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binsanni:It's not possible sir. Broilers chickens are specially bred for fast growth and slaughtered when they weigh approximately four pounds, usually between seven and nine weeks of age. Birds between 12and 20 weeks of age, typically weighing between five and ten pounds, are called roasters. |
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Owing to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease on cows, otherwise called “Bauru’’ in Hausa, the Jigawa Government has urged all cattle breeders in the state to take their cows suffering from disease to the veterinary clinics for treatment. The Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Alhaji Kabiru Ali, through the ministry’s spokesman, Malam Zubairu Sulaiman, made this known in Dutse. He affirmed that five local government areas of the state Birniwa, Kafinhausa, Malammadori, Kirikasamma and Auyo, are affected by the disease which has resulted in death of cows. The commissioner stated that the government had provided veterinary clinics across the state with adequate vaccines for the treatment and control of the disease. He charged cattle rearers in the state to cooperate with the government in tackling the outbreak. http://www.agricinfo.com/2018/11/jigawa-govt-urge-farmers-to-bring.html?m=0
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Davido arrived yesterday at Robert International Airport yesterday in Liberia, he was welcomed yesterday by fans, sponsors at the airport. Pictures Below https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=997292747145534&id=989148124626663
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When most people think of agriculture in Africa, images of poor and overworked farmers with crude tools on a rural farm readily come to mind. Many, especially young Africans, still think that agribusiness is a poor man’s occupation. Nowadays everybody wants a white-collar office job in the city. Agribusiness is hardly on anyone’s mind. Did you know that Africa sits on an agribusiness goldmine but most people just dont’t see it? If you’re one of the blind, allow me to open your eyes with a few exciting facts you need to know about agribusines in Africa… Did you know that Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, recently invested $1 billion in rice production? Every year, Africa spends billions of dollars on rice imports, and Dangote surely wants a juicy slice of the market. Did you know that since 2009, investors in the USA, Europe, Middle East and Asia have been buying and leasing millions of hectares of African land for agricultural purposes? Many people may not know it but there’s a trend of serious land grabbing by foreign interests for African land. Did you know that Foreign Direct Investment in African agribusiness was $10 billion in 2010 and is projected to reach $45 billion by 2020? Agriculture is taking a huge leap in Africa and investors want a piece of the action too. Did you know that Africa’s agribusiness industry will be worth $1 trillion by 2030! That’s huge! If this projection by the United Nations comes true, agribusiness will become the ‘new oil’ in Africa! In the light of all these facts, how come the rich and wealthy folks are investing in Africa’s agribusiness industry while the majority of Africans are largely ignorant about the amazing potentials of agriculture on the continent? In the rest of this article, I’ll share with you five reasons why agriculture is the biggest business opportunity right now in Africa. I’ll tell you why many of the world’s top business people are investing in African agribusiness. 1. Africa has cheap agricultural land According to the World Bank, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to nearly 50 percent of the world’s fertile, usable and uncultivated agricultural land. The size: over 200 million hectares! This is why the continent is now widely considered to be the future breadbasket of the world. It is this huge abundance of land resources that gives Africa the strategic potential to feed the world! Most of Africa’s agricultural land lies in the savannah and tropical rain forest belt, which receives a favourable amount of rainfall and sunlight all year round. As a direct consequence, more than 80 percent of food crops consumed across the world can be produced here. Interestingly, a large proportion of Africa’s agricultural land is located in the rural areas. That’s why they’re often cheap to buy or lease. On the average, one hectare of land (10,000sqm) can be leased for as low as $100 per year (depending on the location). This makes it one of the best land bargains you can find anywhere in the world! 2. Africa has a ready market and high demand for agricultural produce Agribusiness is one of the best business opportunities in the world because food never goes out of fashion. People must eat food everyday! Currently, Africa’s population is just over one billion people. At its current growth rate, the continent’s population is expected to reach 2.2 billion by 2050. Now and in the future, Africa will always have a lot of mouths to feed. Africa currently spends billions of dollars every year to import grains, flour and all kinds of finished and semi-finished foods which it can produce locally. There is a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs who can provide cheaper and locally-grown alternatives to the food that Africa imports. It’s not just the food industry that depends on agribusiness. Several other industries, especially the manufacturing and processing industries, depend on agribusiness for a wide range of raw materials. As Africa’s economies continue to grow, the demand for raw materials will surely increase and create more interesting opportunities for agribusiness on the continent. 3. Improved varieties and farm practices are changing the game across Africa Agribusiness in Africa has suffered through the years because of its poor yields and crude farm practices. Most of the crops cultivated on the continent produce very little and are often very prone to pests, diseases and drought. As a result, most African farmers used to work very hard but have very little to show for all their hard work during harvest time. However, due to advances in crop/animal science and technology, it is now possible to harvest more food per hectare than ever before in Africa’s history. There are now improved crop and animal varieties that mature earlier, require less resources, and are less susceptible to pest attacks, diseases and drought. Across Africa, these improved varieties are increasing yields by as much as 400 percent! There are now improved and locally-adapted varieties of maize, cassava, millet, rice, sorghum, beans, sweet potato, cowpea, groundnut, soybean, pigeon pea, banana, durum wheat, and bread wheat. There are also several local and international organisations that are focused on supporting African farmers with improved seedlings and support. One of such organisations is the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), launched by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2006. 4. Agribusiness is very scalable. You can start with what you have. Whether you own one plot of land or 10,000 hectares, agribusiness is one of few business opportunities that allow you to start on any scale, with whatever you have! Entrepreneurs like South Africa’s Anna Phosa started her agribusiness in 2008 in her backyard with just four pigs. Today, she owns a 350-hectare pig farm and is a major supplier to Pick n’ Pay, the South Africa supermarket chain. The opportunity to start small means that people with little capital can become part of Africa’s multi-billion dollar agribusiness industry. Because of the guaranteed demand for agricultural produce, that small vegetable or poultry farm in your backyard could just become a huge business tomorrow. Every evidence shows that you don’t have to be a wealthy investor with millions of dollars in the bank or a highly-educated person in order to start a business in agriculture in Africa. You can start where you are and use what you have, and grow from there. You can start your agribusiness journey in your home backyard or do it on a part-time basis with your day job. It’s very flexible that way! 5. Agribusiness is a huge job creator Agribusiness is one of the most effective ways to create jobs and empower millions of Africans. At present, up to 60 per cent of the labour force in Sub-Saharan Africa is employed in the agribusiness industry. Agribusiness remains a top employer of labour in many African countries. The value chain in the agribusiness industry, from food production, processing and marketing provide huge opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship. So, if you’re looking to start a business or invest in an industry that makes a significant social impact, provides jobs and creates sustainable wealth, agribusiness is surely the way to go! https://www.agricinfo.com/2018/11/5-exciting-reasons-why-you-should.html
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Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo chairs activities of the Nigeria Zero Hunger Forum’s meeting in Sokoto state, beginning from yesterday. The two-day meeting in Sokoto affords participating states in Nigeria the opportunity to peer-review one another, particularly on achievements and steps taken so far since 2016 to bring about zero hunger. The peer review tool is being adopted by state governments in Nigeria as part of efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals. Since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, Nigeria’s former president has been in the forefront, advocating home-grown policies and strategies to contain hunger and poverty in Nigeria. Working with the World Food Programme, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the African Development Bank, the former president led the development of the Nigeria Zero Hunger Strategic Review detailing what Nigeria needed to do to achieve zero hunger by 2025. The two-day meeting will comprise meetings and presentations and field visits to give participants a feel of the efforts being made by Sokoto State towards eradication of hunger.Located in the North West part of Nigeria, Sokoto has rich agricultural potential in the areas of crop and animal production. The state is predominantly an agrarian state. https://www.agricinfo.com/2018/11/obasanjo-chairs-zero-hunger-meeting-in.html
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The Country Representative of Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the UN, Suffyan Koroma has said that crop seeds and fertilizer are being distributed to 80, 600 farmers affected by conflicts in the Northeast. The distribution of farm inputs was to improve food security, livelihoods and nutrition of people affected by 10-year Boko Haram insurgency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. Koroma disclosed this on Saturday in Maiduguri, while flagging off distribution of bags of seeds and fertilizers to households at the Farm Centre, Maiduguri. “In the three northeast states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, the number of people in need of food assistance has dropped from 2.6 to 1.7 million people over the past year,” said Koroma, who was represented by his Deputy, Nourou Macki Tall.He said this reflects robust efforts made by insurgency affected states, Federal Government and humanitarian actors, including UN food agencies to reach the vulnerable people. He said other factors that led to improvements in food security; include favorable farming conditions, improved security, and better access to markets.Tall however noted that conflict and displacement are preventing large numbers of people from farming or engaging in other livelihood activities. “Without sustained humanitarian support, this number is predicted to rise to 2.7 million people within the next six months,” he warned. He said security, access to farmland and irrigation facilities remain pre-requisites for a sustained improvement and return to self-reliance. He therefore called on the government leadership and support of affected Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps and host communities.He said the UN food agency is supporting 1.5 million people, IDPs, returnees and host communities in the insurgency-affected region. “Our support is under emergency in the areas of crops, livestock, aquaculture, agri-business and climate change adaptation,” he said, adding that access to savings and loans, safe access to fuel and energy, and extension services are part of humanitarian interventions to raise living conditions of IDPs. He said 50 per cent of beneficiaries (40, 100 households) to crop seeds and fertilizers are in Borno state.He said that 28 Local Government Areas will be reached, including 15, eight and five from Borno, Yobe and Adamawa respectively.Governor Kashim Shettima said that the partnership with FAO has impacted positively in reducing the shocks of food insecurity.He explained that it has also promoted a more secured livelihoods to reduce the burden of many host communities. According to him, the partnership with UN agency will rebuild and regain the livelihoods of IDPs in food production and resettlement processes. Shettima; who was represented by the Commissioner of Agriculture,Hajiya Inna Galadima said about 40,160 household farmers are expected to benefit from the distribution of rice, maize, vegetable seeds and fertilizers. She said the distribution of farm inputs was designed to strengthen the resilience of insurgency-affected communities by boosting food production and ensure support for IDPs and returnees. https://www.agricinfo.com/2018/11/fao-kicks-off-distribution-of-seeds.html
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The use of chemicals for beans preservation has called attention of individuals, government agencies and organisations to food quality and safety in the country. Nigerians are worried that there might be a re-emergence of the killer-beans that claimed many lives and wiped off families in the 1990s, or the situation could lead to cumulative health burdens on Nigerians and the country. From time immemorial, cereal farmers and grain merchants have often sought ways to preserve their products, beans inclusive, with the application of red dry peppers rather than pesticides. When a recent video showing young two men using a synthetic chemical (Sniper) came to the public knowledge, the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), among other regulatory bodies, came up with modalities to ensure that Nigerians consume wholesome beans. But the untold story is that the unofficial method of beans preservation is the use of these poisonous chemicals. Dry fish, maize and other pest-susceptible cereals and consumables are usually sprayed with these crop protection (not grain protection) chemicals. A bean merchant who demanded anonymity told The Guardian that “what many people didn’t know is that farmers have always been using Sniper to preserve their grains. They don’t feel any remorse when applying it, because according to them, that is the only method they know for beans preservation.” Bean weevils are common pests that attack beans. Cowpeas are highly susceptible to pest infestation, and this leads to huge post-harvest losses, lower food quality and poor food safety. To mitigate these losses, the majority of farmers and grain merchants employ various insect control measures, including the use of chemicals not minding the consequences of their actions. Chemicals like organophosphates (such as DDVP), pyrethroids (such as Permethrin, Deltamethrin) and some already banned class of chemicals (organochlorides such as gammalin) for the storage of beans and this has led to food poisoning and death of consumers. Therefore, the general public is at risk due to their effects. To correct the above the abnormal practice and ensure the safety of foods consumed by the Nigerians, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development conveyed a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, bringing together the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Agency, the National Agency for Food, Drug Admistration and Control (NAFDAC) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the National Orientation Agency (NOA), and research institutes to find a lasting solution to the menace. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, while stressing the need to scale up campaign in ensuring Nigerians consume wholesome foods, noted that it would help prevent cases of liver and kidney problems.He said: “Why are so many people going down with liver, kidney and lung failures? Nobody knows exactly which particular misconduct of ours is leading to the damage of health of our people. Add all that, water that people are drinking in the communities is contaminated. Then, you can see why our life expectancy is so low.” Ogbeh attributed the use of the chemicals to ignorance and poverty. He said rural women often use chemicals to ripen plantain or banana, adding that they also spread cassava products on the roadside, thus exposing foods to carbon deposits, dust and effluents. The NAQS boss, Dr Vincent Isiegbe, pointed out that NAQS had been trying to engage people along the value chain so as to see how they could work together not only on beans, but also on other grains. He added that since 2017, it had partnered with the University of Ibadan and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to find a viable and sustainable bio-degradable agro-pesticide that farmers could apply. The Executive Director of the Nigerian Stored Product Research Institute (NSPRI), Professor Olorunfemi Peters, further submitted that beans of safe moisture content can be stored with or without the use of chemicals. He explained that harvested and threshed beans could be stored for short and long term periods using the following procedures. Farmers and marketers could preserve cereals with hermetic storage methods. This technology works on the principle of exclusion of oxygen gas from the storage environment. Hermetic storage facilities are air-tight structures which can be flexible or rigid and require no synthetic chemical application. For example, when using polythene lined jute bags developed by NSPRI, the bag should be filled to the brim with beans and properly tied or sealed. Other flexible hermetic storage structures such as the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags developed by Purdue University, USA and ZeroFly Hermetic bags by Vestergaard Frandsen South Africa, are also very effective. “If we do not have access to the flexible hermetics, the rigid hermetic storage made from plastic or galvanised/stainless metals can also be used,” he said. Both of these structures can be used as domestic, retail and commercial storage for beans and grains in general, and can protect the grains for over 12 months, as long as the air tightness is maintained.He added that even if the beans had been infested, the infested beans could be placed in air-tight containers and placed in home freezers as a cold shock treatment. This method kills all life stages of the insect within four days. Thereafter, the beans can be removed, sieved, aired and kept in air-tight containers under ambient condition as described above. Another approach is to use a diatomaceous earth formulation otherwise called inert dust. DE branded products are safe, non-toxic products marketed in dust formulation whose effectiveness to kill insects is through its physical contact. To use, the DE dust is admixed with the beans of safe moisture content before and then bagged in a polypropylene woven bag and sealed. DEs protect grains for up to 12 months, are safe, can be eaten at any time, easy to handle and can be safely applied by all levels of stakeholders. There are commercially available DE products in the market and NSPRIDUST, developed by NSPRI, is one of them. Inert Atmosphere System (IAS) is another approach to grains storage and in particular, beans, without the use of chemicals. The principle of this technology is to deprive the insect pest access to oxygen by replacing the air in the storage environment with nitrogen gas. Clean beans are loaded into metal silo and purged with nitrogen gas. The system is maintained with nitrogen gas to keep the environment inactive. Beans kept in this structure up to 36 months retained their food and seed qualities. Such a technology has been developed by our institute and is available at few locations in the country as Inert Atmosphere Metal Silo (IAMS). “For industrial storage of grains and in particular beans, our institute advocate the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, which involve combination of several other reduced-risk control measures, including sanitation and the use of chemicals as last resort,” the NSPRI boss said. Professor Peter added that harvested and threshed beans can be stored for short and long term periods with fumigants and chemicals using the following procedures.Beans can be stored for short term periods (not more than 3 months) by application of aluminium phosphide tablets or pellets for warehouse and conventional silo storage. This operation (although involves the use of a chemical) is very safe and is usually the first line of treatment for industrial storage of beans. But the operation must be conducted by experts under safety precautions following the manufacturers’ manual. Because fumigation leaves no chemical residues on the grains, fumigated grains can be used for immediate consumption after being aired for three days. “For long-term storage of beans, synthetic chemicals (organophosphates, pyrethroids) can be applied as well as for empty space storage structure fumigation. The use of appropriate chemicals for grain storage is not harmful; rather it’s the improper use by untrained operators,” NSPRI said. The situation in the country has been that these chemicals are applied indiscriminately without due regards usually by ill-informed grain merchants. The proper actions are that the procedure for use of appropriate chemicals be performed by experts under safety precautions.Beans treated directly with chemicals could be consumed after six months of storage, during which their active ingredients would have degraded. The NSPRI boss, Professor Peter, said, “If you see that the grain is dusty and choky or has offensive odour or strange smell that is not peculiar to the grains, it may suggest that some kind of synthetic chemicals might have been used. Be careful.”Grains should be par-boiled, decanted and washed before final cooking. This will significantly reduce high levels of the chemical used to a safe limit for consumption. Grains bought for consumption should be kept at home for about two weeks before consumption. Thereafter, follow the step above for the recommended cooking procedure.”NSPRI warns that “if you are in doubt about the safety of any food, please avoid it. It is better to be hungry than to be late.” https://www.agricinfo.com/2018/11/how-to-preserve-beans-grains-without.html
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With the recent revelation by the Special Adviser to the President on National Social Welfare Programme, Mrs. Maryam Uwais, that Federal Government feeds pupils under the school feeding programme with over six million eggs weekly, many would have thought that poultry farming is the most lucrative business in the country today. But The Guardian investigation revealed that the programme has had little or no effect on majority of poultry farmers. Currently, most of them have gone under as a result of huge debts, while a few are running at a loss just to stay afloat. Uwais, while receiving a delegation from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on a study tour of Nigeria to learn from the social intervention programmes in the country, disclosed that the pupils are fed with 6.8 million eggs and 594 cows weekly under the programme, which currently runs in 26 states of the federation. Poultry farmers, especially smallholder farmers and other stakeholders have attributed this feat to different factors — favoritism, middlemen, bureaucracy, among others. While farmers could not immediately provide figures of eggs produced in the country daily, The Guardian learned from Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) that production of egg stands at over 28.3million daily, 198.1million weekly and over 10.3 billion yearly. Comparing this figure to the six million eggs consumed by the pupils under the school programme gives a surplus of 192.1million eggs, majority of which are sold in open markets at ridiculous prices. As gathered, the said eggs consumed under the scheme are sourced from a few poultries, a development that queries the much hyped value addition to poultry farmers. Edo State PAN Chairman, Imasuen Kingsley, lamented that Federal Government is empowering a few farmers at the detriment of small ones. According to the Managing Director/CEO, Bama Farms, Wale Oyekoya, it is very unfortunate that poultry farmers are not smiling to the banks as envisaged, adding that the national social programme of feeding the pupils in schools is the highest form of corruption. One of their cronies in Osun State was awarded the contract of supplying the eggs. “We complained bitterly then, but nothing was done. I will leave it for the media to investigate which farmers were awarded the contract.” Imasuen said smallholder farmers have been struggling to survive, contrary to the big poultry farmers who enjoy the economy of large-scale production. The former Group Head, Policy and Strategy, Amo Sieberer Hatchery Limited, Francis Toromade said poultry farmers are in dilemma, as a result of increasing cost of production, adding that one cannot change the agreed price if there is any increase in production cost once one is doing business with government. According to him, increase in price can easily be achieved when dealing with buyers in open markets, adding that poultry farmers are not really making profit because cost of poultry raw materials has been fluctuating. https://www.agricinfo.com/2018/11/poultry-farmers-complains-over.html
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DAY 2 #EndBigBrotherNaija By Ogbeni Akinbusola Babatunde *IMMORALITY IN OUR LIVING ROOM: THE BIG BROTHER NAIJA SHOW.* Ogbeni Akinbusola Babatunde on it. ```There's a notorious programme currently going on called THE BIG BROTHER NAIJA. The winner of this notorious show is expected to walk away with a whopping N25 million and a breathtaking car. All that is required to win this show is to be Live with a bunch of fellow crazy, irresponsible people, do all sorts of immoral things, and, viola, you're the winner. Next thing, you're called a celebrity, winning big advertisement contracts and becoming the face of multinational companies. If only there could be an educating version of this programme. If only they could house some intelligent people in like manner and make them compete for similar prizes. But, no! Our people do not encourage sanity. Our society promotes evil over good, indecency over decency, immorality over morality, and ungodliness over godliness. The best in Mathematics competitions will go home with either a carton of cowbell milk or Indomie noodles, ridiculous stipends and laughable prizes. Yet these morons in BBN will earn millions for coming to suck breasts, speak thrash, display nudity, and get under the sheets on International TVs. Our rich individuals, companies and corporate organisations will spend huge sums of money sponsoring dirty shows like BBN and Beauty Pageants where they will enthrone satanic activities, display nudity, molest our under aged girls, and make them win on bottom power rather than on real beauty and brains. Can anyone forget the Anambra State born Chidinma Okeke saga in a hurry? What a wasted generation! What a time! How do we raise, nurture and produce the next Chike Obis, Chinua Achebes, Wole Soyinkas, Cyril stover, Apostle olatunde Adekunle, and yes, P.O.C. Akorefes ? What foundation are we laying for coming generations? What message of hope and legacy are we leaving behind? What epistle are we sending to the future to testify to it that the past made some level of contributions. Is Immorality the legacy we really want to hand down to the next generation? Are we not losing our minds?Let all people of goodwill come together and raise alarm against this dirty programme. Let us all with one voice and in unison say, "We've had enough of this nonsense." Let us blow the trumpet in Zion and declare war on these encouragers of evil tendencies and promoters of these demonic programmes targeted at our highly impressionable youths. We should see that this programme is replaced with a more intelligent and educative programme. Nigeria is broke morally and financially, yet the sponsors are wasting millions of Naira on a highly immoral programme. Please what is the lesson that one can learn from this Big Brother show? What can our YOUTHS pick from it? I know this kind of write up doesn't get many shares. But if we keep quiet, then we are silent conspirators. So share. Share until a thought process is provoked in the heart of everyone and we can stand up to say, Enough of this nonsense."``` *SAY NO TO IMMORALITY* #Endbigbrothernaija. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1561577767261181&id=100002269179798
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This Man Called Buhari is Evilhttps://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=322413821598066&id=158338594672257 https://medium.com/@Emmanuel_Aroms/this-man-called-buhari-is-evil-526c665d8b92
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? What foundation are we laying for coming generations? What message of hope and legacy are we leaving behind? What epistle are we sending to the future to testify to it that the past made some level of contributions. Is Immorality the legacy we really want to hand down to the next generation? Are we not losing our minds?