Agric & Biotech

Cassava Weed Management Project (CWMP) and Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Seed System for Cassava (BASICS) of IITA will soon to unveil their scientific results in cassava production to policymakers. Dr Alfred Dixon, IITA-CWMP Project Leader, made this known on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 in a document presented to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. “The results from the ...

The FADAMA III Second Additional Financing (AFII) Programme will, before the end of March, disburse $9 million to 60,480 direct beneficiaries of its food and livelihoods scheme in the north-east. Mr Ibrahim Alkali, North-east Desk Officer of FADAMA III (AFII) programme, disclosed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday, March 15, 2018. He ...

The Borno State Government says it has resuscitated the dormant poultry unit in the state and improved both livestock and fisheries production. The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Muhammad Dili, made the disclosure on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at the Zero Hunger Nigeria Forum in Maiduguri, the state capital. He noted that Gov. Kashim Shettima had initiated various farmer support ...

Isu Nnennaya Rosemary is a professor of Microbiology and lecturer with the University of Abuja. The science enthusiast, in this interview with, Etta Michael Bisong during a recent visit to the Science Café in Abuja ,asserts that Nigeria will continue to pick crumbs from the table of superpowers if deliberate efforts are not put together to key into the biotechnology ...

Chinese scientists have found a gene that can help grow bigger grains of corn to raise yields, a study revealed on Friday, March 8, 2018. According to the research by Henan Agricultural University and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the gene, named urb2, is crucial in the growth of grains. Unhealthy ribosome biogenesis protein 2 homolog (urb2) provides a unified ...

In the spirit of the 2018 International Women’s Day, Unique Women in Agriculture Initiative Cluster (UWIACI), has pressed for progress in women and agricultural issues in Nigeria. Bridget Okonofua, president, Unique Women in Agriculture Initiative (UWAI) and the brain behind UWIACI, said one key area Nigerians need to press for progress is in agriculture as it concerns women. UWIACI is a ...

Some 20,000 farmers in Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and Uganda may have improved the security and quality of their food supply, thanks to the FoodAfrica Programme. In addition to those farmers and their communities, it is estimated that the programme has also had an impact on the lives of over 200,000 people. FoodAfrica is a research and development programme ...

The Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety entered into force on Monday, March 5, 2018. Adopted on October 15, 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, as a supplementary agreement to the Cartagena Protocol, the Supplementary Protocol aims to contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity by providing international rules and procedures in ...

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, says Thailand has accused Nigeria of being responsible for the collapse of its seven rice mills following the drastic fall in rice importation from the country. The minister made this known at a meeting of the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) and leadership of the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers of Nigeria ...

President Muhammadu Buhari has challenged the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) to ensure availability of quality and affordable fertilisers to farmers at the right time as the nation’s journey to self-sufficiency and food security is not negotiable. The President gave the challenge at a meeting with members of the PFI and Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers of Nigeria (FEPSAN) at the Council ...