COVID-19: Matters arising in the agric sector

No doubt, the Coronavirus outbreak has tremendously affected agricultural production in Nigeria, as business are locked down across the country as part of the efforts to contain the spread of the disease.

Meanwhile, some agriculture institutes and commodity Associations have expressed fear over the future of agriculture in Nigeria if the ongoing lockdown continues.

Some agriculture Institutes and bodies had also pledged to work with the government by deploying its members to fight the spread of the disease.

The Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) and the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) pledged to assist government in combating the ravaging Coronavirus.

Arising from a joint statement issued and signed by the President of VCN, CP Aishatu Abubakar Baju and Professor Bello Agaie, President NVMA, the two bodies commended the government for the efforts so far in managing the spread of the virus.

They therefore said Veterinarians across the country were available to support the global efforts to contain the virus in view of its zoonotic potentials.

“The Veterinary community in Nigeria has noted with concern the ravaging effects of COVID-19 globally and particularly in our country, Nigeria and wish to commend the efforts so far put in place by the Federal Government through the Presidential Task-Force on COVID-19 Pandemic, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and other relevant stake-holders.

“Veterinary regulation and inspection service continues by overseeing the integration of public health, ensuring that only healthy animals and their by-products enter food supply chain to guarantee food safety for the population

“They are prepared to attend to emergency situation in support of public health. They undertake preventive measures such as vaccination against diseases with significant Veterinary and Public health or economic impact  They prioritize research activities to help contain emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases”, the statement said.

They said in view of the zoonotic potential of COVID-19, Veterinarians across the country were available to support Global efforts in order to curtail infection by the virus through educating their clients, immediate community and the general public on the preventive protocols to contain the virus.

On the implication of the COVID-19, Agriculture Bureau Association of Nigeria warned that if the uncoordinated production and distribution of food stuff continues the country would be at risk of food shortages for large portions of the population, extreme inflation of food prices and massive food wastage.

The group of indigenous Agro Business investors in a statement signed by its coordinator, Suleman Dikwa and made available to the journalists warned that if the country fails to act now, it might be facing a crisis of food supplies like it has never seen before.

The Bureau harped on the need for government to immediately identify key players in the food supply chain, track levels of food availability and manage supply and distribution as this would require better linkages between users and producers.

The bureau, therefore, advised the need for farm camps, where only people working on the farms are isolated adding that the logistics can be worked out with drop offs and pick ups .

They said shuting down the food chain would kill more people than the virus stressing the need to take data of resources within our geographical area.

Also, the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) said that the current lockdown and movement restriction enforced by government to contain the spread of Coronavirus may dwindle the value of the livestock industry.

NIAS called on government to ensure that the livestock industry was exempted from the movement restriction.

In statement signed by NIAS President, Emeritus Professor Isreal Adu and the Registrar, Professor Eaustace iyayi, NIAS said herdsmen/pastoralists should be allowed to graze their animals freely.

“We also call on the government to exempt operators in the livestock industry

from the restriction in movement.

“The Poultry industry for example with

about 200 million birds and a total value of over N1.6 Trillion cannot be allowed to collapse.

“Also related to it are the feed industry and hatcheries on which the poultry subsector depends.

“Personnel working in the livestock sector should, upon proper identification, be allowed movement across state boarders and within the state.

“We pledge our total support for and ready collaboration with the government in the effort to overcome this common, unseen but deadly

enemy that threatens our very existence”, the statement said.

At the international scene, the Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Qu Dongyu called for immediate actions to minimize disruption to food supply chains.

In a statement issued by Qu Dongyu titled ‘Keeping global food chains alive is crucial amid COVID-19 crisis’, he said coherent response is need globally to prevent the outbreak of Coronavirus from triggering food crisis.

“To reduce the risk of an even greater toll – shortage of food for millions, even in affluent countries – the world must take immediate actions to minimize disruptions to food supply chains.

“A globally coordinated and coherent response is needed to prevent this public health crisis from triggering a food crisis in which people cannot find or afford food.

“For now, COVID-19 has not entailed any strain on food security, despite anecdotal reports of crowded supermarket sieges.

“While there’s no need for panic – there is enough supply of food in the world to feed everyone – we must face the challenge: an enormous risk that food may not be made available where it is needed”, he said.

He noted that restriction of movement may impede farmers from farming, and food processors from processing, as well as shortage of fertiliser Veterinary medicine and other farm inputs could affect food production.

“The COVID-19 outbreak, with all the accompanying closures and lockdowns, has created logistical bottlenecks that ricochet across the long value chains of the modern global economy.

“Restrictions of movement, as well as basic aversion behavior by workers, may impede farmers from farming and food processors (who handle most agricultural products) from processing. Shortage of fertilizers, veterinary medicines and other input could also affect agricultural production”, Qu Dongyu said.

Meanwhile, the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) assured Nigerians that the present lockdown imposed in some parts of the country won’t affect rice production across the country.

RIFAN in a statement signed by the National President, Aminu Goronyo, said they have enough rice paddy produced by their members in Taraba, Kano and Kebbi which is over 200,000 bags.

The statement reads “Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria Assured Nigerians that the lockdown due to COVID-19 will not in any affect rice production and supply in the country

“We have enough Rice Paddy produced by our farmers, we launched three of our Rice Pyramids in Taraba, Kano and Kebbi states housing close to two hundred thousand bags of rice Paddy, more are still on ground enough to feed our Rice Milling industries”

“We therefore appeal to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to buy the excess Rice Paddy from us as part of government food strategy reserves policy”, RIFAN said.

For poultry farmers, the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has asked the Federal Government to buy up the eggs produced by poultry farmers and distribute to vulnerable people in the country in the era of lockdown.

PAN said this call became necessary as poultry farmers were not able to sell the eggs they produce due to lack of market as the lockdown continues.

PAN also called on government to remove restriction on interstate movement on some essential items for poultry production such as Maize, soyabean, poultry products, wheat offals       and poultry feeds of all types. Also very essential are Day old chicks (Docs), Eggs, frozen chicken, drugs.

In a statement signed by the Director General of PAN, Onallo Akpa, PAN appealed that all poultry farm workers should be exempted from the movement restriction.

The statement further said “the situation of the markets for poultry products are not stable at the moment despite the facts that Eggs and poultry meat are needed daily by all Nigerians.

“A lot of table eggs produced are not being sold because of the absence of economic and social activities and the closure of schools. We appeal to the Government to consider buying up Eggs from poultry farmers for distribution to the vulnerable population of old people and the             sick that might likely come down with the Covid-19.

‘We advice that the necessary Ministries and organs of Government should be mandated to work with the Association at all levels to make the above possible”.

PAN further requested that “that all poultry farm workers should be exempted from the movement restriction as there is a relationship between food producing companies and farms that are considered system relevant with other infrastructural sectors that are tightly connected, and without which the food supply     chain cannot work.

“We therefore solicit that all farm workers and personnel with valid means of identification should be allowed to go to their work place since they are dealing with living animals.

In making efforts to curb the spread of the disease, the Director General of Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Dr Vincent Isegbe, advised that Nigerians must break the chain of the spread of covid-19 in the country to avert the likely scenario of being the next epicenter of the pandemic because of our large population size.

In a statement issued by his office in Abuja, Dr. Isegbe said, ‘’If there is one salient lesson that has emerged from the transmission pattern of this plague so far, it is that breaking the chain of spread is the most economical and sensible approach to containing the contagion.’’

He noted, ‘’as a collective, it would be far cheaper for all Nigerians to make the sacrifice to hibernate for a while than for us to throw caution to the wind and walk with our eyes open into a monstrous public health crisis that we cannot recover from soon. Staying indoors is a reasonable trade-off to enabling the escalation of the attack rate of the virus.’’

Dr. Isegbe affirmed that if Nigerians would heed the directive of the Federal Government and the recommendation of the Nigerian Center for Disease Control to stay indoors and venture out only to purchase essential commodities like food and medicine where it is absolutely necessary, the country would have a relatively manageable caseload to contend with. It is always easier and faster to flatten the curve if the number of the infected is low.

“We encourage you therefore, to stay at home, indoors, and refrain from visiting anyone, not even within the neighborhood”, He said.

5 Disciplines Of Success
Haroldson Lafayette Hunt Jr., popularly known as H. L. Hunt, an American billionaire oil magnate who became wealthy by trading poker winnings for oil rights, said the key to success is “Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to pay for it and decide to pay it.” However, what H.L. Hunt overlooked is that the glue that holds… Read full article

Who Is A Perfect Leader?
Exemplary leadership is not a fait accompli. A legacy-driven leader never really arrives at a point where he boasts that he knows and has all it takes to be the ultimate leader. The average person who finds himself in a position of leadership is so consumed with DOING leadership (function) that he has little time left for BEING a leader… Read full article

The Pandemic Is No Time For Fiscal Distancing
THESE are very difficult days, as the world faces one of its worst challenges ever: the novel coronavirus pandemic. And it seems almost no nation is spared. As infection rates rise, so does panic across financial markets, as economies drastically slow down and supply chains are severely disrupted… Read full article

EDITORIAL: Hunger And The Lockdown
TO say that the Covid-19 pandemic has caught many governments across the world pants down is a huge understatement. Six weeks ago, not even the most pessimistic modellings of the spread of the coronavirus anticipated that things would rapidly degenerate to the extent of literally shutting down the global economy… Read full article

In Wishing Kyari Dead We Betray Our Conscience, Religion
In biodata forms, most Nigerians identified themselves as either Christians or Muslims. Interestingly, both religions preach forgiveness, compassion and love. However, times without number, when our faith is tested, these qualities are often found lacking in us. Our religions admonish us not only to pray for those who are… Read full article

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE