Recently, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria unveiled its funded project HortiNigeria which aims to reach 60,000 smallholders farmers in some selected states COLLINS NNABUIFE was at the official launch of the project and writes on the outcome.
THE growing urban middle class in Nigeria has created a great opportunity for the agricultural sector, particularly the horticulture sector.
Studies have shown that investment in horticulture provides the most value for money as more people can afford to diversify their diets to include fruits and vegetables.
Current market demand for vegetables constitutes a key driver in the horticulture sector because of the high supply gap that exists.
It is at this backdrop that the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria awarded the HortiNigeria Program to International Fertiliser Development Center (IFDC) and its consortium partners East-West seed Knowledge Transfer (EWS-KT), Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and KIT Royal Tropical Institute.
The project which is projected to generate €9.7 million is being implemented by the IFDC in four states of the federation. Among the targets include 50 per cent youth and 40 per cent women.
The four-year programme, which will be officially launched on Thursday, is also aimed at supporting Nigeria in building a sustainable and gender- and youth inclusive horticulture sector that contributes to food and nutrition security in the country.
The programme is part of an enhancement in the bilateral relations between The Netherlands and Nigeria.
HortiNigeria is implemented in Kano, Kaduna, Ogun and Oyo States, focusing on tomato, okra, onion, and peppe value chains, and will work through four components. All activities are focused on vegetables for domestic markets.
The programme intends to boost the productivity and income of 60,00 smallholder farmers (50 percent youth and 40 percent women) by introducing eco-efficient agronomic practices. Acreage under sustainable cultivation will be increased by 15,000 hectares.
The Project is also expected to reduce the seasonal risks by promoting innovations and regional diversifications to 2,000 entrepreneurial farmers.
Additionally, the program will increase access to finance for 50 agricultural-related SMES and enhance sector coordination and will facilitate 200 businesses- to -business linkages in all four states.
The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Samuela Isopi said agriculture is the backbone of the Nigerian economy, providing the main source of livelihood for most Nigerians and contributing over 20 percent to the GDP.
She said the sector is yet to produce the needed quantity and quality of output and to create more decent jobs for the country’s growing and predominantly young population.
Against this background, and in line with the EU Green Deal, the European Union delegation in Nigeria and the European Union member states present in Nigeria, have developed together the Green Economy Team Europe Initiative, which aims at supporting the Nigerian government’s efforts to diversify the economy by combining support to the agriculture sector, access to renewable energy and introduction of Circular Economy and Innovation.
Isopi said the Team Europe initiative will offer support in areas of expertise and strong European contributions such as climate smart agriculture, of which this HortiNigeria programme is an example, technological and digital solutions, technical assistance and vocational training, employment and entrepreneurship creation as well as access to sustainable energy which is key for economic activity as whole.
She further stated that the initiative will build on a strong presence on ground, already established in the agricultural sector, including the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and France, and energy, currently mainly France and Germany.
The Nigerian Government on its part, expressed concern that the country is not among the leading tomato exporting countries, despite being rated as one of the leading producers of the crop in Africa.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar who stated this at the launch of HortiNigeria Project in Abuja, attributed this to challenges of low yield resulting from seed type use.
According to the Nigerian Agric Minister, Nigeria’s various ecologies , soil and climatic conditions are suitable for production of horticultural crops.
The climate conditions according to him confer an immense competitive advantage and potential to have a leading role in tomato production and trade.
While explaining that HortiNigeria is yet another opportunity to promote activities of the horticultural sub-sector, he said the government is looking forward to catalysing increased productivity and exposure of 60,000 smallholder farmers in the four states.
He added that the project would facilitate 200 business to business linkages and 100 business partnerships.
The President of IFDC, Albin Hubscher said the Center is convinced that with such a project, it is able to permanently impact the increase in the horticulture sector in Nigeria.
Explaining the reason why IFDC focuses on Africa and South Asia, Hubscher said “it is very clear that in these areas we count close to 800 million hungry people, people who go to bed every evening hungry and without sufficient nutritious food, and we are all here to help change this.
“The second reason why we are in sub-Saharan Africa is that the projections are that 9 out of 10 people coming from the poorest and less privileged area will come from Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 and it behoves all of us to do as much as possible to prevent or at least reduce that statistics”.
He said soil health and soil fertility has had quite a bit of highlight recently at the United Nations Food System Summit which took place in November last year.
“If you look at soil quality here in West Africa, unfortunately we live in a dire situation. Most of the soils in this area are depleted from nutrients.
“If we consider that the Africa population by the end of this century, it is going to be as big as the Asia population, and if we further consider that today Africa is only 80 percent food secure, there is a lot of work for all of us to do to change that going forward.
The Ambassador of Netherlands to Nigeria, Harry Dijk said the program is a result of the intensification in the bilateral relations between The Netherlands and Nigeria.
He recalled that in 2018, the two country’s foreign ministers signed a bilateral MoU that served as a basis for regular high-level meetings and increased cooperation.
He said the bilateral cooperation between The Netherlands and Nigeria focusses on trade & investment, peace & security, social development and migration & consular affairs.
“Nigeria focuses on the diversification of the economy and the development of the agricultural sector. From the Dutch side we offer the Dutch Diamond approach, whereby we stimulate partnerships between the private sector, government agencies, knowledge institutions and civil society.
“We look at the entire food system, beyond primary production. We envision a Nigerian food system that provides sufficient healthy food to a fast-growing population.
“Furthermore we strive for a food system that creates jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities and that respects the natural environment. We take a targeted approach and focus on seed sector development and horticulture because that is where The Netherlands can add the most value.
“Making food systems more resilient to climate change is a cross-cutting theme in all our activities. The program pays extra attention to the inclusion of women and youth, for instance by supporting women-led SMEs and young farmers.
He said the horticulture sector in Nigeria offers many opportunities. Dijk said local market demand for vegetables in Nigeria largely exceeds local production, with an estimated supply gap of 13 million metric tons.
The diplomat further said HortiNigeria will contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive horticulture system in Nigeria.
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