Baguineda — Malians are cautiously turning to a new farming technique that could boost harvests and help them adapt to the effects of climate change
When rice farmers started producing yields nine times larger than normal in the Malian desert near the famed town of Timbuktu a decade ago, a passerby could have mistaken the crop for another desert mirage.
Rather, it was the result of an engineering feat that has left experts in this impoverished nation in awe - but one that has yet to spread widely through Mali's farming community.
"We must redouble efforts to get political leaders on board," said Djiguiba Kouyaté, a coordinator in Mali for German development agency GIZ.
With hunger a constant menace, Malians are cautiously turning to a controversial farming technique, known as rice intensification, to adapt to the effects of climate change.
The method, pioneered in Madagascar in 1983, has raised hopes that Mali's small-scale rice farmers might be able to increase their productivity to meet the country's gargantuan appetite for the grain.
Consumption of the staple stood at about 72 kg (163 lb) of rice per person in 2014, according to the latest data Mali's National Directorate of Statistics has made public - and demand is continuing to grow.
Dubbed the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), the new rice production method involves planting fewer seeds of traditional rice varieties and taking care of them following a strict regime.
Read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=273

Baguineda — Malians are cautiously turning to a new farming technique that could boost harvests and help them adapt to the effects of climate change
When rice farmers started producing yields nine times larger than normal in the Malian desert near the famed town of Timbuktu a decade ago, a passerby could have mistaken the crop for another desert mirage.
Rather, it was the result of an engineering feat that has left experts in this impoverished nation in awe - but one that has yet to spread widely through Mali's farming community.
"We must redouble efforts to get political leaders on board," said Djiguiba Kouyaté, a coordinator in Mali for German development agency GIZ.
With hunger a constant menace, Malians are cautiously turning to a controversial farming technique, known as rice intensification, to adapt to the effects of climate change.
The method, pioneered in Madagascar in 1983, has raised hopes that Mali's small-scale rice farmers might be able to increase their productivity to meet the country's gargantuan appetite for the grain.
Consumption of the staple stood at about 72 kg (163 lb) of rice per person in 2014, according to the latest data Mali's National Directorate of Statistics has made public - and demand is continuing to grow.
Dubbed the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), the new rice production method involves planting fewer seeds of traditional rice varieties and taking care of them following a strict regime.
Read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=273

Overview
Maize is a valuable commodity that is geographically dispersed across Nigeria and suitable for most Nigerians. It is perhaps the most common staple food in developing countries, providing food for 900 million people earning less than US $2 per day.
Economics
The worldwide consumption of maize is more than 116 million tons, a testament to the fact that there is a high consumption of maize globally. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 50% of the population consumes maize while the entire African continent accounts for 30% of global Maize consumption.

One would imagine that a continent that has a heavy maize consumption rate will be a major maize producer but on the contrary, Africa accounts for only 6.5% of the Global Maize production with Nigeria being the largest African Maize producer, her production is slightly over 10 million tons of Maize, followed by South Africa. However, it is considerably small when compared to the USA’s corn production (384 million metric tons).

If Africa produces very little and consumes so much, then it confirms to us that there is a heavy reliance on importation to bridge the production deficit which is why Africa’s total consumption of maize accounts for 28% of the global maize imports.
Read more... https://www.commodity-port.com/blog/index.php/2018/11/13/harvest-spotlight-maize/

There has been a massive cultivation of beans, also known as cowpea, in Katsina State this year. This is in contrast to what was obtainable in the state in the past years.

Our correspondent in the state reports that in the past 10 years, farmers only planted the crop as an attachment to their main crops, without giving it special care.

That was the main reason the produce was always in short supply, thereby jerking up its price in the state.

Daily Trust reports that cowpea farmers in the state are now rushing to buy the needed pesticides for beans cultivation, which the dealers have cashed in on to increase prices.

Alhaji Sani Abdullahi, a farmer in Faskari LGA, attributed the farmers’ interest in the crop this year to its present high economic value.

“Besides the agricultural revolution that is gradually taking place in the country, farmers are now veering away from subsistence to profit-oriented farming; and cowpea is always an expensive commodity, costing N18,000 and at times N30,000 per 100Kg every year. That is why almost every farm is a cowpea farm in this area, today, despite the difficulties in its cultivation,” he explained.

He noted that new technology, innovation and the right information to farmers were fast simplifying the production of the crop in the state.

“The choice of right seeds was a serious issue to farmers in the past but the availability of herbicides, pesticides varieties and different improved seeds have now simplified everything for the farmers,” he added.

Another farmer, Malam Yusha’u Aliyu, said cowpea production was going hand in hand with maize farming this year as every maize farm is a potential cowpea farm.
Read more... https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=270

The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) in partnership with Kogi State Government is set to invest the sum of $350m into sugar production in the state.

The leader of the delegation from NSDC, Alhaji Salihu Bkeke made this known on Thursday when he led a team of some foreign investors to Governor Bello at the Government House in Lokoja.

Alhaji Bkeke said the Council, which was saddled with the responsibility of making Nigeria self-sufficient in sugar production, has discovered the great potentials in the sugarcane production in Oguma, a community in Bassa Local Government Area of the state.

“Kogi state government I must say is agricultural-friendly. We have a master-plan with a roadmap on possible ways of achieving this fit. Based on the roadmap we have in place, we looked for potential sugar-growing states, and Kogi state is one of the best states so far with such opportunities from the feasibility studies done”, he said.

According to him, the Council already has two investors – BUA Group and CONTEC Global – who are willing to invest in the project, adding that the investors will need a large portion of land where the projects will be sited.

“As a Council, we will assist in every way possible to see that the project take off. On the part of the government, the land will be needed, access roads, compensation will be given where necessary. The investors are willing to invest and community social responsibility will be accorded priority” he added.
Read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=269

State-run oil firm Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said it sold crude oil and gas to the international market and earned $470million in August this year. This is an upsurge of about $78million in relation to July oil and gas export figures of $391.91million.

NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations Report for August 2018 released yesterday in Abuja by the corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, indicated that crude oil export sales contributed $337.62 million which represents 71.83 per cent of the dollar transactions compared with $283.43million contributed in the previous month.

The report said export gas sales during the period under review amounted to $132.38million, adding that the August 2017 to August 2018 crude oil and gas transactions involved crude oil and gas export valued at $5.26 billion.

It further explained that based on the sales figure, a total export receipt of $450.24 million was recorded in August 2018 as receipt against $382.65million in July 2018.

Contribution from crude oil during the period, it stated, amounted to $336.43 million, while gas and miscellaneous receipt stood at $101.33million and $12.48million respectively.
Read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=268

The outlook for Africa’s oil & gas industry is positive amid difficult operating and economic headwinds. Tough economic and external conditions have placed pressure on oil & gas companies to be more cost-effective and efficient. Companies have adapted to a low-cost environment, which promises to be even more beneficial given the current recovering oil price. These are some of the highlights from PwC ’s annual Africa Oil & Gas Review released today at the 25th Africa Oil Week conference, 2018 held in Cape Town.

“Africa’s oil & gas companies have weathered the downturns and capitalized on the upswings focusing their efforts on new ways of working, reducing costs and utilizing new technology,” Chris Bredenhann PwC Africa Oil & Gas Advisory Leader says.

Companies have taken to restructuring their portfolios with a focus on established regions, less exploration, higher value plays with low break-even-cost, and projects with shorter lead times and lower risk. The industry has also renewed its focus on delivering projects on time and on budget.
Read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=267

To contribute to the growth of the oil and gas industry through research, the Chairman, Institute of Oil and Gas Research and Hydrocarbon Studies (IOGRHS), Akin Akindoyeni, has said N250 million can commence research in some areas of the industry such as environmental studies.

Akindoyeni, who noted the need for authentic research in the industry particularly the hydrocarbon part at an Oil and Gas Product Forum in Lagos, described the ability of the sum of N250 million as scratching the surface of research.

He said it was pertinent for intellectuals in the field to provide real data through research not only to government but also to other stakeholders in the industry. This, he noted, would check possible mistakes.

The IOGRHS boss who described gas flaring as one of the mistakes already made by government due to lack of adequate research remarked that without research findings, no sustainable advice can be given to both the public and private sectors on how to go about manufacturing in the industry.
Read more ... https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=261

Dar es Salaam — Overdependence on rains tellingly annoys Ms Eda Chibuti, a smallholder vegetable farmer in Chamwino District.
The 36-year-old cannot meaningfully irrigate crops as infrastructure is poor.
"Had we had enough dams to water our farms, we could have grown more vegetables for sale to earn money," she says.
She is among hundreds of women organised and instructed on issues pertaining to public financing on various sectors like agriculture,
She knows that enough dams can be built if the government amply finance agriculture by allocating 10 per cent of its national budget to the sector.
"If this happens and the money reaches us, [then] our living standards will improve considerably. It's all we are asking for."Ms Chibuti is the mother of two and she expects the third one.

Plea for EAC to increase agriculture funds
Many share Ms Chibuti's concern about the government failure to allocate 10 per cent of the national budget to agriculture. A petition demanding East African Community (EAC) member states to make it legal requirement to allocate and disburse the ten per cent of their national budgets to the sector is circulating.
Read more ... https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=259

The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) is once again on the spot after more than 750,000 bags of maize valued at Sh1.8 billion in its stores went bad.
The maize was ruined after the board ignored warnings from store managers that the insecticide they were using was ineffective because the pests were resistant to it.
Auditor-general Edward Ouko in his report says this is a case where better management would have spared taxpayers the loss. In the report, Mr Ouko also shows that Sh4.5 billion said to have been used to import the maize last year cannot be verified as the management could not provide payment vouchers.
This brings to Sh10 billion the money that cannot be properly accounted for at NCPB. Before the weevils, Sh1.9 billion that was meant to pay farmers had ended up in the pockets of brokers. Another Sh2.1 billion worth of fertiliser that was to be distributed to farmers cannot also be accounted for.
Read more...[url] https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=254[/url]

Zimbabwe's economy is hinged on agriculture which feeds a number of downstream industries that process agricultural produce into various foods for both humans and livestock.
The revival of this sector calls for some serious thinking and putting the shoulder to the wheel on the part of everyone.
Recently the country rebased its economy which saw Gross Domestic Product (GDP) improving significantly. The GDP rose from US$18 billion to US$25.8 billion.
Given this position, how would the country leverage agricultural production in reviving the economy? Agriculture is a powerful sector which feeds into other sectors thereby creating employment and widening the tax base.
Presenting the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) October 2018-December 2020, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Prof Mthuli Ncube said: "With respect to agriculture, the programme presents quick-win investment opportunities for realisation of self-sufficiency and food surpluses that will see the re-emergence of Zimbabwe as a major contributor to agricultural production and regional food security in the Southern Africa region and beyond."
Read more... https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=251

POLAND will support Tanzania's agriculture and water sectors by offering funds and expertise.
This was revealed by the Deputy Director of the Department of Economic Cooperation, in the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Konrad Pawlik, in Warsaw.
According to him, Poland has already provided Tanzania with 110 million US Dollars through Tight Aid Credit/ loan for the improvement of the agriculture sector.
He said Polish companies were involved in the implementation of the loan by building a tractor assembling facility and constructing grain storage in Tanzania for food security.
On top of that, Mr Pawlik said that in September, this year, Poland, OECD and Tanzania launched, in Dodoma, a joint project on water management which is funded by Poland and costs around 50,000 Euros.
READ MORE... https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=253

Arusha — Low producer prices could be the reason that has forced some coffee farmers to smuggle the crop to markets in the neighbouring countries.

Stakeholders in the industry said the Sh 2,000 per kilogramme paid to the farmers at the primary societies was far below their production costs.

"The coffee industry is in deep crisis. There should be deliberate efforts to rescue it," lamented Edna Lugano, a project coordinator with Agricultural Non-Stake Actors Forum (ANSAF), a lobby group.
She said the farmers were not happy with the prices offered at the primary societies, especially in Kilimanjaro and Arusha regions, saying coffee producers needed to be given the freedom to sell their crop to any local buyer. She was speaking to The Citizen on the challenges facing the coffee industry and possible solutions to turn around the once robust sector to the national income.
Read more... https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=250

Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando has challenged the local manufacturing industry to quickly position itself for an anticipated boom of the mining sector to be able to produce and supply key equipment and other inputs required by the sector.

Minister Chitando last week told delegates at the 2018 edition of the Mining Engineering and Transport exhibition (Mine Entra) in Bulawayo that with the mining sector primed for massive growth there was no reason Zimbabwe should continue importing certain items needed by mining firms.

This is in line with President Mnangagwa's vision of growing Zimbabwe to middle-income status by 2030, with a per capita income of $3 500. To that end, the mining sector is designated as one of the key anchors set to drive the short to medium growth through productivity and beneficiation in among others, gold, platinum, diamonds, coal and lithium.
Read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=249

The proliferation of an invasive weed known as typha grass, is threatening the agricultural ecology of the Kumadugu Yobe Basin wetland in Jigawa State. The weed hinders crop production, fishing activities and destroys grazing fields.

The Typha grass covers 365sq km of land across six local government areas of the state, thereby limiting farming to only about 40 per cent of the land because it makes a flow of water in the affected farmlands impossible.

Our reporter observed that the blockage of water by the weed upstream in the affected areas led to the stagnation of water in the fields which makes farming impossible.

This also causes the other communities along the waterway of the wetland basin to suffer lack of water.

Typha grass, which grows luxuriously across Miga, Kaugama, Auyo, Kirikisima, Guri and Birniwa local government areas of Jigawa State, competes with food crops for water, sunlight, air, space and nutrients.
Read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=243

The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) has said coffee farmers left production because of difficulty finding a profitable market for their product.

The Director of Extension and Economics at CRIN, Dr Olusoji Oduwole, disclosed this yesterday in an interview with Daily Trust at the ongoing 11th National Agricultural Show.

Dr Oduwole emphasised that while coffee farmers were producing, access to market became a huge challenge because there was only one buyer and that prices which were based on international standards were very discouraging.

Read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=242

Barchart, a leading provider of market data and technology, is pleased to announce the launch of cmdtyView, a market leading research, analysis and trading platform for agricultural commodity professionals. Sitting within Barchart’s cmdty product line, cmdtyView includes global exchange and reference data; and is the only platform to access streaming news from cmdtyNewswiresSM, best-in-class fundamental and economic data from cmdtyStatsSM, and Barchart’s broad proprietary cash grain commodity data.

Barchart’s flagship data platform, cmdtyView provides comprehensive access to the features, functionality, and content that matters to commodity professionals - all delivered from a native HTML5 application that is responsive, powerful, and designed to be a true end-to-end workflow solution for commodity trading. Futures execution, physical commodities data, data analytics and back-office integration are natively built into the platform, making cmdtyView the only front-end users will ever need.
Read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=237

A leading Chinese green industry company, Elion Resources Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Nigeria as part of its exploration of investment opportunities in the country in the areas desertification control, agriculture and development of new energy resources.

Elion President, Wang Wenbiao, who led the company’s delegation to Owerri weekend, signed the MoU with Imo State Government.

Imo State, with an estimated population of five million, is the fifth largest Nigerian state by gross domestic product and one of the states with high reserves of natural gas.

The two parties expressed their readiness to unlock and harness the potential of natural gas resources to increase domestic and industrial power supply, raise people’s standard of living and support sustainable economic growth and diversification.
Read more ...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=233

On any given weekday, commuters in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, are snarled in traffic for hours.
Container trucks and tankers take up several lanes of traffic on the major thoroughfares close to the city’s ports. Often these trucks have been parked on the highways overnight.
Cars and minivans snake along the remaining single lane, sharing it with pedestrians fighting off early-morning road rage as they slowly make their way from one end of the city to another. There is a palpable fear of accidents or a spill. Much of Lagos is an environmental disaster waiting to happen.
It is here in this vibrant metropolis of 21 million people that Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote, is undertaking his most audacious gamble yet. Mr Dangote is building a $12 billion oil refinery on 6,180 acres of swampland that, if successful,— could transform Nigeria’s corrupt and underperforming petroleum industry. It is an entrenched system that some say has contributed to millions languishing in poverty and bled the “giant of Africa’’ for decades.
Read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=232

Agricultural cooperation was one of the main topics at the recent 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). The summit’s action plan stressed the importance of helping Africa achieve general food security by 2030 and proposed for the first time that China work with African countries to formulate and implement a program to promote China-Africa cooperation on agricultural modernization. This just shows how important agricultural development is to the future of the continent.
To get an idea of the scale of the challenge, look at the trajectory of Africa’s population growth.
Read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/blog/index.php/2018/10/12/sharing-chinas-agricultural-experience-to-help-solve-africas-development-challenges/

Differentials for Nigerian crude held unchanged on Monday, as a dearth of bids met an overhang of unsold cargoes, while demand for Angolan remained robust, evidenced by a flurry of fixtures that has pushed shipping rates to near two-year highs.

Traders said the November oil cargoes programme has struggled to find buyers, thanks in part to unfavorable shipping economics and high freight rates. Between 15 and 20 cargoes remained from the originally planned 58.

Read more..... https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=230

Insurance Plc, on Wednesday, launched its new product aimed to strengthen the agricultural sector. Mr. Edwin Igbiti, AIICO Managing Director said at the launch of the `AIICO Agriculture insurance’ in Lagos that it would boost agriculture production, economic development and employment rate in the country.

Igbiti said the move was in response to the dire need for adequate insurance in protecting investments in the agricultural sector has obtained approval from the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM ) to underwrite agriculture insurance.

He said the company was uniquely positioned to offer agriculture insurance to Nigerian farmers at all levels and investors looking to tap into the huge potentials of the sector, through its value-based insurance propositions. “AIICO is taking a strategic position to be a major player in offering agriculture insurance in order to deliver the much-needed protection to the different players in the agriculture value chain.
To read more... https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=231

Cement manufacturers are moving into hinterlands with the introduction of aggressive distribution network into remote areas in a bid to expand their market share. The renewed aggression in the distribution of products is reflected in the brands' delivery of their products directly to distributors in remote areas. The manufacturers have also developed what is called cement distribution management, CDM, an en route diversion system, third-party order that has resulted in the easy delivery of products to the hinterlands.

Besides offering discounts, they are also offering other incentives such as mini trucks and additional credit for purchases, to drive the profitability of distributors. The brands competing for market dominance are Ibeto Cement, Enugu; Bua cement, Lagos; Eastern Bulkcem Company Limited, Lagos; Dangote Cement, Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Limited.

Read more
https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=229

The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has appealed to the government and organisers of the 2018 Agriculture Show to provide adequate security at the show to avoid cases of theft.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the show is sponsored by National Agricultural Foundation (NAFN), is scheduled to hold between Oct. 16 and Oct. 19 at Tudun Wada, Keffi - Abuja Road, Nasarawa state.
Speaking with NAN in Abuja on Tuesday, Chief Daniel Okafor, the Vice President of AFAN, said that improved security measures would reduce cases of theft of farmers' goods experienced in previous shows.
He advised the foundation to provide adequate security at the venue of the show to encourage farmers to attend.
https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=227

Africa’s leading businessman, Aliko Dangote has called for conscious efforts at deepening African regional market by African investors and governments to aid rapid growth and development of the continent’s economy.

Dangote spoke in London during “One to One Conversation” at the on-going 5th annual Financial Times African Summit.

The Nigerian entrepreneur said the key to Africa’s economic growth and strength is in the development of the regional market, saying “Regional markets in Africa must work.”

Dangote said Africans must patronise African markets which is why the free trade agreements by African nations is the direction to go to strengthen African markets.

The president of Dangote group cited the neighbouring Benin Republic which continues to import cement from China while his Nigerian factory is only 35 miles away from the border.
To read more ... https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=228

Lady beetles eat aphids that destroy cotton plants. Chinese farmers generally kill aphids using chemical insecticides. Long seen as the easiest and most affordable pest control method, insecticides are used on a mass scale worldwide

Excessive use of insecticides by Chinese farmers carries environmental costs as the chemicals infiltrate food, water, and ecosystems.

Insecticide exposure can cause negative health effects on farm workers, consumers, residents, and livestock.
Pesticides can also undermine the profitability of farms.

Insecticide use is expensive and can put farmers on a “pesticide treadmill” where they forgo other solutions. China’s farmers could bolster their long-term bottom line by purchasing less insecticide

To read more... https://www.commodity-port.com/blog/index.php/2018/09/28/swapping-pesticides-for-beetles-could-put-money-in-farmers-pockets/

The latest episode of the Thrive podcast takes a close look at the ground beneath our feet. Soil, on which terrestrial life depends, is often ignored precisely because it is everywhere and yet invisible. Healthy soils contribute so much to human well-being, from nutritious food to clean water, and yet the soils of more than a fifth of all cropland, pasture, forest, and woodland are degraded to some extent. Degraded soils, apart from being unable to meet the needs of the people who depend on them, also emit large amounts of greenhouse gasses, contributing to climate change.
How, then, can we best restore degraded soils? Sessions at Global Soil Week 2015 in Berlin, co-organized by the Water, Land and Ecosystems research program of CGIAR, provided a platform for people to share different approaches, each of which has something to offer.
To read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/blog/index.php/2018/09/28/podcast-restoring-an-invisible-lifeline-soil/

WORLD leading fertilizer company, OCP Group, and Hubei Forbon Technology Limited, a Chinese company with specialization in fertilizer additives have signed a framework agreement to establish a global partnership on the production of new generation fertilizers and smart agriculture.


According to a press statement which emanated from OCP headquarters in Casablanca, Morocco, on Monday, the partnership is also in line with the open innovation initiative launched by OCP to accelerate its ambition to become the world leader in agricultural integrated solutions.

The alliance with Forbon Group, OCP said reflects its will to strengthen its collaboration with world-class industrials.
It also stressed that it is an excellent opportunity for the company to take part in a world-class innovation ecosystem and build a network of referents and experts in the booming Chinese agriculture and fertilizer industries.
To read more..[url].https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=218[/url]

The Dangote Oil Refinery jetty located at the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos has received its first ship call. The ship named: “BBC Naples”, berthed at the new jetty on Sunday evening to deliver essential equipment for ongoing construction work at the Dangote Refinery.

The 132 metres long, 9,755 tonnes general cargo ship is operated by BB Chartering, while Hull Blyth Nigeria Limited is the shipping agent. The ship, which arrived the Dangote Refinery jetty at 18.18 hours after a 40-day voyage, loaded its cargoes for the Dangote Oil Refinery at Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, and Richards Bay, South Africa.

Commenting on the historic ship call, the Managing Director of BBC Chartering Mideast Ltd, Mr Denis Bandura, said, “Today our vessel ‘BBC Naples’ arrived at the Dangote Lekki Jetty. It is the maiden call at the newly constructed jetty, and BBC Chartering is very proud to have partnered with Dangote Group to make this milestone a reality.
Read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=216

The order paper Advocacy Initiative (OAI) has stressed the need for the government to consciously seek the development of the oil and gas sector through reforms, given the critical nature of the sector to the economy.

“Coming at a time when expectations were high that after almost two decades of being stuck in the National Assembly the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) was close to significant, albeit incremental fruition, the decision of the President was an anti-climax that has set the industry and indeed, the entire economy into fresh anxieties and uncertainties. “
While the justification for the denial of presidential assent could be plausible and germane, the implications are diverse and could be far-reaching, OAI said in a statement.
To read more...https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=217

Nigeria possesses the largest natural gas reserves in the continent. Although the country is ranked ninth in proven gas reserve with an estimated 192 trillion cubic feet, Nigeria, however, is ranked the 28th gas producer in the world. Unfortunately, rising prices of the product had also continued to hit consumers. For instance, the NBS revealed that the average price for the refilling of a 5kg cylinder for LPG increased by 2.17 per cent month-on-month and 3.19 per cent year-on-year to N2,054.14 in August 2018 from N2,010.45 in July 2018.
Read more.. https://www.commodity-port.com/index.php?page=article&&view=212