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A new pest—southern armyworm, Spodoptera eridania (Stoll)—has been discovered in West and Central Africa! This introduced second armyworm species from the Americas was first found in cassava fields in south-eastern Nigeria in December 2016, reported Dr Georg Goergen, Entomologist/Biocontrol Specialist and Head of IITA’s Biodiversity Center in Bénin. Its presence was confirmed by DNA barcode […]
A New League Of Proxy Farmers In Nigeria: Juwon Gbolade a 45 years old farmer in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, grows rice, soybeans and maize on 20 hectares of land yet he has never been to a farm. Gbolade has no practical knowledge about farming and does not understand the fundamentals of agriculture yet […]
How Finance Can Help Smallholder Farmer Improve Yield, Over the years, lack of finance has remained one of the major factors bedeviling the country’s agricultural sector and this impediment has continued to prevent farmers from investing in basic inputs, such as quality seeds, fertilizers and small-scale irrigation facilities among others needed to raise productivity and […]
Fish, Shrimps Production: Nigeria’s quest to boost fish and shrimps production has received a boost a Atlantic Shrimpers Limited (ASL) has unveiled two newly acquired trawlers-Seven Stars 1 and 2 as part of its fleet expansion and increase investment in the country’s seafood subsector. The investment in the newly acquired trawlers is the largest made […]
“FG Anchor Borrowers Programme” An expert in Nigeria’s agricultural sector has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently review the implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Anchor-Borrower Programme (ABP), as findings has shown that the implementation of the scheme so far, is falling short of national quest of making the sector driving force […]
GMO, Rose Gidado is the Scientific Officer and Assistant Director of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA). She is also the country coordinator of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa. GM foods have been heavily criticised for their long term health effects and other demerits. However, in this interview with PREMIUM TIMES‘ […]
The Confined Field Trial (CFT) currently being carried out on transgenic cassava at an IITA site has been described as “completely safe with absolutely no risk of contamination to local cassava varieties.” Dr Anna Carluccio, a scientist on the research team at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), said this in an interview in […]
Most Nigerian homes, especially in the Southwest region, who consume good quantity of pepper, may have to endure the current high price of the commodity in the market. For now, according to The Guardian survey, scarcity is the factor contributing to the current price increase. The fact that pepper is a major spice used in […]
El-Rufai Tasks Investors On Kaduna Agric Opportunities: Kaduna State Governor, Mallam El-Rufai has called on prospective investors to explore the state’s numerous opportunities to improve the state’s vibrant economy. He stated this during the commissioning of the Ramindra Tractor Assembly Plant, Industrial Estate, Kaduna, a joint investment of the Springfield Agro Ltd., aimed at consolidating […]
Nutritional Value Soya Beans: Experts have described soya bean as one of the most consumed legumes in the world, due to its essential nutrients that maintain and improves human health. Soya bean is revered as a good meal source for people who are on diet. Its protein content enhances metabolic functions in the body and […]
As the Federal Government continues the campaign for more Nigerians to embrace agriculture, stakeholders are however concerned over the alarming loss of forest land to agricultural purposes. This comes against the backdrop of a recent forest inventory report taken in Cross River State that revealed a whooping 167,382 hectares of forest land was lost to […]
The Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) says it will unveil some insurance products to address the loss of agricultural investments due to farmers and herdsmen clashes across the country. The Managing Director of NAIC, Mrs Folashade Joseph, said this at the sideline of a workshop titled `Accelerating Growth of Agriculture Insurance in Nigeria’ in Abuja […]
Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association, NVMA, Lagos chapter has called for proper handling of processed meat and meat products in the country. The Association Chairman, Dr. Alao Mobolaji said consumption of poorly handled meat and meat products often comes with health risks and diseases that could be fatal. “Meat protein remains a major source of protein […]
Herdsmen/Farmers Clash: The conflicts between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria have grown, spread and intensified over the past decade and today pose a threat to national survival. So many people have been killed, communities have been destroyed and so thousands of farmers and pastoralists have lost their lives and property in an extended act of […]
The Edo Fadama III project office says that it has funded the cultivation of additional 280 hectares of rice in Edo South Senatorial District for the 2018 planting season. Mr Edward Izevbigie, the Project Coordinator, Edo Fadama III Additional Financing, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin. Izevbigie explained that 280 […]