Connect with us

Agriculture

4.8M Anchor Borrowers’ Programme: President Buhari Assures Nigerians Of Better Prices For Rice

Published

on

Seplat, buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja urged Nigerians to exercise some patience as the growing food production in the country, especially expansion in rice farming, will eventually bring down prices of food, making it more affordable for all.

The President, who spoke at the official commissioning ceremony of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)/Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Rice Paddy Pyramids at the Abuja International Trade Fair Complex, said across Nigeria, more than 4.8 million smallholder farmers had been supported by Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, with increase in production of 23 agricultural commodities including maize, rice, oil palm, cocoa, cotton, cassava, tomato and livestock.

“Today rice production in Nigeria has increased to over 7.5 million metric tons annually. Prior to the introduction of Anchor Borrowers Programme (APB), the average production in Nigeria between 1999 to 2015 was less than 4 metric tons annually.

“I am aware that the bags of paddy will be moving straight from here to rice milling plants across Nigeria, which lead to the release of processed rice to the markets by the rice millers. The measure will aid our efforts at reducing the price of rice in Nigeria.

“Before this administration launched the ABP, there were only 15 standard Rice mills in Nigeria. As at today, we have over 50 Standard and integrated Rice mills creating jobs and reducing unemployment. We expect additional significant output when two new mills are started in Lagos and Katsina,’’ he said.

The President said the large margins in the business of rice had also encouraged more people to show interest in investing in agribusiness.

“Fellow Nigerians, our gathering here today, is no doubt a testament to the fact that the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme is working. Indeed, these sky-high pyramids which we are gathered here to commission are part of our commitment at achieving national food security and economic diversification through home-grown policies targeted at securing food for all Nigerians.

“As a critical policy of the government, the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme is expected to catalyze the agricultural productive base of the nation, which is a major part of our economic plan to uplift the economy, create jobs, reduce reliance on imported food and industrial raw materials, and conserve foreign exchange.

“In the implementation of the Programme, adoption of high-yielding seedlings, quality inputs and best farming practices were essential features.

“For instance, the improved rice seedlings have helped to ensure our achievement of rice sufficiency, as they are disease-resistant and have an average yield of about 5 metric tonnes per hectare, compared with the traditional national average of 1.5 metric tonnes.

“This has resulted in bridging our rice consumption gap, a significant reduction in rice imports, and saved us foreign exchange,’’ he added.

President Buhari said the commissioning of the rice pyramids was an indication that the country was making steady and assured progress towards self-sufficiency in food production, adding: “It is my desired hope and expectation that other agricultural commodity associations that are yet to participate under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme will emulate the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria in supporting our administration’s drive for food self-sufficiency.’’

The President noted that, about three years ago, the first set of sky-high pyramids of rice harvests were showcased in Argungu, Kebbi State, which was followed by another set in Minna, Niger State about a year ago and barely three months later in Zauro, Kebbi State, rice pyramids were, again, unveiled.

President Buhari said in May 2021, the CBN unveiled the first rice pyramids in the South-West of Nigeria in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.

“Those events were historic as, first, they remind us of our yester-year’s agricultural commodity pyramids, such as the groundnut pyramids in Kano and secondly, they symbolize that we can produce what we eat.

“The significance of today’s occasion can be better understood by looking at the various economic strides the administration has achieved through agriculture.

“When we assumed the reins of leadership of this country in 2015, the administration identified the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme as an essential policy instrument for achieving economic diversification through agriculture.

“To achieve this, the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme was designed to encourage investments in agriculture and empower smallholder farmers as drivers of transformation in the agricultural sector and as critical enablers of economic growth.

“I am indeed delighted that the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme continues to receive commendations, since its introduction six years ago, as it has become one of the reference points in the administration’s agricultural revolution effort.

“In fact, the Programme speaks loudly in its giant strides as it has increased access to finance by our rural farmers, who before now were virtually excluded from the financial system,’’ he said.

President Buhari commended the Central Bank of Nigeria for its efforts at resuscitating the Nigerian Commodity Exchange following approval to do so.

This, he said, had been done in the hope that farmers can have ready buyers of their produce, thereby resolving the current logistical challenge of moving their produce from farm to markets.

“Let me also commend the Governor and staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, as well as the leadership of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria for the successful delivery of these pyramids, which hopefully is just the first of many that will be unveiled this year across Nigeria,’’ the President added.

The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, commended President Buhari’s outstanding resolve on food security for the country, unveiling the single largest rice pyramid in history,

According to the CBN Governor, taking a cue from the success of rice production, the financial regulatory body had commenced the wheat value chain, which produces five to six million tonnes each year.

President of RIFAN, Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, said more than 99 percent of the paddy rice for the year was already with farmers across the nation, while the bags in 13 pyramids will be sold to further ease and augment production.

“There is no adjective to thank you enough for what you have done for this country. You came when the country needed you the most and God knows why.

“You have served the country, and you have worked for the country. Food security is also national security. No President after you will ignore what you have done, especially in food security,’’ the President of RIFAN said.

President Buhari presented awards to Governors Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi State, Prof. Ben Ayade, Cross River State, David Umahi, Ebonyi State, Alhaji Abubakar Badaru, Jigawa State, Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor, Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, President of RIFAN and Yila Yusuf, Director, Development Finance, CBN.

Continue Reading

Foods

Court Case: Between Chioma Egodi And Erisco Foods, Still On The Defamation Of The Product “Nagiko Tomato Mix”

Published

on

How Chioma Egodi’s False Accusations Prompted Erisco Foods to Defend Its Reputation.

On this matter, A social commentator by the name Ebuka Amos, Has this in writing;

UNVEILING THE TRUTH AND EXPOSING THE LIES.

Did Chioma Egodi Review Erisco’s Nagiko Tomato Mix or Was She On A Mission To Destroy Erisco Foods And Run It Out Of Business? Be The Judge

On September 17th, 2023, Chioma Egodi Jnr in a facebook post on her timeline made the following statement;

“I went to but (buy) Tin Tomatoes yesterday that I will use to make stew, I didn’t see Gino and Sonia, so I decided to buy this one, (referring to Erisco Nagiko tomato mix), I decided to taste it omo! Sugar is juat (just) too much! Haaa biko let me know if you have used this Tin tomato before because this is an ike gwuru situation!”

The said post generated lots of reactions from her followers and facebook users; below are some of the reactions:

One Blessing Okeke responded “Stop spoiling my brother’s product, if you don’t like it use another one than bring it on social media or call the customer service of Erisco Foods Ltd” Chioma Egodi Jnr, responded to Blessing Okeke by writing “help me advise your brother to stop ki***ing (killing) people with his product, yesterday was my first time of using and its pure sugar. Tueh!

Lets look at that response in a proper perspective. Is that response still product review or product destruction? She just alleged that Erisco’s product is killing people. This is a very serious allegation and where and how did she get the information that the product is killing people? (is this a product review?). Be the judge. More so,

One Amaka Love Amaobi responded by writing “my sister thanks for updating us Dalu nne” (now based on Chioma Egodi allegation, this person will never use Erisco’s products again and moreso, through the word-of-mouth advert which is the most effective form of advert, she will spread this allegation to multiples of people)

One Don Kashking responded: Pls can we now spoil the product? And Chioma replied him by stating “done already bro,…The above statement is a clear conspiracy from Chioma Egodi and syndicate to destroy, damage and wreck the brand, Ersico.

They have moved from product review to product destruction.

Apart from the comments above, there were many more comments suggesting that the Erisco Nagiko Mix is a bad product and people should avoid it. Interestingly, there were many positive reviews from some of the users of the products, who gave positive reviews of the products and blatantly condemned what Chioma Egodi was doing. They cautioned Chioma Egodi that what she was doing was not a review but deliberate act to destroy Erisco Foods and it’s products.

Chioma responded to them by the write up below;

“@followers about my post yesterday concerning the sugary Tin Tomatoes, my inbox has seen a lot ooo, pls help me tell these persons to avoid me. I only ask if anybody has used it to give their honest opinion but these people is attacking me on my inbox that I am spoiling business for their brother, pls it’s enough stop it. We can take this matter to court oo if you want.”

You can see that Chioma was the first person that talked about going to court.

So, why the outcry now that the matter is in court? Furthermore, an interesting observation from the conversations on the comments section of her post is that she abused those that had positive comments about Erisco Nagiko Mix and made thumbs up (supported) for those that criticized it.

More so, some people advised her to pull down the post that she’s destroying someone’s business but she blatantly refused. It became evident that the intent and purposes of Chioma Egodi was not to review the product but was out to destroy it.

It was further evident that she was hired to destroy the product using her platform. Erisco Responds To Chioma Egodi’s AllegationWhen the management of Erisco Foods Ltd was notified about the post by Chioma Egodi, they enquired from there customer relations department if there was any official complaint from her on their product, they found none. They reached out to Chioma Egodi through a third party requesting her to bring the product she claimed to buy for verification to ensure if wasn’t a fake one, but she declined.

The management had no choice than to defend its reputation as the tense situation already generated a campaign of calumny to boycott Erisco’s products.Prompt Corporate Response Erisco Foods, aware of the weight words carry in the digital era, especially when concerning public health, took these accusations seriously.

The company, recognizing the potential harm such statements could have on consumer trust and public safety, responded promptly. They maintained that their product was safe, adhering to all health and safety standards, and that Egodi’s claims were not based on factual evidence.

The company further reached out to Chioma Egodi to bring the used Tin of the Nagiko Tomato Mix she tasted that was full of sugar or send the product batch number and production date so that the company can be sure it was their product she was talking about and not a fake one. Chioma declined all entreaties. Erisco then decided to use the legal route to clear its name.

Legal and Police Involvement Given the gravity of the claim that a food product was endangering lives, Erisco Foods Management petitioned the Police on a complaint of Criminal Conspiracy, de-marketing and blackmail of killing people by an organized body. That’s how the Nigerian police became involved. The police invited Chioma Egodi for investigation on the strength of Erisco’s letter. Chioma Egodi’s Apology.

During the Police investigation, Chioma Egodi offered and penned a remorseful apology with a promise of retraction as well as posting the apology on her page.

“I sincerely wish to apologize to Erisco Foods Limited for the post I made on Facebook about their product Nagiko Tomatoes mix. I am truly sorry for the product. I am fully sorry sir. I regret my actions and wish to be forgiven. I pledge that this type of bad behavior will never happen again. I undertake to retract all my earlier post on this matter immediately. This is without any compulsion. I will do everything within my power to rectify the mistake and wrong concerning the matter. All the things I told wrongly about the damage done to the company, its customers and the general public. Once again, I am very sorry for the offense.”

Chioma Failed To RetractOn the grant of bail, Chioma failed to retract her false allegation and started a campaign of calumny against Erisco Foods, saying she was forced to write the apology. The implication of this is that she still stands by her statement that Erisco Nagiko Mix is killing people.

Evasion After Bail Recall that based on the understanding that Chioma will use the same medium she used to allege that Erisco Nagiko Tomato Mix was killing people, to use same medium to retract her statement, Chioma was released on bail with a condition she will be available to complete peaceful settlement process. Instead of following through with her obligations agreed on, she reneged on the conditions of her release and continually jumped bail given to her by the Police.

Severing ties with the lawyer who had initially represented her in Abuja, and a relation that signed her bail bond. Chioma turned to Inibehe Effiong, leaving a trail of unanswered questions and legal challenges in her wake.

She equally made herself incommunicado making it impossible for the police to serve her with the court processes and refused to appear in court severally, which prompted the Judge to mandate Inibehe Effiong to produce her in Court at the next adjourned date.

Affirmation of Product SafetyThe Nigerian regulatory agencies gave its update on the status of Erisco Nagiko Tomato Mix for consumption.

1. NAFDAC.NAFDAC with its mandate to safeguard public health released a statement: “Update on the Registration Status of Nagiko Tomato Mix. The product in question – Nagiko Tomato Mix by Erisco Foods Limited with NAFDAC Registration Number A8-7430 is a registered product. The formulation of tomato paste and ketchup products with sugar is safe for consumption.”

2. The Lagos State Government’s Consumer Protection Agency, LASCOPA, weighed in with its findings: in its public statement, “LASCOPA SAYS NAGIKO TOMATO FIT FOR CONSUMPTIONContrary to claims made by one Mrs. Chioma Egodi on Facebook about the state of a tin tomato product named NAGIKO Tomato Mix 400g, the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, LASCOPA has declared that the product is safe for consumption and does not pose any health hazard to the consuming public.

A statement signed by the General Manager of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo said the certification by LASCOPA about the product follows the outcome of the laboratory tests which the product was subjected to upon the complaint from the consumer.

According to him, to authenticate her claim, LASCOPA had embarked on an independent investigation by inviting Erisco Foods Limited, the producer of the product and Egodi to two different meetings held on the 3rd and 10th of October, 2023.

In his words, “The outcome of the meetings informed the decision of LASCOPA to request for samples of the product which were subsequently taken to the laboratory for test and analysis as well as to ascertain the conformity of the sets of parameters of the product samples to establish if the product is safe for consumption or otherwise”.

“It must be noted that two samples of the product were taken from Erisco Foods Company and another two sets of samples were obtained from a market survey by LASCOPA to balance and ensure a true reflection of the state of the product from both the company and the market.

“The laboratory analysis of the two sets of samples collected for Microbial and Physicochemical tests showed that the product passed all the tested parameters and it is safe for consumption based on the outcome of the test conducted”, he added.

Interestingly, the product has been in the market since 2010, duly certified by Standards Organisation of Nigeria and NAFDAC and no issue of complaint has arisen since inception.Wrong Perception in the Court of Public Opinion The case of Chioma Egodi versus Erisco Foods Limited reverberated through the court of public opinion, a forum often swayed by sentiment and emotions rather than facts.

The discourse surrounding the incident highlighted the need for a balance between freedom of speech and the accountability that must accompany public declarations, especially when they concern the health and well-being of consumers.

Now, we’re left with deep questions that touch our hearts and make us think about what’s really going on. Why is Chioma working so hard to ruin a company’s good reputation, a company that has been feeding countless families for years?What makes a person ignore the damage they could do to the people who rely on that company for their jobs?

It could be deduced from the foregoing that the goal was never to review the product, but instead about causing so much trouble that the company might close down?These questions make us think about the kind of community we want.

Do we want to live in a place where people can make big accusations without proof, putting hard work and jobs at risk? Or do we want a community where we solve problems by talking, looking at the facts, and finding the truth?

This story about Erisco Foods and Chioma isn’t just about a fight between a company and one person. It shows us what we value, what we stand for, and the future we want to create.

Let’s not get carried away by false claims and narratives. Instead, let’s look for the truth with open hearts and minds. It’s not just about Erisco; it’s about our honesty and how we care for our community.

Credit: Ebuka Amos, Social Commentator.

Continue Reading

Foods

Food Insecurity: EFCC Arrests 21 Food-Loaded Trucks Heading To Neighbouring Countries

Published

on

sAccording to the reports made by the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission via their X account, They disclosed that they will charge the suspects to court after the investigation is completed.

They wrote;

“Operatives of the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, arrested 21 trucks loaded with food and non-food items heading towards N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central African Republic and Cameroon.

“The trucks were intercepted in a sting operation at major exit routes along Kalabiri/Gamboru Ngala and Bama roads, Borno State.

“Investigation showed food items cleverly concealed in the trucks that would have gone undetected but for the eagle-eyed vigilance of operatives of the Commission.

“Further checks showed that the Waybills covering the goods carried by trucks indicated their destinations as N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central Africa Republic and Cameroon respectively.

“The arrest of the trucks is expected to stem the tide of food insecurity occasioned by unscrupulous antics of smugglers across the country.

“Suspects arrested with the trucks are being profiled and will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.”

Here are pictures from the interception.

Continue Reading

Foods

NAFDAC Places Ban On Alcoholic Drinks Produced In Sachets

Published

on

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has banned alcoholic beverages produced in sachets less than 200ml.

Disclosing this to newsmen, the director-general of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, said the five-year window given to the manufacturers of the products to stop producing the drinks in sachets and pet bottles which began in 2028 elapsed on January 31, 2024. She said enforcement of the ban commenced on February 1, 2024.

According to her, the agency took the decision to ban the production of the drinks in such sachets because of the negative effects on underage children. She said because the drinks come in pocket-friendly sizes, accessible and affordable, children easily fell for the packages only to face the consequences in the future.

“This decision was based on the recommendation of a high-powered committee of the Federal Ministry of Health and NAFDAC on one hand, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the Industry represented by the Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), in December 2018.

As a commitment to the decision reached at the end of this Committee meeting, producers of alcohol in sachets and small volume agreed to reduce the production by 5 percent with effect from 31st January 2022 while ensuring the product is completely phased out in the country by 31st January 2024”.

Continue Reading

Trending