The Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN), has disclosed that government’s intervention in the agricultural sector has increased their yields from eight million metric tons in 2015 to 20 million MT in 2018, hence the importation of Maize will not be needed.
The National President of MAAN, Bello Abubakar, who made this known in an interview with journalists in Abuja, said their members who have grown from 1.2 million to over 5 million farmers have increased their yield over the years and can satisfy local demand.
Abubakar, while setting agenda for President Muhammadu Buhari in his second term, urged him to ensure that at the end of harvest, that the maize produced by the farmers is off-taken in order to sustain the Anchor Borrowers Program.
On how prepared MAAN is for this year’s wet season farming, Abubakar said “we have done a lot, because we have already submitted a list of about 200 farmers to CBN for validation and verification.
“We have already held a lot of meetings with all the stakeholders in terms of input supply so that they will provide good and quality input products to our farmers.
“We have already made all the necessary arrangements, only waiting for the validated list of our farmers so that they can start supplying to our farmers.
“We have already made all the necessary arrangements, only waiting for the validated list of our farmers so that they can start supplying to our farmers.
“Also in terms of mechanisation and other extension services, we have done everything, only waiting for the verified list from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), so that we can just go ahead.
“In terms of the Fall Army Worm, last year, we collaborated with the FAO and the federal ministry of Agriculture in tackling it.
“We are going to use Aflasafe in this farming season so that we now produce an aflatoxin free maize in Nigeria.
“As other organisations are claiming that our maize is always aflatoxin contaminated, but we are challenging that is not true.’’
In another development, no fewer than 187 civilians from different parts of the country were thrilled at sea by the Nigerian Navy in Lagos in commemoration of its 63rd anniversary celebration.
The civilians who thronged the Naval Dockyard Ltd. embarked on a trip to the high sea which ended at the weekend with the members of the force.
The participating Ship, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Unity, took the civilians round the Lagos waters and back to the dockyard.
The civilians came with their families to celebrate with the force on its anniversary.
The Fleet Commander, Western Fleet, Commodore Elkana Jaiyeola, while speaking with newsmen onboard NNS Unity, said that the trip was in commemoration of the Navy’s annual anniversary.
“As part of the Navy’s 63rd anniversary celebration, the essence of this sea trip is to take the civilians who are the stakeholders to sea so that they can have the experience of what the sailors face onboard.
“No matter the part of the country you come from, the essence is for everybody to felicitate with us,’’ he said.
The Commanding Officer of the Ship, Capt. Ani Oko, who also spoke with newsmen, said that it was a wonderful experience having civilians onboard.
“It’s not every day we have civilians sailing with us to sea, so it is a good feeling. We have made good friends today and such relationship would be kept to further cement the civil-military relations we are trying to build.
“We have 187 civilians onboard and it is interesting to know that people want to know what the Navy do and also appreciating the kind of work we do while at sea, ‘’ Oko said.