Narendra Modi is anti-poor & anti-women, can't spell agriculture: Congress

NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of EU Ambassadors engaging with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Congress today dubbed him as "anti-poor and anti-women" and one "who does not know how to spell agriculture". 

The party also sought to project BJP as a divided house saying as to why it should waste time to know who is BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate when there were seven contenders in the opposition party. 

At the AICC briefing, party spokesperson Renuka Chowdhary sidestepped questions on the "clean chit" given to Modi by the European Union and instead asked whether the controversial Chief Minister has got visa from the US. 

"He has no respect for his own wife or someone else's wife.... He is anti-poor, anti-rural development, anti-women. He lives in urban fantasies... and he does not know how to spell agriculture," Chowdhary said. 

Asked about the reported statements of JD-U chief Sharad Yadav implying that the corporates were backing Modi, Chowdhary said that the JD-U leader was intelligent and was not given to making accusation without substantive evidence. 

The Congress attack came at a time when there has been growing chorus in sections of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar to make Modi as PM candidate of the party and reports of envoys of EU countries having a lunch with Modi as part of efforts to engage with him. 

Yesterday, the AICC had sought to project Modi as a state leader and dismissed suggestion that he had hijacked Rahul Gandhi's agenda of connecting with youth. 

Two days back, the Gujarat Chief Minister used a college platform here to project himself nationally saying his focus was on development politics and not that of vote-bank, which he said has "ruined" the nation.

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Agriculture Committee adopts plans for modern and flexible EU farm policy

EU farm policy reform must distribute EU funding more fairly, make "greening" measures mandatory but flexible, better equip farmers to cope with market challenges and cut red tape. So says the Agriculture Committee's opening position for negotiations with EU member states, as set out in texts voted on Wednesday. This will be the first EU farm policy reform shaped by Parliament as a full co-legislator with member states.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), one of the EU's oldest, must be properly funded to continue to ensure secure supply of high-quality food to EU citizens and enable farmers to protect the environment better, said MEPs, voting on the four legislative proposals.

"This is the moment of truth. The Agriculture Committee has said today how the new CAP should look. It should be more efficient, greener and able to respond to the enormous challenges ahead of us. Such ambitious goals entail higher costs. So any further cuts to the CAP budget are simply inacceptable," said committee chair Paolo De Castro (S&D, IT). He also called on EU leaders to agree on their proposal for the EU's long-term budget, which is "essential to design the final shape of the future CAP", as soon as possible.

Fairer funding

To ensure that direct payments go only to active farmers, the committee included a list of entities, such as airports and sports clubs, which should be automatically excluded from EU funding unless they prove that farming contributes a substantial share of their income. Member states could extend or adapt this list.

MEPs also said that differences among EU member states in the levels of EU funding that farmers receive should be reduced slightly faster than the Commission proposed. Under the new rules, no member state's farmers should receive less than 65% of the EU average.

"The committee has voted for a stronger redistribution of aid among member states, as it is difficult to accept differences of roughly €300 per ha between farmers in different member states", said Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos (S&D, PT), rapporteur for the Direct payments and Rural development regulations.

The rate of payments to farmers within each member state could also be made equal by 2019, but to avoid sudden sharp falls in support that could jeopardise the viability of many farms, member states should still be allowed to deviate from the average by up to 20%, MEPs add.

Capping direct payments

MEPs endorsed Commission proposals to cap direct payments to any one farm at €300,000, and reduce payments to those receiving between €250,000 and €300,000 by 70%, and payments to those receiving between €200,000 and €250,000 by 40%.. Payments to farms receiving between €150,000 and €200,000 would be cut by 20%

Other amendments, seeking to reduce payments to bigger farms even further or on the contrary calling for the capping to be completely rejected, failed to win the support of a majority in committee. MEPs nonetheless adapted the rules proposed by the Commission so as to exclude cooperatives and other groups of farmers who distribute payments received to their members (AM770) and ensure that capped money remains in the region where it was capped and is used for rural development programmes.

More flexible greening

New environment protection rules, which will make 30% of national budgets for direct payments conditional upon compliance with mandatory greening measures, must be made more flexible, say MEPs. The three key measures - crop diversification, maintaining permanent pasture and permanent grassland and creating "ecologically focused areas", would remain but with certain exceptions, e.g. to reflect the size of the farm. Farms with under 10 ha of arable land should be exempt and the rules should be relaxed for holdings of 10 - 30 ha, say MEPs.

Farms that are certified under national of regional environmental certification schemes, and hence are already using environment-friendly practices, would be exempt from "greening" measures provided that the measures they apply have an impact that is at least equivalent to that which the mandatory greening ones would have.

"We have managed to bring greening into the first pillar of the CAP, making it possible for every farmer in the EU, not just those in countries that can afford to fund it under rural development programmes. This greening is clearly subject to EU rules, and now needs to be paid for by real EU money for a public good", Mr Capoulas Santos said.

Risk management

Risk management tools should be funded from the budget for rural development programmes, not from the direct payments budget as is the case today, said MEPs, agreeing with the Commission's proposal. The income stabilisation tool should take the form of financial contributions to mutual funds or to buy insurance against the risk of severe drop in income, MEPs say. They also call on the Commission to do a mid-term review of the risk management tools and table a legislative proposal, if needed.

Strengthening farmers' bargaining position

To better equip farmers to cope with market volatility and manage crises but also to strengthen their price bargaining position, producer organisations should be given significantly wider powers and new tools, say MEPs. Farmers' organisations should be allowed to use crisis-prevention and crisis-management instruments including, as a last resort, market withdrawal. Furthermore, they should have the right to negotiate, on behalf of their members, input and delivery contracts without falling foul of competition law, say MEPs.

"The idea that farmers should band together must not translate into cartels but it should allow them to break free from economic dependence and guarantee them a decent standard of living. Establishing strong producer organisations for all sectors, with much greater freedom of action than originally proposed by the Commission, is an appropriate way to achieve that aim", said Michel Dantin (EPP, FR), rapporteur for the Common markets organisation regulation.


Improving spending controls while cutting red tape

To make farmers' lives easier while keeping a close eye on compliance with common rules and how EU funds are spent, the committee approved several measures designed to get remove unnecessary bureaucracy for farmers and ensure that penalties for breaching rules are proportionate.

"This is the leitmotif of the new system of checks and penalties. But the principle of proportionality should apply not only to the infringements but also to delays and the degree of responsibility of farmers", said Giovanni La Via (EPP, IT), rapporteur for the financing, management and monitoring regulation.

"We also need to cut the time farmers must spend with paperwork. To this end, member states should have the option to create an aid application that would remain valid for several years so that farmers do not have to register their claim each year but only when there are changes. Furthermore, if money earmarked for rural development is not fully spent, the remainder should stay in the national budget rather than being returned to Brussels", he adds.

Rather than imposing sanctions immediately, member states could set up an early warning system to deal with cases in which non-compliance does not constitute a direct risk to public or animal health. An alert would be sent to a beneficiary who breaches a rule for the first time and inform him of the need to remedy it. This alert should be followed by checks to ensure that the breach has been put right. If this is done, payments should not be reduced, say MEPs.

Finally, the committee rejected a Commission proposal to make public the names and municipalities of those in receipt of direct payments or money from rural development programmes. In the past, many MEPs have expressed concern that such extensive transparency rules would breach beneficiaries' privacy rights and could be rejected by the European Court of Justice.

Results of the votes so far

The draft mandate for negotiations with member states on the future direct payments rules was approved by 31 votes to 12 with 1 abstention.

The draft mandate for negotiations with member states on the future rural development rules was approved by 34 votes to 10.

The draft mandate for negotiations with member states on future common market organisation was approved by 26 votes to 14 with 4 abstentions.

The draft mandate for negotiations with member states on financing, management and monitoring rules was approved by 35 votes to 5, with 2 abstentions.
Next steps

The Agriculture Committee's negotiating position must win the blessing of Parliament as a whole before MEPs can start negotiations with member states on the final shape of future EU farm policy. The plenary vote is provisionally scheduled for March session in Strasbourg, pending final figures for the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2014 to 2020. The next summit of EU heads of states and governments to deal with the future MFF is scheduled for 7-8 February.

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DPM: Use tech in agricultural sector to generate more income

The increased use of technology in the agricultural sector can continue to generate more income for the country and help Malaysia become self-sufficient in its food production.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the agricultural sector must be modernised to make it a more value-added industry.

He said the government had approved RM200 million which has been utilised for the Technofund scheme under the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi).

“Through this, more than RM7.5 billion worth of value- added products have been produced under the National Key Economic Areas for agriculture, ranging from that under the biotechnology and biomass sectors, as well as many others,” Muhyiddin said, adding that the value-added products can create new riches for the country.

He reiterated that the agriculture and agro-based in dustry's scope also needs to be widened to meet the varied needs of many, as well as in addressing the issue of food security.

“Food security still remains unresolved and is afflicting the global community.

“Although our country is still working to become a self- sufficient nation, we still need to produce more to be able to export it to other countries and address food shortages, given the increasing global population,” he added.

Muhyiddin also called on youths to participate in the agriculture and agro-based industry and discard stereotypes that the industry did not offer good returns.

“With the increased use of modern technology, youths can put their creativity and skills to good use in this sector.”

He said that with the right training programme, youths can be absorbed into the agriculture and agro-based industry.

Muhyiddin said that the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism International Show (MAHA) 2012 is a great platform to exchange knowledge.

Muhyiddin was speaking after visiting the MAHA 2012 at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) here yesterday.

The event which began on Nov 23, has already received more than 600,000 visitors in just two days and will end on Dec 2.

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Irrigation critical for agricultural development

FOR the past three years Zambia has been receiving normal rainfall seasons which have seen the country record good bumper harvests consecutively for three seasons.

But prior to this, there had been one or two seasons when the country received less rains or faced partial droughts which made Zambia record poor harvests and the nation was forced to import maize.

Importing maize has serious repercussions on the economy as this causes inflationary pressure and puts the local currency under pressure as demand for foreign currency soars.

This is why as Zambia makes efforts to improve its agricultural sector, it is important that serious efforts are made to reduce dependence on rain-fed agriculture so that even when there is a drought, a robust agricultural production can be maintained.

It is therefore relieving to read that the government has launched a US$115 million irrigation agricultural project funded by the World Bank aimed at increasing yields per hectare.

We welcome this initiative by the government supported by the World Bank because we are very sure that this programme will go a long way in helping to increase agricultural productivity.

What is even more important is that the project is targeting to reach 70,000 smallholder farmers who are expected to increase their yields countrywide.

According to our main story today on our Agribusiness and Finance page, this project will be implemented in Mpika, Mkushi, Solwezi, Chirundu, Mufulira and Petauke which are areas with potential for irrigated agriculture.

Irrigation plays a very critical role in agricultural development and Government is cognisant of this fact, thus its decision to have sought World Bank assistance through this project that the bank board approved in April 2011.

As Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Emmanuel Chenda has noted, the Irrigation Development Support Project (IDSP) provides not just an opportunity to reduce poverty but also create wealth and more job opportunities.

The PF government has already announced that it wants to diversify Zambia’s agriculture from being dependent on one crop. therefore, the IDSP will help in attaining that objective.

World Bank country director for Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia Dr Kundhavi Kadiresan also says the bank believes that Zambia can attain its goal of diversifying its economy from copper mining but also moving away from focusing on one crop.

This seven-year project comes just months after the African Development Bank (AfDB) announced in January that over 1,400 households in Nega-Nega, Sinazongwe and Kanakantapa are expected to benefit from the US$23 million Small Scale Irrigation Project.

AfDB country representative Freddie Kwesiga said the project that was launched in 2001 in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, would result in the development of irrigation schemes aimed at enhancing food security and household income.

So far, out of the three irrigation schemes, the Nega-Nega scheme is near completion and will enable 160 households to grow vegetables and sugar cane to supply to local supermarkets and Zambia Sugar Company.

We are hoping the World Bank project will also benefit more households in all provinces where it will be implemented.

We wish to commend the government and the World Bank for coming up with such an initiative which will not just help empower households but ensure increased food security and help to create job opportunities.

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Agriculture ministry set to become powerful after planned merger of ten dockets

By OSCAR OBONYO

The plum Ministry of Agriculture, which boasts of over 60 parastatals, is set to be even bigger and politically powerful – thanks to efforts to collapse at least ten ministries into the docket.

Already some politicians opine the giant ministry could be used as one of the carrots to be dangled at players in the ongoing pre-poll coalition negotiations: “Even in its current form, it is powerful enough and soon this proposed docket could find its way on our (politicians’) negotiating tables,” says Cherangany MP Joshua Kuttuny.

Presently, negotiations amongst presidential aspirants are hinged on sharing out of positions of President, Deputy President, Leader of Parliamentary Majority and Speakers of the Upper and Lower houses. The talks may soon feature the post of Cabinet Secretary of Agriculture as well.

Chair of the 11-member Parliamentary Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives, John Mututho, is spearheading the merger of the ten ministries in the agricultural sector.

He envisages a powerful ministry with a paramilitary wing, drawing the Kenya Wildlife Service, Forest Guards, and the Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU). Apart from arresting stock theft and wildlife and tree poaching, the armed wing will contain theft of crops such as coffee.

The new plan targets to merge the Agriculture ministry with ministries of Cooperative Development and Marketing, Development of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Lands, Environment, Fisheries, Forestry and Wildlife, Lands, Livestock Development, Regional Development Authorities and Water and Irrigation.

Bloated Cabinet

The original reform paper drafted by a senior State law official in March last year and seen by The Standard On Sunday explicitly called for merging of the ten ministries. It called for the coordination of the entire sector through a single ministry. “The Ministry of Agriculture shall be responsible for coordinating policy formulation and coordination in the agricultural sector.”

This is part of ongoing efforts to redesign and reduce the current bloated Cabinet to a maximum of 22 ministries in line with the new Constitution.

“We want a single ministry, two at most. We will find the right title for it, but my guess is Agriculture and Animal Resources or Agriculture, Lands and Animal Resources,” says Mututho. The Animal Resources directorate is to draw the current ministries of livestock and wildlife.

It is hardly a secret that self-interests torpedoed the initial objective of merging the agricultural sector ministries into one all-powerful ministry. The road has been bumpy.

Lands Assistant Minister Bifwoli Wakoli, for instance, is not supportive of the view maintaining the Lands docket has fairly huge tasks and therefore must stand independent. And Joint Government Chief Whip, Jakoyo Midiwo argues the redesigning of ministries is solely the task of the next President.

However, Nominated MP George Nyamweya says the move is geared at streamlining services and cutting down on costs and it is “the way to go”. And to circumvent interests of the resisting ministries, drafters of the merger have settled on “functions” as a less-controversial entry to the consolidation. They came up with laws on crops, livestock, research and a regulatory body. It was a politically-correct move that helped stave off self-interests.

Earlier in the week, before the meeting at Parliament, a top official in the Ministry of Agriculture told The Standard On Sunday, “We need to hasten the passage of the proposed reforms so that it becomes easy to merge them immediately after the election. With just five Acts of Parliament, it will not be difficult for the new Government to consolidate the ten ministries into one. The success will determine how the others get joined.”

Reforms

Reforms in the sector are overdue. The current reforms are the first since the legislation in 1904, known as the Agriculture Act, followed by the Alcohol Act in 1907. The Agriculture Act, which is one of those set to be repealed, was developed to protect European farming from Africans.

“The current laws are colonial and do not reflect the lifestyle of Africans. That explains why coffee is branded elsewhere, not in Kenya” says Mr Mututho who is an agricultural expert. “You cannot do business in this kind of atmosphere.”

The Naivasha MP has now kicked off a new mission by having the sector replace the 151 laws that hitherto govern the sector to five. He will then follow it up with a push to have the ten agricultural sector ministries merge into one.

Already a multi-ministerial agency, Agricultural Sector Coordination Unit (ASCU), has drafted five Bills – The Agriculture, Livestock and Food Authority (Alfa) 2012; The Fisheries Bill 2012; The Livestock Bill 2012; The Crops Bill 2012; and the Kenya Agricultural Research Bill 2012 – to replace the 151 statutes.

The first to be replaced is the Agriculture Act (Chapter 318), which is 98 years old. “We have to replace the archaic and obsolete laws. We want fewer laws and regulations,” says Mututho.

Just ten days ago, Mututho helped defuse a potentially divisive situation when he rallied stakeholders in the sector to agree on more laws to cover the interests of the Livestock sub-sector. This was after Ministry of Livestock backtracked on the five Bills, arguing that the process had not been consultative enough, and that the proposed laws defy international conventions ratified by Kenya.

“Reading through the proposed Bill it becomes evident that it lacks the necessary technical input which calls for postponement of its enactment until this is done,” Dr Christopher Wanga, vice president, African Veterinary Association, who has opposed the five Bills, argues. “It is a constitutional requirement for public participation in any law formulation.”

Following the talks involving the House Committee and representatives of the sector, the Livestock ministry was asked to draw three more Bills, to cover Veterinary Services; Livestock Production Services; and a regulatory one. The Fisheries Bill 2012 will now be amended and moved to the livestock section.

“Ministry of Livestock officials are not comfortable with two of the five Bills. Of course, theirs was a fairly weak argument. I think they fear that they will be swallowed up by the (Alfa). But we agreed all the same,” Mututho told the media last week.

According to the MP, “these are powerful legislative proposals that meet all standards, including international ones”. Key officials of the Livestock Ministry were part of the five-year long consultations towards the legal and regulatory reforms in the sector.

Impede its effectiveness

He hinted about the disquiet within the Livestock ministry, pitting the department of Veterinary Services and Livestock Production. “The Livestock Department is happy with the proposals. “I think it’s just a matter of self-interests. Even amongst themselves, there’s a feeling of conflict; they are not in agreement. It will be in bad taste if they are merely trying to protect their turf rather than pursue national interests.”

The Parliamentary Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives is expected to retreat to Mombasa to discuss the livestock Bills this month. “We will look at the livestock Bills in Mombasa. We will listen to everybody. I just hope the matter has been resolved once for all.”

Differences among the technocrats notwithstanding, Mututho points out the merger aims at realising “far-reaching reforms in the sector to make it the key driver of Vision 2030”. Noting that the agricultural sector is the backbone of Kenya’s economy, Kuttuny supports the view, but warns against the ministry being clogged with additional departments that may impede its effectiveness.

While ten ministries represent Kenya’s agricultural sector, Burundi has one, Rwanda two and Tanzania four.

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Nigeria: Agricultural Biotechnology Can Lead to Quantum Leap in Food Production - Dr. Abubakar Lawali

Dr. Abubakar Lawali, a Plant Breeder is with the Department of Crop Science of Faculty of Agriculture, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, UDU, Sokoto. In this interview with Abdallah el-Kurebe, he spoke on plant genetics and the place of biotechnology in the provision of food security. Excerpts:

For a Nigerian traditional farmer, how would you describe plant genetics?

Plant genetics is used in agriculture to develop new and modern improved varieties through plant breeding. The varieties could be for high yield, improved mineral and vitamin content, early maturing, etc.

How would you relate the political will of Nigerian leadership to the agricultural needs of the nation?

One can conveniently say that it is not there. However, let us wait and see, perhaps with all promises made, something may come out of it.

Recently, the Global Food Security Index of the Economist Intelligence unit ranked Nigeria 80th among 105 other countries on food insecurity. What do you see as the reason for this ugly development?

It is quite unfortunate but the reasons that Nigeria is lagging behind in the provision of food security for the citizenry include inadequate funding and infrastructure for research; lack of adequate link between research and development; funding of development, where available, is not realistic or has been politicized and as such, does not reach the target farmers.

Do you see the current Nigeria's Agricultural policy as truly addressing the problem of food crisis in the country?

Theoretically it can, but it has always been the problem of implementation. You cannot transform Agriculture when the infrastructure is not there; you cannot supply inputs through cell phones in a country where there is no power and literacy level is low.

What do you see could be the role of Agricultural Biotechnology in improving food production in Nigeria and by extension, African continent?

Agricultural Biotechnology can lead to a quantum leap in food production if utilized effectively and efficiently. However, bio-safety regulations must be respected.

Biosciences for Farming in Africa, B4FA has come into the continent with a view to creating awareness on the need for governments and farmers here to wholly adopt biotechnology in order to increase food production to meet up with the over-growing population. As a plant breeder, how would you advise the FG on this?

Government can adopt biotechnology. There is no problem with that but we must, first of all, place all the bio-safety regulations in place.

Ways for improving food production are by genetically modifying plants as well as genetically engineering crops such that would be resistant to deterring factors like pests and other plant diseases. According to your research and findings, how much of these are Nigerian farmers using?

There is practically none as of now; perhaps in the near future.

If, according to your research findings, no Nigerian farmer on the average is using genetically modified plants and genetically engineered crops, how do we start as a country?

Well you see the way to start even in the countries that have started; the first thing is to put in place, the bio-safety regulations like I said earlier. What are bio-safety regulations? These are regulations to ensure that there are no unwarranted or unwanted transfers of genetic materials to sources that they are not designed for.

If this takes place, then it may lead to the creation or development of very terrible and hazardous threat to the environment. And that is why before you start; make sure that the bio-safety regulations are being observed. To my knowledge, the bio-safety law has been passed by the National Assembly but not sure if it has been assented to by Mr. President. Even if it has been assented to, what have we put in place to ensure that these things are working? If we don't ensure that they are working and we just kick-start the project, I assure you that we will be in more trouble than we expect.

You have consistently mentioned the observance of bio-safety regulations as a precondition for Nigeria's adoption of Agricultural Biotechnology. Specifically, which of these regulation are you referring to

These are regulations as to how and where you practice; how the laboratories will function and even the farmers are going to control, polling transfer and so on. So, these things have to be worked upon by a national committee of experts. We have teeming professors out there that could help in this regard. What remains is for the government to present this document for the experts to do some work on its workability.

How would you assess government's support for research and development, especially in the area of agricultural biotechnology and the application of such research results for national development?

The basic infrastructure for biotechnology is lacking in the country as well as training and retraining. More so, funding for biotechnology research is lacking. We also need to prioritize and focus on certain key crops that will immediately solve the problem of food insecurity and for economic empowerment in order to reduce poverty; provide jobs through value addition to our crops, which in turn will attract international market.

You said there is inadequate link between research and development. Can you explain this?

When you go to the universities and check the shelves of the professors and other researchers in the universities, there are a lot of researches lying with piles of dust. In advanced countries, commercial people and those in the private sector go to the universities, get the researches and mass-produce them.

That is the name; you research and develop them. This is the link between research and development. In our country, the private sector is not so organised to do that as an economic activity.

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Agriculture and rural development

Verghese Kurien (1922-2012), father of the White Revolution, empowered Indian farmers through cooperatives. He democratised farming from the grassroots – through several institutions and based on his belief that “by placing technology and professional management in the hands of the farmers”, the lives of millions of poor people can be improved.

Kurien’s intriguing success story, captured in a film clip on Amul.com, pays tribute to him for making Indian agriculture of, by and for the farmer. It took Verghese Kurien to turn a barren land into one flowing with milk; an ordinary farmer into the owner of India’s largest dairy cooperative; to persuade farmers to accept their wives’ economic equality.

Nigerian youths can emulate Kurien’s dedication to farming. In 1979, Kurien founded the Institute of Rural Management whose mission is “to promote sustainable, ecologically-friendly, and equitable socio-economic development of rural people through professional management.” 80 percent to 90 percent of farmers in India are smallholders. For farmers with no more than a cow, Kurien turned India into the world’s largest producer of milk.

His model is one Nigeria, a developing country yet to tap its agricultural wealth, can replicate. Thankfully, 2012 has been designated by the UN as the year of cooperatives. Kurien’s “Operation Flood Programme, of which Milk Producers’ Cooperatives were the central plank, emerged as India’s largest rural employment programme.”

Kurien believed that India’s greatest asset was its people and dedicated his entire life to helping rural Indians to fully develop themselves. He put in place systems and institutions that harnessed the power of people to promote their larger interests.

The Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development (PRESSID) to sponsor outstanding students in science and technology for postgraduate studies in the top 25 universities in the world – and other initiatives like Tony Elumelu Foundation’s Agric Fellowship – can replicate the scholarship system that inadvertently led Kurien to stay in Anand, Gujarat. He was assigned to this backwater by the government to serve his bond period after completing his Masters degree in the US.

From the foregoing, it is imperative that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, coordinating minister for the economy and minister of finance; Lamido Sanusi, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); and Akinwunmi Adesina, minister of agriculture and rural development, work in tandem. Young Nigerians that benefit from government’s scholarship programme can be assigned to Nigeria’s high-potential breadbaskets. In these regions that straddle Nigeria, chances are that other Kuriens will revolutionise the cultivation and distribution of cotton, tomato, maize, cassava, soya beans, rice, cocoa, leather, palm oil and aquaculture, thereby transforming Nigeria’s agriculture.

It will take private and public cooperation to implement what CBN has identified as key policy requirements, i.e., the provision of inputs: fertiliser, seed, R&D, infrastructure, land use; cultivation: extension services and irrigation; logistics: storage and price stabilisation; and processing: cluster policy. These policies will complement education and training in rural development centres (preferably established by like-minded individuals, communities and non-government organisations, like the academies and free schools in the UK).

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Weak policy commitment hits agriculture strategy

KATHMANDU: Weak commitment to policy and weak implementation capacity will be an obstacle to get the desired results from the Agriculture Development Strategy, according to participants at the ‘Policy Dialogue: Workshop on Agriculture Development Strategy’, here today.

The strategy has a target to increase agriculture exports by almost seven times, land productivity by more than three times, labour productivity by three times, and contribution of agriculture to the GDP by three times. However, society has to completely change its perception of farming from being unattractive and full of drudgery, to an honourable professional activity, according to senior agriculturist at the Ministry of Agriculture Development (MoAD) Sabnam Shivakoti.

Similarly, the exodus of youth from rural areas, growing rural-urban gap, loss of agricultural land, weak smallholder farmer organisations, and adoption of improved technology 

are some of the key challenges to transform the agriculture sector that includes broader areas from crops to livestock, forestry and fisheries, production, trade, processing to marketing, and spans across different ministries and agencies, and includes not only government agencies but farmers, private sector enterprises, cooperatives, NGOs, and service providers.

The strategy is trying to address the current agriculture system that has become less important as a share of labour and GDP, she said, adding that after the implementation of the strategy, agriculture could become more productive in terms of higher agricultural labour income and GDP.

For better results, technology development and dissemination that is demand-driven and responsive to farmers and enterprises, needs to be developed, besides ensuring that input supply and distribution system provides timely, quality, and reasonably priced inputs to farmers, providing a favourable environment and specific measures to increase the level and effectiveness of public and private investment including investment in infrastructure and irrigation.

However, market development and commercialisation of agriculture is key to achieve growth potential of agriculture, driven by expanding domestic and regional demand, emergence of innovative and competitive enterprises, and increased value addition, added Shivakoti. “Along with proper land management that ensures effective implementation of land planning and management to promote productive use of land, rights of tillers, and environmental protection must also be ensured.”

The policy dialogue shared the process and content of the strategy with the wider public so that its assumptions, analyses, priorities and thematic thrusts could be scrutinised. Its aim was to also identify weaknesses and strengths in the process and its content, and review viable changes and suggestions if needed. The dialogue had an objective to also review the initiatives taken in mainstreaming organic agriculture integration, and to provide inputs.

The strategy that envisions ‘a competitive, sustainable and inclusive agricultural sector that contributes to economic growth, improved livelihoods, and food and nutrition security,’ also has to include the voice of farmers and practitioners in the planning process and engage key policy shapers and makers, according to the civic society that blamed the policy for being donor driven and of techno-bureaucratic interest and orientation.

Nepal is on the threshold of a new socio-cultural, political and economic change, and reshaping agricultural policies and strategies could play a vital role in economic development.

There have been a number of policies and programmes for the development of the agriculture sector since 1995.

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Agriculture will be ex-Rep. Villar’s Senate ‘baby’

AGRICULTURE is the new advocacy of former Rep. Cynthia A. Villar and she pledged to work for the passage of remedial laws that would help propel the growth of the local agriculture industry.

“We need to put in place a good agriculture development program to the poor folk who comprise 70 percent of the agri sector,” she told a dinner-news conference with the staffers of the media outfits of the Antonio L. Cabangon Group of Companies (BusinessMirror, Philippines Graphic, Pilipino Mirror and DWIZ) at the BusinessMirror editorial offices in Makati City where she and her husband, Sen. Manny Villar, were the featured guests.

Mrs. Villar plans to run in the 2013 Senate elections to replace her husband who is now serving his last term as senator.

Toward the end of the news conference, Senator Villar said it was not true that his wife will run for the Senate to keep his bench warm. (Elective public officials are entitled to only three consecutive three-year terms or a total of nine years; they can run for another elective position after this but can return to their former elective positions after three years.)

The senator said Mrs. Villar established a good record in the House of Representatives, where she led the organization of woman legislators during her incumbency as representative of Las Piñas. Mrs. Villar, said the senator, is a graduate of the University of the Philippines and took further studies at New York University.

Mrs. Villar said that if she got elected to the Senate, she would also pursue enactment of laws that would expand livelihood programs to augment the income of poor families, as she had done during her three terms (nine years) in the House of Representatives.

“We intend to improve on those projects to serve more poor folk and help them earn a living through institutionalized livelihood programs,” Mrs. Villar said. She also said she plans to replicate in various areas of the country the livelihood programs of the Villar Foundation that she and her husband and their family founded to help the poor folk of Las Piñas. One of their projects won a United Nations award.

In response to questions, Senator Villar reported that majority of the senators were wary of granting “too much powers” to the Anti-Money Laundering Council as proposed in an amending law demanded by the Financial Action Task Force. 

The FATF is a Paris-based global finance watchdog seeking to expand the coverage of the existing Anti-Money Laundering Act (Amla) in order to take the Philippines out of the list of borderline compliant countries.

He also said a closed-door meeting called by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile during a break in Wednesday’s session failed to reach a consensus on the last Amla amendment, seen to upgrade the status of the Philippines in the FATF as a fully compliant country, to avoid impeding foreign-currency remittances by overseas workers, as well as bank letters of credits to Philippine businesses.

“There is no consensus yet on the Amla amendment,” Villar said, adding that there were “many issues that have to be clarified first…. questions that have to be cleared.”

Villar noted that Congress already passed into law two previous Amla amendments that removed the Philippines from the FATF watch list of non-compliant countries.

He then admitted that the main stumbling block to its early passage in time for the FATF meeting in October were provisions granting extra powers to the Anti-Money Laundering Council. “’Yung ginawa kasi sa [amending] bill, the AMLC would be more powerful than the President. It covers everything.”

The amending bill, co-sponsored by Senators Sergio Osmena II and Teofisto Guingona III, cited the “urgency to put more teeth to the country’s anti-money laundering law, not only to make the Philippines compliant with international standards, but to protect the country’s financial integrity and economic development.” Villar, however, told the BusinessMirror forum that proposed amendments to expand the list of medicines covered by the cheaper medicines law will likely pass before the current Congress adjourns next year. 

In Photo: Sen. Manny Villar answers questions from editors and reporters of the BusinessMirror, the Philippines Graphic, Pilipino Mirror and DWIZ during a dinner-news conference at the BusinessMirror editorial offices in Makati City. Former Rep. Cynthia Villar also answered questions about her plans to run for the Senate and her current advocacies. Flanking them in the photo are Pilipino Mirror President and Publisher D. Edgard A. Cabangon (left), and BusinessMirror Publisher T. Anthony C. Cabangon. (Roy Domingo)

Sowing the seeds of profitable agriculture in Romania

The development of sustainable and profitable agriculture in Romania, problems with genetically modified organism (GMO) regulations in Europe and controversies over GM crops, the trade dynamics of agricultural products in Romania over the last decade and EU policies and their impact on Romania are among the most significant problems local agriculture is facing, say industry players. And these topics were duly raised and debated at the event. Currently, Romanian agriculture must undergo many changes to reach European Union levels. Although the country has no irrigation system, little storage space, a productivity level that is half the EU average, and just a fraction of European funds have been absorbed, market players are trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Achim Irimescu, secretary of state, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 

"Sustainable agriculture is a very new concept but highlighted in the last decade. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has focused on sustainable agriculture. As long as the farms respect EU rules, we can talk about sustainable agriculture at a local level. Large producers should be able to meet high standards. I believe that sustainable agriculture is the basis for future agricultural development." 

"The goal is to transform the European farmer into a rural entrepreneur. Romanians can align to European requirements. Also, one solution would be agronomic research to come up with revolutionary solutions to produce more with fewer resources." 

Veronica Toncea, general director, the Guarantee Fund for Rural Credit 

"Among Romanian agriculture’s advantages are that it is the only sector that has something like the Common Agricultural Policy, which means a common market, common rules and standards and a common budget, European funding sources and substantial national budgets, which are used to support agricultural production and environmental development areas." 

"Another advantage is the partnership with the banking system, given that all the sums will be distributed to beneficiaries through bank accounts." 

"The objectives of the Guarantee Fund include supporting food security and increasing the export of value-added agricultural products, in the context in which global demand is greater than the supply of such products, and some EU countries have reached their peak of productivity, plus the efficient use of natural resources and social cohesion in rural areas." 

Maria Cirja, marketing manager for Romania & Moldova at Pioneer 

"The European and Romanian farmer has to develop into an entrepreneur, and act according to business principles, if we want to develop profitable agriculture." 

"Production must grow continuously to cope with population growth, the consumption of fuel and increasing meat market demands. If the production cannot cope, marginal non-agricultural areas will be forced to become agricultural. Production must increase by 70 percent by 2050 to feed over 9 billion people." 

"We can develop through research and innovation. Sustainable agriculture is profitable long-term agriculture. Production on acreage obtained from Pioneer corn hybrids can provide animals with enough food to meet the annual average consumption of beef (2 billion people), pork (1.8 billion people) and chicken (1.4 billion people)." 

Klaus Amman, Bern University, Switzerland 

"I think we should change our focus from process to product. We should look at products because the processes change anyway. In Romania I love that farmers can talk to scientists. We are making progress and GMOs will develop in the future." 

Financing for farms 

Due to its weather conditions and higher than the average European arable area, Romania has excellent primary agricultural resources, but to achieve performance like farms in other European countries it needs major investments in upgrading and modernization, argue players. Compared with other EU members, Romania’s agricultural system is poorly financed, has major differences in unit production, a weak organization of capitalization and must fight farmers’ reluctance to join a cooperative. The Romanian agricultural sector has a high capacity to absorb new funds and to develop further and longer than any other field. The support of the European Union through grants is an advantage for those who wish to invest, without having a significant financial contribution of their own to make. The majority of financing in agriculture is done through banks, whether it takes the form of a grant, EU funds or a loan. 

In 2011, considered one of the best agricultural years since the revolution, agriculture contributed 11.3 percent to GDP growth, compared to previous years when the average contribution was 6-7 percent, and both high yields and good prices gave relief to Romanian farmers. 

Achim Irimescu, state secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Romania 

"Romania will benefit from EUR 13 billion for agriculture over 2007-2013, of which just EUR 6 billion has been accessed so far. Time is short and an acceleration of absorption is required. We have a partnership with the Guarantee Fund and the banks." 

"In Romania there are two main problems for agriculture: financing and bureaucracy. Clearly, investments in agriculture are very important and direct payments will continue to support farmers’ income." 

"It is difficult to achieve a balance between Pillar 1 and Pillar II. Romania needs both and we have supported this. For objective reasons Romania is among the countries with low direct payments. EUR 8 billion was allocated to Pillar II and EUR 5 billion to Pillar I. As long as the overall amount remains constant, GDP will not be affected. If it changes it will affect Pillar II." 

Veronica Toncea, general director, Guarantee Fund for Rural Credit 

"There is less interest in financial solutions for farmers than in 2011. Our recommendation for farmers is to take out credit in the national currency as they have revenues in RON. The maximum guarantee ceiling is 80 percent, while the maximum value of a guaranteed fund is EUR 2.5 million. There is open competition between banks to give credit for this sector. It is important to emphasize that individuals cannot obtain financing for agricultural projects unless they are authorized individuals (PFA), family associations, enterprises or other small companies. In terms of procedure, nothing has changed since 2011." 

"Current legislation allows the reduction of agricultural risk by having secured guarantees for both short-term and long-term loans. Financing agriculture and projects using European funds are among the main strategies of commercial banks (with an increase of about 10 percent in 2011). The volume of loans to companies has higher growth rates than to individuals and financing costs have dropped compared to previous years." 

"Commercial banks compete in agricultural lending and in creating new loan products adapted to agriculture, given that prices are still in line with the 2011 trend. Commercial banks have set up offices and hired staff dedicated to funding European projects." 

"The introduction of a letter of comfort has ensured that the project value takes account of the financial capacity of beneficiaries, which has reduced the risk of projects not being implemented. In terms of guarantees required by commercial banks there have been no significant changes in the percentage of coverage of guarantees of credit exposure, but due to the depreciation value of assets as collateral securities, their value is not the same." 

Dan Florian Petre, agriculture market officer, BRD-Groupe Societe Generale 

"We represent a bank that signed the first partnership with APIA in 2008, targeting financial products for agriculture. We have delivered in recent years, and we continue to deliver, financial products for farmers, to meet their need. I know that the general feeling is that banks are closely competing by launching different products in this segment, but actually their claim is limited to the safest level of financing, that of pre-financing subsidies or European funds." 

"Farmers should take note of a product that can be used all along the process and that covers their needs. For instance, we have a financial product with a maturity of 10 years and a grace period of 9 months, in order to cover the seasons of the agriculture cycle." 

Weeding out the biggest problems 

Technical challenges, lack of proper subsidies, tax evasion, lack of state help and the fragmentation of agricultural land are among the main problems dogging Romanian agriculture. Currently, of the 10 million hectares of Romanian arable land only 600,000 hectares are irrigated and the amount of fertilizer per hectare in Romania is 6-10 times lower than in the EU. In addition, there is a lack of storage space around the country. 

Laurentiu Baciu, president of the Romanian Agriculture Producers’ League (LAPAR) 

"We are currently facing the largest disaster in the last 50 years in Romanian agriculture, with production equaling the same vales as 50 years ago. Some of the causes that I can indentify are the lack of irrigation, lack of proper subsidies, tax evasion, inaction from state authorities and ministries when it comes to finding basic solutions for farmers and the fragmentation of agricultural land." 

"Currently 54 percent of Romania’s agricultural surfaces are holdings of up to 1.7 ha. The added value is obtained from the 46 percent which are productive in agriculture. We have the lowest subsidies in Europe and expect others to decide for us." 

Gheorghe Sin, professor and president of the ASAS (the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences) 

"Given the context of several crises - financial, economic, environmental and food - plain solutions are needed from politicians. Even if agriculture has been invoked many times in rhetorical speeches, it seems that, in fact, it hasn’t attracted too much attention from the political sphere." 

"The local potential of this segment, which could feed a population two or three times the size of Romania’s, is not being used and we should analyze several aspects: the lack of efficiency of subsidies, the banks which are not acting according to partnership principles and ineffective lobbying by those in favor of GMOs." 

Dorel Benu, president of the Romanian Payment and Intervention Agency in Agriculture (APIA) 

"Our most urgent need is to find a more coherent and organized system for our dialog partners. Currently, we are in discussions, individually, with over 1 million farmers. Another downside of our work process is the lack of the cadastre for agriculture land." 

"Also, farmers are complaining that the diesel subsidy is too small." 

Veronica Toncea, general director, Guarantee Fund for Rural Credit: 

"Currently agriculture vulnerabilities include the excessive division of land plots, which has caused a high percentage of self-consumption, and the elderly farming population due to young people emigrating. In Romania farmers between 50 and 70 years old own over 2.3 million ha, meaning 24.3 percent of the total agricultural area." 

"Low profitability has caused the decapitalization of the sector and was the main factor in the stagnation of agricultural production." 

"Other problems are the lack of a land cadastre, the underdeveloped agricultural production marketing chain, lack of irrigation facilities, lack of state support for energy and water and tax evasion caused by the dual tax system (individual farmers, VAT excluded, corporate-VAT included)." 

"Another problem is the nonexistent marketing structure to integrate farmers, processors and traders in strategic alliances, with effects on produce (the diversity of producers has raised issues in providing the appropriate volume of standardized products to market requirements)." 

The future of agriculture: GMO and biotechnology? 

One of the most contention topics regarding agricultural development in Romania, and, to a wider degree, in Europe, is the cultivating of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and how this could boost the growth of this strategic industry. This year’s Romanian Agribusiness Forum, organized by The Diplomat - Bucharest in partnership with some of the most significant and biggest companies, financial institutions, state authorities decision-makers and scientists operating in this field, tried to identify the pros and cons of genetically modified crops and address the most troubling aspects of this sector. 

Achim Irimescu, state secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 

"At European level, we sense that there is no interest in cultivating genetically modified crops. Romania is among the few countries in Europe that appears to be open to this segment. I suggest we let the scientists confirm whether or not it is safe to cultivate GMOs, rather than throw ourselves into emotional debates." 

"On the other hand, Romania imports 45 million tons of soya beans each year and I find it rather weird to fight against cultivating this locally but, in the meantime, import such an amount." 

"I don’t think that the position of the Ministry of Environment will affect the introduction of GMOs." 

Toma Dinu, PhD Professor at the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Bucharest (USAMV Bucuresti) 

"Romania is dependent on agricultural imports. The good thing is that exports have also increased. Mostly, we exports grains, seeds and tobacco, and the numbers of imports and exports dramatically changed for instance in 2000, when GM soya started to be cultivated, and again in 2007, when GM soya was forbidden in local farming." 

"Between 2002 and 2011 Romania exported agricultural products worth a total of USD 20.2 billion. Meat production in Romania is a goal but it is limited to satisfying vegetable protein needs. In 2011 Romania imported feed and soybean cakes worth USD 340 million. Quantities imported exceed 600,000 tons (420,000 tons of soybean cake and 186,000 tons of feed, especially premixed feed). To encourage the production of meat the domestic production of vegetable protein must also be stimulated." 

"In the last decade (2002-2011) in Romania agrifood imports far exceeded exports and the accumulated deficit of the period is USD 16.7 billion of which USD 11.8 billion involved EU member states." 

Doru Pamfil, professor and president of the Commission of Biotechnology of ASAS, rector of the Agricultural University in Cluj-Napoca 

"The present century belongs to biotechnology, as, according to forecasts and scientific studies, 50 percent of the global culture production will be based on biotechnology by 2050. Worldwide food production is also expected to double by that year, in order to be able to feed the estimated global population of 9 billion." 

"Biotechnology, by definition, plans to address the issues of food security and safety issues. Even so, it seems that currently, biotechnologies are better applied in industries, especially in bio fuel, pharmaceuticals and medicine, than the food industry." 

"We should ask a question in the future: whether we want cheaper fuel or food. Currently, European regulations are pushing towards a target of 20 percent bio fuel of the total production. By 2015 more than 50 percent of global production, food, feed and feedstock will be biotechnologically processed, not necessarily GM. It is clear that for the future we must bend more to biotechnology, to establish our priorities."

Agriculture Department facing staff crunch

The Karnataka Agriculture Department is facing a 40 per cent staff crunch.

Of the total 9,614 seats sanctioned (under group A, B C, D) only 5,935 seats have been filled.

This shortage is hampering the implementation of various schemes and has increased the workload of the existing officers.

Even as the state is facing drought situation every third year and despite presenting separate agri-budget, the state has failed to tackle this scenario to help farmers and boost the agriculture sector.

“Human resource is a part of the infrastructure.

The officials are responsible for checking spurious seeds and ensuring that farmers get certified seeds.

Also, they need to ensure that fertilisers are issued on time.

But with such shortage, the government cannot be of any help to the farmers,” said Dr Abdul Aziz, former member of Karnataka State Finance Commission and consultant to the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Swedish International.

To meet the growing demands of the farming community in pursuit of the latest technologies, 747 Raitha Samparka Kendras (RSK) have been established, one in each Hobli.

The RSKs are headed by an Agricultural Officer supported by Assistant Agricultural Officers and Agricultural Assistants.

However, it has been noted that 65 per cent of the post of Agriculture Officers and Agriculture Assistants, who are responsible for extending technological benefits to the farmers, are lying vacant.

And also, 45 per cent of the Assistant Agriculture Officers are lying vacant.

Interestingly, the department does not have anybody for the sanctioned post of senior programmer (computer) and Sr computerists, which has halted the e-governance in the department.

The government has even failed to find a replacement for even the retired officials.

When contacted, Bharat Lal Meena, Principal Secretary of Agriculture Department, failed to explain the reason for not being able to fill the vacant post.

He said that the government has implemented alternate plans wherein farmers are trained to do the job the these officers.

“We have selected around 10,000 farmers under the Suvarna Bhoomi scheme and they will do the service.

So, there is no hindrance as such,” Meena added.

“Economists are linking the issue to the declining agricultural growth in the state.

The government cannot keep citing drought as a reason for decline in the agriculture sector,” said Azis and added, “these are the hidden facts which are not highlighted by the government.

They only highlight the increase in production which actually is because of the increase in area under cultivation.

So the government cannot take credit.

” In reality, Agriculture growth in Karnataka has remained at a dismal 0.

5 per cent in the past decade.

Agriculture and allied sectors in Karnataka grew in 2009-10 by 3.

4 per cent and 12.

9 per cent in 2010-11.

In 2011-12 it was -3.

9 per cent.

It is expected to further come down this year

Original Article Here

Sierra Leone: Agriculture & Poverty Alleviation in Sierra Leone (1)

COLUMN

Formation of policies is paramount to the success of a given government's programme. In a 2006 "Agriculture Sector Review" conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture in Bangladesh, there was this crucial aspect of poverty alleviation through agricultural development, which they said was "the fundamental goal we seek to realize through efficient and equitable service delivery to the farmers. To be specific, we are interested in that aspect of governance that deals with the formulation of policies relating to various services to the farmers and their successful implementation at the local level." (Read: Volume IV of "Agriculture Governance In Bangladesh: A Survey Of Six Thanas"). Successive policy formulation will ensure a successful implementation of a given programme.

Asia's continuous growth is phenomenal and it is believed that the "reduction in the incidence of rural poverty in Asia and the Pacific, though slow, was brought about through a combination of factors: (a) the slowing down of population growth, agricultural and overall economic growth which resulted in a rise in wages and employment; and (b) improvement in the levels of social development..." (See: Agro-chemicals News in Brief Special Issue, November 1999)

Sierra Leone has been making progress in a number of areas. The agriculture sector is one among several sectors through which the country has been progressing. As a matter of fact, agriculture is the bedrock of a nation's growth and development. President Ernest Bai Koroma, during his 2009 Independence Day Speech, stated that his "government's Agenda for Change draws its strength from this ability of Sierra Leoneans to effect change...." and this change was not just limited to the aspect of state governance and the development in the country's infrastructural sector, or the energy aspect, or the health care of people, but also in agriculture. So, by 2010, during the 'Business Bomba Competition Final', President Koroma called on Sierra Leoneans to "raise production, productivity, and competitiveness in agriculture because it touches the lives of so many Sierra Leoneans". Since then, the country has continued to make significant progress in the agriculture sector.

Statistics and facts as said by the IMF Country Report No. 11/95 - July 2011 show that, "Another key poverty reducing strategy the government was pursuing is the Smallholder Commercialisation Scheme within the framework of the National Sustainable Agricultural Development Programme and the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme." The report referred to also indicates that, "As most of the poor were farmers, mainly engaged in small farming operations, it was critical that the Government singled out this programme within the agricultural sector" and that "cocoa exports continued to grow strongly, as they have done for a number of years, reaching US$37.1 million in 2010. This likely reflects a combination of growth in production capacity as well as an increase in prices on international markets. A range of other exports that are not recorded separately also increased sharply in 2010 from a total of US$20.0 million in 2009 to US$ 78.2 million in 2010."

Coming to terms with realities in Sierra Leone by 2007, it was apparent at the time that agriculture was in a state that required immediate attention. Forget not the fact that Sierra Leone - a country where agriculture contributes over 45% of our GDP - employs over two-thirds of the population and generates about a quarter of the export income. Budgetary allocation to the sector, as of 2007, was at a paltry 1.6%; and the effect, which was adverse, was that agricultural productivity was very low and farming was basically for subsistence. President Kabba(h) created some kind of illogical situation for the country's food security, especially given his push on the Ministry and the pledge he made on 19th May, 2002 "...to work even harder to ensure that by 2007 no Sierra Leonean goes to bed hungry." There was as a result a food security unit that came up in the ministry but the least one writes about the said unit, the better. To say it made mockery of President Kabba(h)'s promise will definitely be an understatement.

The intervention of the current government in Sierra Leone, led by President Ernest Bai Koroma, has been exceptionally encouraging, insofar as the agriculture sector could go. It is in line with a view of making the sector the engine for socio-economic growth and development through commercial agriculture and the promotion of the private sector that we have today seen an increase in the number of farmers and their farmer-based organizations (FBOs). This mainly corroborates what was pleasantly captured in a speech made by President Koroma when he said: "Our goal is for us to move away from subsistence to commercial agriculture, agro-processing, adding value to our agricultural products and realizing maximum benefit from the richness of our soil." (Address to the Chamber of Commerce, 2009)

Attempts aimed at discussing the achievements in the agriculture sector should take into account the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on agriculture, chaired by the President himself with membership including the Vice President, relevant Ministers, and the donor community, among others. It has been providing policy guidance and supervision over the sector. As a result of the effective leadership that the government, through the Agriculture Ministry, has been providing within the last five years, we realized that there continues to be achievements and accomplishments within the agriculture sector that should be brought to the public domain.

By 2008 we witnessed, as a country, the launching of the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI) in fulfillment of the SLARI Act of 2007. SLARI has a vision of "Increasing food security and wealth by contributing to sustainable agricultural growth and effective agricultural research system." With a mission statement of "supporting agricultural growth through increasing productivity by the generation and promotion of innovative technology and the empowerment of stakeholders", it is expected to in turn, being achieved through the delivery of: appropriate technologies, improved policy and advocacy, increased capacity amongst stakeholders, stronger and better coordination and collaboration between SLARI and partners, better dissemination of information - (http://www.erails.net/SL/slari/slari).

Between 2007 and 2010, government also increased budgetary allocation to the sector from a paltry 1.6% in 2007 to 7.7% in 2009 and stood at close to 10% in 2010. And since the President and the Minister of Agriculture have been appointed Champion Head of State and Minister of Agriculture in Africa, respectively (http://thenewdailynation.com/?p=1236) we saw how the quality and value of our agricultural export commodities continue to increase, especially so for cocoa where exports US$2.2m in 2006, to US$4.5m in 2007 and to US$9.5m in 2008. Six projects were developed for the creation of a Network of Protected Areas covering 468,000 hectares, in fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Government also ensured the prioritization of the Smallholder Commercialization Programme (SCP). The SCP today supports the Smallholder Farmers to move from subsistence to commercial farming - "farm for business" - and to connect them to markets.

Sierra Leone has also witnessed the rehabilitation and development of a total of 2,500 hectares of inland valley swamps to enable the cultivation of food crops and vegetables at least two times a year. This is in line with the view that inland valley and mangrove swamps are the most productive of our cultivatable land area in Sierra Leone. And in wanting farmers access financial services across the country, there has been the construction of as number of additional Financial Services Associations (FSAs or Village Banks) in the Eastern Districts of Kenema, Kailahun and Kono. In an effort to link farmers to the markets, the Agriculture Ministry has supported the rehabilitation of over 1,000km of feeder roads country-wide, which were mostly implemented through the District Councils. I recently wrote about social infrastructure and how the local councils have been very instrumental in this direction. Mechanization programme has also been introduced in a bid to boost productivity.

To be continued

Original article here

Gauteng honours women in agriculture

By: Nthambeleni Gabara

PRETORIA: Gauteng women in agriculture were today honoured for their meaningful contribution towards job creation, inclusive economic growth and food security.

Gauteng Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza on Thursday, 23 August 2012, recognised instrumental women in agriculture during the annual Agri-Business Woman of the Year Awards, formerly known as the Female Entrepreneur of the Year, in Tshwane.

"The link between women and agriculture is crucial as agriculture remains that backbone of our economy; women are the bedrock upon which families are built. We are resolute in our commitment towards the total emancipation of women, and these awards are testament of that resolve," she said.

The MEC said agriculture remained an important sector in job creation in the country, adding that through agriculture, the nation was able to ensure food security for families and communities, as well as guarantee that no child went to bed hungry.

"It is also through agriculture that we are able to tackle the triple challenge of unemployment, poverty and the growing inequality amongst our people," she said.

Overall winner and Best Agri-Business Woman of the Year (Informal markets, livestock) Flora Shilaluke, 46, told SAnews: "With agriculture, there is no hunger and I have been working very hard since I started farming in 2008."

Shilaluke, who started farming in Leeufontein near Bronkhorstspruit, took home R140 000. At her 21-hectare farm, she has four farming enterprises with poultry layers as the main enterprise, goats, cattle and vegetables.

Currently, she said the three poultry houses, with 9 000 layers, supplied eggs to supermarkets around Bronkhorstspruit.

Asked about her future plans, the mother of four, who had already created permanent jobs for two women and six local men, said: "I want to expand the production of layers from 9 000 to 20 000 layers as this will help to create more jobs."

The awards have eight categories that appeal to progressive agribusiness and encouraging food security, value chain activities as well as trade and export.

The categories are Best Female Worker; Best Homestead Food Garden; Best Community Project: Food Gardens and Poultry; Best Young/Disabled Agri-Business Woman of the Year; Best Agri-Business Woman of the Year: Informal Markets (Livestock); Best Agri-Business woman of the Year: Formal Markets (livestock and crops); Best Agri-Business Woman of the Year: Export markets; Best Agri-Business Woman of the Year: Processing and the Overall Winner.

The Agri-Business Woman of the Year Awards is an annual event where women are rewarded for their contribution they have made in agricultural sector.

It was initiated in 1999 by the national Department of Agriculture for the nine provinces, with the aim of empowering women in agriculture by recognising their contribution and increasing their visibility.

Original Article Here