Agriculture
Nutritionist Warns On Children’s Lunch Packs
As children return to school after the long vacation, parents should make vegetables, fruits and water their wards’ diets, a nutritionist said.
The Principal Nutritionist at KubwaGeneral Hospital, Abuja, Mrs Victoria Eze, gave the advice in an interview with newsmen on Monday.
She said that consumption of fruits, vegetables and water would ensure a balanced diet and help in boosting the rate of assimilation and intelligence of the child.
Eze urged parents to select the appropriate fruits and vegetables for their children from the variety of fruits available in the market.
According to her, nutritionists have started an enlightenment campaign among parents with the aim of making them to see the nutritional benefits of giving fresh fruits and vegetables to their wards instead of packaged juice.
She further advised parents to abstain from feeding their children with packaged juice as it was a major cause of obesity among children.
“They shouldn’t lack in a food pack, no matter how small, make sure that there is fruit, even if it is one orange, banana, garden egg, make sure you create a space and drop one for the child to take to school.
“If the child doesn’t eat well, whatever is being taught, the child might not understand because the brain would not be functioning well because the child did not take enough energy giving food.
“We are discouraging children from taking drinks to school. Most of our children are becoming obese and the problem with obesity in children is that by the time they are getting to adulthood they are already developing diabetes which is dangerous.
“The fruits should be prepared at home but orange and apple they will be taking one everyday to school instead of all these packaged fruit juices’’.
Eze also advised parents to ensure that the foods their children took to school contained a lot of protein.
She identified beans, fish, eggs, beef and chicken as some foods rich in protein and necessary for healthy living.
She said that foods rich in carbohydrate should be combined with vegetables or eggs with a lot of water because of their heaviness.
“Beans should not be too much or else the child could sleep in class,” Eze said.
She condemned the feeding of children with fast foods, such as noodles as they were not healthy.
“We don’t advise parents to feed their children with noodles everyday because it would have gone soggy before lunch-time.
“The best time to take noodles should be immediately after cooking and anytime after one hour, it is considered poison.’’
Federal Government and the Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, distributed farm inputs to farmers as part of effort to address food security challenge.
The State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, during the flag-off ceremony of Inputs Redemption Under The National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), in Ogun State, disclosed that beneficiaries of the gesture were primarily rice, maize and cassava farmers across the State.
Ayo-Ajayi commended the Ogun State Government for partnering with the government at the centre for the effort in supporting farmers with inputs that would bring about yieldings for local consumption and likely exportation.
She noted that government is supporting rice, cassava and maize farmers with inputs worth N212,000; N189,000 and N186,000 respectively.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kehinde Jokotoye, who represented the Commissioner in the Ministry, Bolu Owotomo, stated that traditional farmers are critical in food production, hence the need to encourage and support them with inputs that would bring about desired results during harvesting.
Owotomo said: “Let us make good use of this opportunity, so that the success of this phase will make farmers benefit more from the state and federal governments of Nigeria.”
Earlier, State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Ayo-Ajayi, appreciated the present administration for partnering with the federal government for the initiative, adding that the programme is designed to support farmers at the grassroots level in cassava, rice and maize with inputs such as, seeds, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, to boost their production and enhance their livelihood.
The Niger State Government has mapped out 10,000 hectares of farmland in Gbapo Community of Katcha Local Government Area of the State for smallholder farmers to benefit from the state government’s agricultural intervention programme.
Two thousand out of the 10,000 holders of the farmlands have already received inputs.
At a flag-off ceremony in Yinti Village, the facilitator of the programme, Shinkafan Nupe, Malam Idris Usman Makanta, assured the farmers of increased distributions to the mapped-out ten thousand (10,000) farmlands if farmers respond positively.
He explained that the commencement of the two thousand is to measure the positive response of farmers before obtaining full-scale support.
Malam Makanta stated that this initiative aligns with the farmers’ initial commitment through Niger Foods, whose mission is primarily geared towards establishing efficient and profitable agricultural businesses to support the present administration of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s quest to boost agricultural productivity in the state.
He also commended Niger Foods for their steadfastness and resilience in the effective implementation of the input financing scheme.
Makanta reiterated the commitment of the State Governor in making judicious use of the arable land in the state.
Shinkafan Nupe, therefore, urged the farmers to support the Governor by using the inputs wisely so that the dream can be actualised.
The Gombe State Government has empowered a total of 573,429 farmers and entrepreneurs under the 4th phase of the GO-CARES programme.
The programme was officially flagged off by Governor Inuwa Yahaya in another major step towards alleviating poverty and supporting the state’s vulnerable populations.
The Governor, while inaugurating the disbursement in Akko Community of Akko Local Government Area, restated his administration’s commitment to the welfare of vulnerable citizens in the state.
He was represented by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Salihu Baba Alkali, who is also the Chairman of the Steering Committee on GO- CARES implementation.
“The 4th phase of GO-CARES will directly and indirectly impact a total of 573,429 citizens across the state. Of these, 152,429 individuals will benefit directly through cash transfers, livelihood grants, agricultural inputs, and operational grants to small businesses”, he stated.
The Governor added that, “421,000 people will be indirect beneficiaries through infrastructural projects such as classroom blocks, healthcare facilities, WASH services, and rural infrastructure projects like culverts and drainages”.
Yahaya, reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the state’s most vulnerable citizens are not left behind in the state’s development.
According to him, “Earlier this year, on June 25, 2024, we flagged off the distribution of improved seedlings, fertilizers, and herbicides to less privileged farmers in Malam Sidi, Kwami Local Government Area, signaling the commencement of the 4th phase implementation of GO-CARES under Result Area 2”.
The Governor reiterated that these initiatives have had a significant impact on the livelihoods of beneficiaries and the overall agricultural sector.
He explained that, “Today’s ceremony marked the simultaneous launch of activities under all three GO-CARES Result Areas for the 4th phase. These areas include: State Cash Transfer Grants: 2,500 direct beneficiaries; Labour Intensive Public Works: 2,700 direct beneficiaries; Livelihood Grants: 10,000 direct beneficiaries; and Basic Services: 405,000 indirect beneficiaries”.