger , Kano State, Jigawa , Sokoto State as well as Kebbi, adding that the crops being promoted included  Rice, Sorghum, and Maize.

NAN

A Professor of Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition, Professor Moses Awodun has reiterated the danger of continuous use of synthetic fertilizers in crop production to human life

The Professor observed that most terminal illnesses ravaging the society could be as a result of the consumption of various food crops including fruits produced with the aid of synthetic fertilizers. adsbygoogle || []).push({}); adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Professor Moses Awodun made this observation while delivering the 129th inaugural lecture of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) titled The Nexus of Population, Food Security, Climate Change and Plant Nutrition: Organic Wastes as Alternative Fertilizer in Nigeria.

Awodun, said the risk of dying from cancer (brain cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia, intestinal cancer and lymphoma (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, NHL) is said to be six times more when synthetic fertilizers are used on crops that are consumed by people.

He also said synthetic fertilizers has also been associated with causing a condition which leads to difficulty in delivering sufficient oxygen to all body tissues, and is also linked to birth and development disorders such as the Blue Baby Syndrome.

Professor Awodun indicated that crops grown with high impact of fertilizers are less resistant, less nutritiously balanced and rot more rapidly than those which are naturally grown.

According to the Don the application of excess fertilizers is destroying the presence and balance of the Microbiome responsible for the production of nutrients in the soil thus making the farmer more and more dependent on this inorganic fertilizer.

Buttressing his points Professor Awodun referred to a report which stated that an individual today would need to consume twice as much meat, three times as much fruit, four to five times as many vegetables to obtain the same amount of minerals and trace elements available in the same food in 1940 because of the use of synthetic fertilizers.

Awodun said that with the rich endowment of abundant natural, mineral and human resources which characterize developing world and especially Nigeria, it is expected that they should be able to produce enough food to feed their people , generate foreign exchange earnings from the export and sales of surplus.

He said Nigeria soil should be the next Black oil in a world of climate change, adding that if as a country, it can curtail the vagaries in farm activities; it will go a long way in restoring life to the soil.

Awodun, a one-time Acting Director, Centre for Renewable Energy Technology (CRET) advised that to meet a state of equilibrium in food production in the face of an increasing population, food security and climate change, the government should invest in healthy living soils by channeling agricultural subsidies towards sustainable farming methods, stating that if this is done right ,agriculture can conserve the diversity of species found in soil, halt land degradation and desertification which in turn would help countries ensure future food securities and mitigate climate change.

He said farmers should be encouraged to obtain all their fertilizers from organic sources such as compost manures, green manures and legumes.

He advised that for health, commercial and environmental reasons it is clear that fertilizers should be used with caution. He said crop production for future food security will require sustainable fertilizer management, which might include more sophisticated decisions support tools, improved agronomic practices and cropping systems that require less fertilizer input.

In his remark the Chairman at the event and Vice Chancellor, Prof Joseph Fuwape, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Development, Professor Philip Oguntunde described the lecture as a contemporary one to present happenings within the society.

He also commended the lecturer for his immense contributions to the body of knowledge in his field of study.

Author Profile

Abdulrahman Obaje

Prince Abdulrahman Obaje is a Media and ICT Consultant, Journalist, online marketer, social media strategist, Mathematician and Computer Scientist based in Abuja, Nigeria. He is the Founder and the Publisher of The Informavores!. You can reach me on +234 805 939 5252 or send i-witness report directly to me on news@informavores.com.ng.

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