The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, has disclosed that Nigeria generated $150 million from the export of coconut oil and its derivatives in 2020.
 
He also disclosed that coconut accounts for 10 percent of the nation’s agricultural exports and is expected to generate about $250 million by 2021. Nanono made this known during the training of coconut farmers organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development(FEMARD) in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) in Benin. Represented  by Mr. Bernard Ukattah, Deputy  Director, FEMARD, Nanono said coconut was a major non-oil export foreign exchange earner for Nigeria which provides livelihood for over 500, 000 families mostly women and youths in the country…
 
More details through:
https://www.sunnewsonline.com/nigeria-earned-150m-from-coconut-oil-in-2020-targets-250m-in-2021-minister/
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Despite the N587.5 billion ($1.25 billion) financial support from the World Bank, African Development Bank (AFDB) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and groups under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), the value of local wheat production in the last four years totaled $60.8 million. A total of 247,000 tonnes was produced instead of 2.55 million tonnes within the period as targeted by government due to low yield and activities of terrorists.
 
Nigeria had spent $6.05 billion to import the grain within four year as $1.2 billion was spent in 2016 and $1.5 billion in 2017, while in 2018 and 2019, $1.65 billion and $1.7 billion were spent respectively. Data by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) noted that United States’ wheat export to Nigeria in 2018 and 2019 was worth $530 million and $534 million respectively. Also, it revealed that 936,000 metric tonnes of the grain brands were imported by Nigerian firms from U.S. in 2020…
 
More details through:
https://www.newtelegraphng.com/nigeria-spends-n587-5bn-on-247000-tonnes-wheat-production/

In a bid to boost rice production in Ondo State and provide jobs for the youths, the state government has partnered Malaysian firm, La Ruta Malaysia. It was gathered that the partnership would also bring about drastic measures to develop the state’s local rice production in order to attain self-sufficiency as rapidly as possible.
 
Speaking at one day workshop for the farmers in the state on integrated rice project, held at Ayede Ogbese in the Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Thursday, the President, Nigeria-Malaysia Business Council, Dr Michael Aderounmu, said the partnership would do the state a lot of good…
 
More details through:
https://punchng.com/ondo-malaysian-firm-partner-on-rice-production/
 

A consortium of four leading international organisations with proven track records, namely FrieslandCampina WAMCO, URUS, Barenbrug and Agrifirm, on Monday announced their co-operation as strategic partners to accelerate the Nigerian dairy sector.
 
The formation of this unique consortium, specialized in milk collection and processing (FrieslandCampina WAMCO), breeding (URUS), roughage production (Barenbrug) and animal feed (Agrifirm), will help to bolster a sustainable and integrated dairy sector model.
 
The model will formulate homegrown methods and solutions to challenges, which previously needed external intervention. It will plan and act on the long-term requirements for a self-sufficient dairy chain in the country…
 
More details through:
https://thenationonlineng.net/frieslandcampina-wamco-urus-others-partner-on-dairy-devt/
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Nigeria’s seed industry, which has been stagnated for many years, may see a turnaround in productivity as the new Plant Variety Protection (PVP) law accelerates investment and gives farmers more access to quality seeds.
 
The new seed law that now gives breeders intellectual property over a new plant variety with exclusive rights to commercialise seeds and propagate material will incentivise national and multinational investments into the seed sector.
 
The PVP Bill (HB 68) was passed into law by the Senate on March 3 after several months of deliberations, according to the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG)…
 
More details through:
https://businessday.ng/agriculture/article/nigerias-seed-industry-to-boom-on-new-law/
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There is suspicion that the proposed ban on fish importation would not work out as no fewer than 39 companies have been licensed to import 2.48 million metric tonnes of fish valued at N915 billion ($2.23 billion) in 2021.
 
The country currently has capacity to produce only 1.123 million tonnes yearly. This is coming as illegal foreign vessels have infiltrated the country’s coastal waters, doing transshipment from small fishing boats to larger refrigerated carriers.
 
Global price of fish as at February 2021 was $900 per metric tonne. It was gathered that the illegal operators were fond of switching off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking signal to avoid arrest by the Navy…
 
More details through:
https://www.newtelegraphng.com/fish-import-gulps-n915bn/
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The President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has said the $2bn granulated urea fertiliser plant, located at Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, will begin operations next week.
 
He announced this in Lagos on Saturday, during a tour of facilities by the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the Lekki Free Trade Zone and Dangote petrochemicals and refinery complex, according to TheCable. The fertiliser plant has a name-plate annual capacity of three million tons of urea and ammonia…
 
More details through:
https://punchng.com/dangote-fertiliser-plant-to-begin-operations-next-week/

Amid trade restriction and influx of adulterated produce, importers have ordered 670,000 tonnes of crude palm oil valued at N230.09 billion ($484.4 million) from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia to meet manufacturers’ demand.
 
Findings revealed that the global price of the commodity went up from $580 in 2020 to $723 (N343, 425). However, at the local market, while a tonne is sold for N1.04 million, foreign palm oil goes for N343,425 per tonne, which is 67 per cent cheaper than the local produce…
 
More details through:
https://www.newtelegraphng.com/nigeria-to-take-delivery-of-n240-9bn-crude-palm-oil/
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Despite being the largest producer of fish in Africa, Nigeria currently records a 2.5million metirc tonnes of fish deficit, a situation that may have jeopardised protein intake amongst Nigerians. 
 
Disclosing this in Lagos at the just concluded stockfish seminar organised by the Norwegian Seafood Council, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, said that the total fish production in Nigeria is about 1.123million metric tonnes while the annual consumption is about 3.6million metric tonnes. Nanono also said that the total fish production including imports in Nigeria still does not satisfy the total fish demand…
 
More details through:
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/03/nigeria-has-2-5m-metric-tonnes-of-fish-deficit-minister/

A Chinese firm, Chinese Green Industry Company on Saturday indicated its interest to invest $50 million in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
 
The investment which will come in the form of partnership with a Nasarawa State based farmers’ group, Nigerian Farmers Group and Cooperative (NFGCC), will start before the start of the 2021 farming season. A consultant and representative of the company, Li Jian said this in Keffi, Nasarawa State during her visit to NFGCS Managing Director, Mr Reston Tedheke, who also doubles as the National Coordinator of the group
 
She outlined key areas of its interest to include: warehousing, dairy, machinery upgrade, improved seedlings, animal feeds, and the value chains…
 
More details through:
https://dailytrust.com/chinese-firm-to-invest-50m-in-narasawa-farm