Food
National Wheat Farmers Field Day: CFM, others restate commitment to boost local wheat production
Olam, an agribusiness and food conglomerate, has taken a bold step to raise the level of agricultural productivity in Nigeria. At the National Wheat Farmers Field Day held in Kano recently, the agribusiness conglomerate revealed that over 30,000 farmers have been trained and equipped through a joint effort of one of its strategic business units – Crown Flour Mill (CFM), Flour Miller’s Association of Nigeria (FMAN) and the Federal Government; in a bid to deepen the national agricultural extension scheme, especially in the wheat segment.
Mr. Ashish Pande, Managing Director, Crown Flour Mill Limited, shared that as a member of FMAN, Crown Flour Mill is committed to improving wheat production, through adequate financing and research in the country.
He added that the agribusiness conglomerate’s wheat development effort has led to the execution of several well-coordinated capacity building initiatives which include bringing local wheat farmers up to speed with innovative wheat farming practices.
Pande explained, “We wish to get new technologies in Nigeria to further build on the wheat initiative. We look forward to partnering with organizations across the wheat value chain to improve farmers’ yields through high-quality seeds, expanded extension services and improved access to irrigation.”
Alhaji Sabo Nanono, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, who also attended the event, explained that the Federal Government prioritizes the agricultural extension programme considering its implication on national agricultural productivity ad food security.
Nanono said the federal government is targeting 70,000 workers, adding that 30,000 of them had completed the training that is designed to expose them to modern farming techniques, fertilizer and chemical application.
According to him, the agricultural development effort would encourage the development of small-scale wheat processing mills to make wheat flour and other wheat products available in the market. He explained that encouraging wheat production and processing would go a long way to boosting food security and economic growth.
Also speaking at the event, Alhaji Salihu Muhammad, Chairman, Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN), stated that the developmental drive of the association has introduced the Durum wheat variety, one of the most cultivated varieties of the crop, and engaged the services of experienced seed scientists to accelerate wheat production in the country.
He further called for the inclusion of wheat farmers in the Federal Government’s Anchor Borrower Programme (APB) because the exclusion of their 200,000 registered members has negatively affected wheat production in the country.
In his remark, Nasiru Gawuna, the Kano State Deputy Governor, said the state government had concluded plans to establish additional water bodies and upgrade existing dams to encourage wheat cultivation and other irrigation activities. Gawuna said the government had embarked on the rehabilitation and desalting of Watari dam and upgrade of irrigation schemes in Bagwai LGA.
While reiterating the government’s commitment to supporting farmers, Gawuna urged the farmers to utilize the inputs distributed to them to improve their productivity.
Precisely, the agricultural extension programmes are transforming the national agriculture landscape and driving national food security. The coordinated measures taken by Crown Flour Mill, FMAN, WFAN, the Federal Government and Kano State Government are equipping farmers with modern farming techniques, crop processing and entrepreneurial skills, and would add value to agricultural produce.
Apart from contributing immensely to training the 30,000 farmers, CFM and other members of FMAN have provided support to 800 farmers in Kano, Kebbi and Jigawa States. The farmers were provided with improved seeds variety, fertilizers, chemicals and 50 threshers under a soft loan scheme designed to enhance farmer access to inputs and extension services.
It would be recalled that the miller’s association also recently collaborated with Oxfam and the Agricultural Research Institutes to establish wheat farming service centers in 15 LGAs in the Northern wheat-growing states.
Nigeria is in dire need of aggressive national action at this present time to ensure her growing population is well nourished as the world food system continues to contract due to the impact of the ongoing pandemic.
Agnes Kalibata, the special envoy to the UN secretary-general put the global food crisis in sharp perspective at the food systems summit 2021 when she said, “Food systems have contracted, because of Covid-19. Food has become more expensive and, in some places, out of reach for people. Food is looking more challenging this year than last year.”
While headline inflation in Nigeria reached 15% recently, rice, a popular grain in Nigerian dining, became inaccessible and expensive. To overcome the price pressure and scarcity of the grain food on the retail shelves, retailers pivoted to stocking and selling semolina and other wheat-based food products like pasta
Wheat is a popular ingredient in Nigerian households, and it is critical to feeding the over 200 million strong national population.
Wheat is milled into flour which is then used to make staple foods such as Semolina, noodles, bread and biscuits. These staple foods are eaten by a larger portion of the population.
However, with 420,000 tons of wheat produced in Nigeria in 2020, according to data by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the country is still far from reducing the huge gap between its wheat production and national consumption demand levels of about 5 million metric tons annually. Therefore, the present coordinated actions and growing achievements of CFM and other millers within FMAN, the Federal Government, and the state governments are steps in the right direction.
The increasing population growth and urbanization of Nigeria demand an aggressive wheat value chain extension programme. Presently growing at 3.2% a year, the country population is projected to reach the 400 million mark by 2050 according to the US Census Bureau. The wheat value chain must be expanded to cater to this growing population since wheat-based foods have become a convenient recourse for most households.
KPMG, a global consulting firm, captured the overriding importance of expanding the wheat value chain succinctly. It wrote in one of its recent research publications that “With the increasing demand for wheat products (flour and flour-based foods), wheat has arguably become one of the most important agricultural commodities in need of accelerated local production”.
The efforts of all stakeholders including CFM, the miller’s association, the WFAN, and the state and Federal Government, all taking proactive action towards boosting national food security is most definitely applaudable.
Rite Foods Limited, a leading Nigerian Fast Moving Consumer Goods company, is proud to join the global community in celebrating World Food Day 2023 with the theme “Water is Life, Water is Food,”. Rite Foods continues to highlight its unwavering dedication to sustainability with a special emphasis on Bigi Premium Drinking Water.
Celebrated annually on 16th October, World Food Day celebrates the date of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 1945, and heightens public awareness of the problem of hunger, malnutrition, and availability of food.
Mr. Seleem Adegunwa, the Managing Director at Rite Foods Limited said “We are delighted to celebrate World Food Day by showcasing our commitment to quality and satisfaction through Bigi Premium Drinking Water. We understand the significance of clean water in nourishing people’s lives, and that’s why we take pride in delivering a product that meets the highest standards of quality.”
He further affirmed that the various certification they have received from health experts and regulators in the fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) sector, like the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Halal Certification authority is a proof of their commitment to ensuring that their consumers get the best quality of water.
Corroborating Adegunwa’s assertion, the company’s Assistant Marketing Manager, Ms. Adebola Adeyinka stated that “Rite Foods Limited would continue to provide quality products like Bigi Premium Drinking Water while maintaining a focus on sustainability and corporate social responsibility. We remain committed to contributing to a world where everyone has access to safe, nutritious food and clean drinking water.”
On Tuesday December 6, 2022, the Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, Kaduna State – Malam Ibrahim Hassaini inaugurated Nestlé Nigeria Milk Collection Center at the Ladugga Grazing Reserve in Kachia LGA, Kaduna State. This milestone brings the milk collection and cooling capacity of Nestlé’s Dairy Development Program to 3000trs/day in Ladduga grazing reserve.
Nestlé, in partnership with CBI Innovations Limited, a social enterprise, is implementing a 5-year dairy development project that aggregates smallholder diary producers to improve the productivity of the local dairy industry in Nigeria, supported by International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC-2CALE).
In her address at the opening ceremony, Victoria Uwadoka, the Corporate
Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé Nigeria said, “We are proud of the progress we have made since the first engagement with the Kaduna State Ministry of Agriculture which culminated in the start of operations here in Ladugga Grazing Reserve in 2021.”
“Nestlé Nigeria’s dairy project is built on 3 pillars: Better Feed and Fodder, Quality Milk Products and Resilient communities. We have made significant progress on these 3 pillars and the opening of this Milk Collection and Cooling Centre will help us consolidate on this progress which has yielded year on year increase in milk volumes month on month. We
can safely increase the 1,396L/day we are currently collecting in Ladduga, thanks to the increased collection and chilling capacity with the launch of this facility today.”
The achievement of milk volumes in Nestle’s dairy development project is made possible by the engagement and empowerment of 77 cooperatives and 31 aggregators in the Ladugga Grazing Reserve community. The project has also made significant investments in improving herd health, improving infrastructure including provision of water and the
establishment of cool chain infrastructure.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Agriculture, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary Alhaji Manisibi Mohammed Kabiru thanked Nestlé and CBI Innovations Limited “For initiating this laudable Milk Collection Centre in
Kaduna State to accelerate investment in the dairy sector of the state and to empower pastoralists and smallholder farmers in the dairy value chain. Also, the timely intervention of the project will go a long way to support the State’s potential to utilize livestock production merits, improve nomadic standard of living, foster the coexistence between the farmers and herders and help to mitigate recurrent crisis.”
Victoria reaffirmed Nestlé’s commitment to contribute to the development of the dairy
sector in Nigeria through investments in farmer capacity building, infrastructure
improvement and novel technology to create sustainable routes to market for the
pastoralists.
To reach more pastoralists, Nestlé has started the installation of solar powered “Milk Banks” within 300KM radius of the communities where the pastoralists move to in search of fodder and water. One is already installed at Crossing, near the Ladduga Grazing Reserve. The technology, equipped with a single-phase compressor to achieve low power consumption to store and chill the milk collected at source, is the first of its kind in Nigeria.
“We will continue to scale up our milk collection efforts significantly by increasing our footprint, leveraging our Milk Banks,” Victoria Said.
“We are pleased with the work that our implementation partner, CBI Innovations Limited is doing on the ground to deepen and accelerate an inclusive business model within the project. We will continue to work with the Kaduna State Government and all stakeholders towards achieving Nestlé’s purpose of unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for future generations.” she added.
Food
Nestlé partners with Africa Food Prize to strengthen food security and climate change resilience
Nestlé announced today that it is partnering with the Africa Food Prize to help accelerate the transformation of food systems in Africa, as a way of strengthening the continent’s food security and building greater climate change resilience.
The Africa Food Prize awards USD 100,000 to individuals and institutions that are pioneering agricultural and food systems transformation in Africa. The Prize puts a spotlight on uniquely impactful agri-food initiatives and technological innovations that can be replicated across the continent to increase food security, spur economic growth and development, and eliminate hunger and poverty in Africa. The Africa Food Prize is hosted by AGRA, an African-led and Africa-based institution that puts smallholder farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economy by transforming agriculture from a solitary struggle to survive into farming as a business that thrives. AGRA is headquartered in Kenya and works in 15 African countries.
This year, Dr. Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, a plant geneticist from Ghana, was awarded the prestigious prize during September’s AGRF Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. Dr. Danquah was celebrated for his outstanding expertise and leadership in establishing the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) and developing it into a world-class center for the education of plant breeders in Africa.
Nestlé will contribute CHF 100,000 to the Africa Food Prize, which will be awarded in 2023. Part of the contribution will go to the main award and part to a special category focusing on innovations that advance regenerative food systems.
Remy Ejel, Chief Executive Officer of Zone Asia, Oceania and Africa, Nestlé S.A. said, “Transforming agriculture to be more productive and sustainable is key to reducing hunger and improving livelihoods for the long term. We aim to support and amplify efforts that spearhead regenerative agriculture and food systems to enable better productivity, better nutrition and better incomes for people in Africa.”
Commenting on the partnership, Dr Agnes Kalibata, President of AGRA said, “We are happy to be partnering with Nestlé to recognize Africa’s best in food systems. The Africa Food Prize is a great opportunity to shine a bright spotlight on Africa’s outstanding minds, giving the rest of us a chance to learn and replicate their good work that is moving us closer to sustainable, inclusive and resilient food systems and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2 on Zero Hunger.”
Nestlé’s partnership with the Africa Food Prize builds on its years-long work in Africa to improve the continent’s nutrition and agriculture. The company has taken great strides to expand access to affordable nutrition in many communities, for example, by fortifying Maggi bouillon cubes with iron in Central and West Africa. It is also pioneering regenerative dairy farming with the establishment of the first net zero dairy farm in Skimmelkran, South Africa.
In early 2022, Nestlé launched an innovative income accelerator program, aimed at addressing child labor risks and closing the living income gap for cocoa-farming communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Recently, Nestlé announced an investment of CHF 1 billion by 2030 under the Nescafé Plan to transition to sustainable coffee farming, including in Côte d’Ivoire.
Entries in the Africa Food Prize are evaluated by a judging committee comprising some of Africa’s greatest food system leaders. Winners are selected based on proven results and scalable efforts.
Submissions for next year’s Africa Food Prize will be open from January 2023 and winners will be announced at the AGRF, Africa Food Systems Forum, in September.
Click here for more information on the Africa Food Prize.
For Media Enquiries, contact:
Nestlé: Maxine Lim, Communications Manager, Zone Asia, Oceania and Africa
Maxine.Lim@nestle.com
Africa Food Prize: Boaz Keizire, Head of the Africa Food Prize Secretariat
BKeizire@agra.org
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