Agriculture
FG Trains Beekeepers On Honeybee Queen Rearing, Pollination Services
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has trained beekeepers in Ogun State on how to rear queen bees for pollination services.
The farmers were also trained on the use of pollination equipment in fruit and vegetable farms for effective crop yield and increase in fruit and vegetable production.
The Director, Federal Department of Agriculture, Abubakar Abdullahi, said the training was meant to guide farmers on the best practice to manage bee collonies, which serve as agent of pollination service in crop yield.
Abdullahi, who was represented at the training by the Deputy Director, Horticulture, Mrs Omotosho Agbani, made this known Wednesday at a one-day workshop in Abeokuta.
He said the capacity development for the farmers was a key component activity towards achieving the goal of food and nutrition security and import substitution of the Federal Government.
He described honeybee as one of the most economically important insects in agricultural economy that renders pollination services, producing honey and other hive products.
He said honeybees, which are small but mighty creatures, play an indispensable role in pollination that directly impacts our food systems, biodiversity, enhancing sustainable livelihood and overall environmental health.
“Proper pollination, via bees activities, improves the quantity and quality of fruits, vegetables, nuts, oil and other crops it also produces.
“This leads to the promotion of honeybee pollination service value chain in order to aid increase in yield and quality of crops of our farmers”, Abdullahi said.
Also speaking, the Ogun coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mrs Patience Ayo-Ajayi, said that bee farmers play a vital role in the lives of so many people in terms of production of quality honey in place of artificial sugar and also bee products.
Ayo-Ajayi stressed the importance of honeybee pollination in agriculture, saying, bee pollination has played a successful role on crops, particularly on fruits and vegetables crops, which help the crops to flourish and yield bountifully.
According to her, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, has made food security a major agenda that must be achieved.
The Chairman Federation of Beekeepers Association of Nigeria, Mr Elijah Asade, in Ogun State, commended the Federal Government for building their capacity on honeybee queen rearing and pollination service.
Asade said the training would help to boost production and increase the income of the farmers.
The resource person, Mr Samuel Agboola, said the purpose of the training was to enable beekeepers to use honeybee to achieve the success in agricultural economy, through bee pollination of crops.
Abgboola further spoke on the importance of bee pollination to crops.
He described honeybee queen rearing as the controlled process of raising queen bees from selected larvae.
He said effective bee pollination on crops would result in healthier crops, larger yield and higher quality produce.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Mr Oreyemi Adenola and Mr Lateef Sanni, thanked the Federal Government for the training.
They described the training as an eye-opener and promised to effectively make use of all they learnt to make impact on their farms.
They also assured the federal government that they would see positive result in crop yield and other productions.
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”.