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Agro Nigeria Honours Three

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Following a United Nations
research which showed that agriculture is eleven times more effective in combating poverty than other sectors such as mining and utilities because 70 per cent of Africans depend on it for their livelihood, Agro Nigeria has taken the liberty to spotlight some personalities who have in their personal endeavours contributed to the advancement of agriculture in Nigeria and with far reaching impact across the African continent and beyond.
There are many others, especially the rural farmers and women who have the odds against them, yet are committed to agriculture ensuring that the world feeds, but those listed below are few who are blazing the trail for agricultural developments.
Mrs Ndidi Nwuneli is a partner with Sahel Capital, a private equity and advisory firm focused on the West African agricultural sector.
She is also co-founder of AACE Foods, an agro-processing company and the managing partner of the African Alliance Capital Expansion (AACE).
She has provided policy, start-up and advisory services to the World Bank, IFC, DFID, Ford  Foundation, Oxfam International, the Nigerian Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth Development amongst others.
Bolaji Akinboro emerged as the Nigeria Agriculture Award Agro-Innovator of the year 2014 for the innovative management of Nigeria’s Growth Enhancement Support (GES) Scheme which has resulted in the transformation of its agricultural input supply system.
Akinboro was recalled home from Malawi, his place of residence at the time and was contracted to lead the team that will develop the technology for the GES programme in November 2011 and also provide programme management support to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD).
Thirdly, Mrs. Folusho Olaniyan is the founder and chairperson of the Cassava Advancement Initiative.
Her venture into the agro-allied sector began when she joined A.G. Leventis Nigeria Plc in 1988 as a management trainee where she rose to become Head of Sales and Marketing, Leventis Foods in 2002.
She held the post till 2005 when she joined UTC Nigeria Plc as the Head of Sales and Marketing and later advanced to become the Managing Director/CEO of UTC Nigeria in 2007.
She is currently the marketing and strategy consultant to CAV9 Nigeria, an organisation sponsored by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on the development of the cassava industry in Africa.
Agro Nigeria is the mouth piece of Agriculture in Nigeria whose main focus is reporting on agriculture.

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Agriculture

FG, Ogun Distribute Inputs To 2,400 Farmers

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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.

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Agriculture

Niger Allocates 10,000 Hectares For Smallholder Farmers

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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.

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Agriculture

GO-CARES: Gombe Empowers 573,429 Farmers, Entrepreneurs

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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”.

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