Good news for livestock farmers.

New Hope Liuhe Company Limited (NHLCL), an agribusiness company from China, has expressed its desire to invest in the sector’s development in Nigeria

Dang ZhiMin, vice president at NHLCL, led the company delegation to Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja. ZhiMin made assurances to invest in various sectors like manufacturing, processing and selling of animal feed, raw material additives, dairy products and more. He said that the company’s investment in its selected areas of interest would also help the local economy and provide employment.

The Chinese delegation was accompanied by a representative from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Zhao Xin, general manager of investment and development at NHLCL, said that the company, in collaboration with the foundation, is ready to invest in Nigeria. Describing the country as one of the biggest markets in the continent, he asked the government to support their plans.

The executive secretary of NIPC, Uju Hassan-Baba assured the potential investors of government assistance and an investment environment conducive to their investment, saying, “Those who are investing in the agricultural sector in Nigeria, especially a company like yours, is assured of abundant resources and huge fortunes.”

Hassan-Baba said that encouragement, promotion and coordination of investments in Nigeria were part of the commission’s mandate. She told the delegation members that Nigeria offered a ready-made market for products, with more than 170mn consumers in the country and also served as a gateway to other markets in West Africa.

New Hope Liuhe Co., Ltd. produces and sells meat products and animal feed products in China and internationally.

It offers feed for broilers, meat ducks, swine, hens, aquatic products they also process and export poultry meat products, pork meat, smoked duck breast and roasted duck leg, snack food, egg products, yak meat, cordy ceps and silverweed cinquefoil pork, meat sauce, ham slices, and other food products and milk products. They as well breeds hens, ducks, and swine.

The company offers ham sausages under the Meihao brand, poultry feed and pig feed under the Liuhe brand, poultry feed and aquatic feed under the brand names of Guoxiong and Jiahao while they sell chilled fresh pork under the Qianxihe brand.

They are also involved in the provision of loans for farmers.

The company was formerly known as Sichuan New Hope Agribusiness Co. Ltd.

New Hope Liuhe Co., Ltd. was founded in 1998 and is based in Chengdu, China.

The company is no 1,505 in the Forbes global 2000 with Market Cap $7.4 Billion As of May 2015.
http://www.newhopeagri.com

KADUNA IS NOW PRODUCING FUEL FROM SUGARCANE - EL-RUFA’I

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i, said the state Ministry of Science and Technology, in collaboration with Science Technology Forum (STF), has successfully produced bio-ethanol fuel grade from sugarcane.

Governor el-Rufa’i made this known while declaring open an international workshop on biofuel production technology, which took place at the National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), Zaria.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. Madina Shehu, el-Rufa’i said the government intends to upgrade that initiative into a full scale commercial outfit.
“In line with this initiative, the state government is on the process of constructing another plant at Unguwan Mu’azu to produce bio-diesel from Jatropha Curcas,” el-Rufa’i said.

The Director General of NARICT, Professor Idris Bugaje, in his remarks, advocated for inclusion of biofuel training at the undergraduate, National Certificate in Education (NCE), National and Higher National Diploma levels in order to address the country’s renewable energy challenges.

The don said it is imperative for the country to give emphasis to research on biofuel in view of the fact that renewable energy plays critical role in national growth and development of countries world over, adding that the sector can create job opportunities to the army of the country’s unemployed youths.

Bugaje urged the federal government to prioritise the completion of the Petroleum Training Institute, Kaduna, which was started by late President Umaru Yar’adua, but abandoned after his death.
He also called for the renaming of the institute to Petroleum and Biofuels Technology Training Institute (PBTTI) in order to expand the mandate of the institute to include biofuel.

Former vice-chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Professor Ango Abdullahi, lamented how Nigeria’s technological breakthroughs and researches are dusting up on the shelves of different tertiary institutions of the country.

Ango said Nigeria needs to find alternative to firewood, otherwise desert encroachment would continue to be one of the predicaments of the country, adding that patriotic leadership can utilise the resources of Nigeria to address her different challenges.

(Source: Daily Trust)

Dangote At FIIRO, Pledges To Tackle Malnutrition.

The Dangote Group has pledged to partner with the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) to fight the menace of malnutrition in Nigeria.

The group said it wishes to adopt indigenous technology fabricated in the Institute to address health, skills development and poverty alleviation challenges in the country.

This was disclosed during a courtesy visit to the institute by the Dangote Group led Ms. Zouera Youssoufou, Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Foundation.

In her remarks, Director General of the institute, Dr. (Mrs.) Gloria Elemo said she was happy to have the Dangote delegation, stressing “the interest of Dangote in food processing was mutual with that of the Institute.

“The Dangote group has impacted on the lives of Africans, most especially in job creation. The company’s interest in food processing provides a veritable platform for collaboration with FIIRO. The institute is the only one of its kind in Nigeria with special mandate for Research and Development (R&) in food processing and agro-allied industries.”

She said the institute has over 50 technologies ready for commercialisation and fit for the Nigerian market, noting that over 20 institutions have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with FIIRO. Making a case for a strategic partnership between the two organisations, she expressed her wish that the visit would culminate to the Dangote Group signing an MOU and strengthening the collaboration.

According to her, the areas of focus are “Youths and women empowerment at both state and federal levels. The institute can do these by leveraging on its technology transfer and entrepreneurship development programme; and job creation, which the Dangote Group is driving in the country. There is also the area of new product development in commodities, where the country has a competitive advantage. There is also the area of research and development of strategic projects. We are also looking at the enrichment of the Dangote Training School programme, particularly in foundry and welding, among other things.”

In her response, Ms. Youssoufou said that she didn’t realise that in-depth, impactful and indigenous research has advanced so much in the country, commending the staff for keeping the spirit research and development alive. She assured the institute of her support, as they have stirred her interest, especially in the area of nutrition.

FG Releases 15 New Crop Varieties.

The Federal Government has approved for release 15 new variety of hybrid crops for Nigerian farmers to boost agriculture in the country.

The crops were officially released at the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB), Ibadan, during the 22nd meeting of National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds/Fisheries.

Announcing the release, Prof. Soji Olufajo, chairman national Technical Sub – Committee (Crops) said the crops were approved out of a total of 18 varieties submitted to the sub -committee.

Olufajo said the newly released crops were developed by Nigerian and foreign scientists, universities, seed companies and research institutes.

He said the new crop varieties included two elite upland rice variety (Faro 64 and Faro 65), three tomato hybrids (KILELE, CHIBLI and TYLKA) and five maize hybrids varieties (SAMMAZ 43, SAMMAZ 44, SC651, and two Ife maize hybrids).

Olufajo said others are one Aflatoxin resistant maize variety (SAMMAZ 45), two cowpea varieties (SAMPEA 16 and SAMPEA 17) and two wheat varieties (LACRI WHIT-7 and LACRI WHIT – .

On the rice varieties, he said both Faro 64 and Faro 65 were recommended for release based on early maturity, high yield and drought tolerance.

Speaking on the three tomato varieties, Olufajo said KILELE was recommended for release based on high yield, firm fruits and tolerance to Fusarium wilt and late blight.

Dr. Sunday Aladele, Registrar of NACGRAB thanked the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) and International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) for support received towards the hosting of the meeting.

The meeting was presided over by the Chairman, National Varieties Release Committee, Chief Oladosu Awoyemi and attended by scientists and developers of the new crop varieties or their representatives.

From Basket To Plastic Crates, Mile-12 Tomato Dealers Turn New Leaf.

As GEMS4 Connects Sellers To Shoprite, High-end Markets

FROM the political to the commercial, change is the name of the game, and for stakeholders in the fruits and vegetable value chain in popular Mile 12 market in Lagos State, it is daybreak.

Not only would tomato sellers and buyers begin to experience a new system of moving the highly perishable commodity in and around the metropolis using plastic crates, consumers too.

They would access higher quality produce with its nutrients largely intact coupled with a fairly longer shelf life depending on the degree of ripeness at harvest.

This expectation follows the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Thursday between the Tomato Sellers Association in the market and Growth and Employment in States – Wholesale and Retail Sector (GEMS4) of the DFID, a British government development agency.

Under this arrangement, according to Arafat Houssain, GEMS4 coordinator, high-end markets such as hotels, restaurants, supermarket chains and catering service providers would access quality tomatoes delivered in crates.

The fresh produce would have been well sorted, graded and hygienically handled by trained handlers under GHP (Good Handling Practices).

Already, the association has 10 out its members primed to receive and deliver orders up to one metric ton each as pioneers of the new mode of doing the tomato business.

GEMS4, using tomatoes as an entry point into the entry produce market, analysed operations from farm to the traditional markets, thereby identifying the challenges in the supply chain that lead to produce damage and cash losses.

After the trial deliveries from farms around Zaria to Mile 12 market in Lagos, it developed a business plan, which would include a cold chain.

The result showed only five per cent loss using plastic crates as against 45 per cent the traditional raffia baskets, revealed Richard Ogundele, GEMS4 Intervention Manager that has been on ground in the market from conceptualisation in 2012 till date.

As it stands now, bankers are willing to fund the use of plastic crates in this largely lucrative business that has big chains like Shoprite showing interest in the arrangement, while the State government have supported the Mile 12 market sellers with 2,600 crates of the 4.000 crates released state-wide for a start.

The Association led by Alhaji Yahuza Alasan, represented by its secretary, Alhj. Shehu Usman showcased that cleaned sorted, graded and packaged in plastic crates are now available for purchase in Mile 12 market.

This is being made available through a pilot providing access to Returnable Plastic Crates (RPCs) for farmers, traders and dealers of perishable produce. GEMS4 is providing an installment repayment plan that will enable traders purchase the plastic crates.

This had been a challenge for traders in Mile 12 market, who have been struggling to meet market demands of Higher Value Markets and quality conscious buyers.

The stakeholders involved in this pilot are the Tomato Sellers Association (TSA) arm of the Fresh Fruits Vegetable Community Dealers Association of Nigeria (FFVDCAN) with a national membership spread of over 300,000 across Nigeria.

There are about 28 other perishable produce groups under this apex association and it is planned that after this pilot, the model will be extended to them as a scale up to enable RPCs become a part of the supply chain operations of the sector.

GEMS4 is a market development project in Nigeria funded by DFID/UKaid and the World Bank with a mandate to stimulate market system changes that encourage growth and access.

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world1:
Good news for livestock farmers.

New Hope Liuhe Company Limited (NHLCL), an agribusiness company from China, has expressed its desire to invest in the sector’s development in Nigeria

Dang ZhiMin, vice president at NHLCL, led the company delegation to Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja. ZhiMin made assurances to invest in various sectors like manufacturing, processing and selling of animal feed, raw material additives, dairy products and more. He said that the company’s investment in its selected areas of interest would also help the local economy and provide employment.

The Chinese delegation was accompanied by a representative from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Zhao Xin, general manager of investment and development at NHLCL, said that the company, in collaboration with the foundation, is ready to invest in Nigeria. Describing the country as one of the biggest markets in the continent, he asked the government to support their plans.

The executive secretary of NIPC, Uju Hassan-Baba assured the potential investors of government assistance and an investment environment conducive to their investment, saying, “Those who are investing in the agricultural sector in Nigeria, especially a company like yours, is assured of abundant resources and huge fortunes.”

Hassan-Baba said that encouragement, promotion and coordination of investments in Nigeria were part of the commission’s mandate. She told the delegation members that Nigeria offered a ready-made market for products, with more than 170mn consumers in the country and also served as a gateway to other markets in West Africa.

How can one get the contact of this company?

The latest agribusiness programme is in Lagos!

Nigeria's agriculture sector to get US$1.8bn.

The Nigerian Agribusiness Group (NABG) has plans to invest US$1.8bn for the development of agribusiness across Nigeria

Sunny Echono, permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, made this announcement at NABG’s first annual general meeting in Lagos. NABG is a private sector agribusiness group led by Sani Dangote, and it is comprised of stakeholders across the agriculture value chain, from farmer associations to food processors and transporters as well as banks and finance companies.

Echono called the private sector an engine of growth for the economy, and said, “We have ended the dominance of government and I am optimistic that the private sector will lead Nigeria in restoring its past glory in agriculture.” He also expressed confidence in NABG attracting local and foreign investments into Nigeria’s agriculture sector.

According to a survey commissioned by the ministry in 2013 to determine the challenges being faced by the agriculture sector, it was found that infrastructure posed the biggest challenge, followed by financing and supply security.

Echono said that the government is working toward removing these constraints, and asked for NABG’s help in these areas “by articulating the position of private sector agribusinesses on matters relating to policies, legal and regulatory environments.”