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Ministry to distribute 26,000 tonnes of hybrid rice to rural women
The Ministry of Women Affairs is to distribute 26,000 tonnes of hybrid rice to rural women to cut down the cost of rice, boost food production and food security.
Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs, made this known, while briefing newsmen ahead of the 2023 International Day for Rural Women celebrated every Oct. 15.
” A Chinese company donated 26,000 tonnes of hybrid rice to the ministry,” she said.
She called on all women to support the farmers with tools to reduce the labour burden of rural women as that will help them to have more farm produce.
The minister also noted that First Lady Remi Tinubu will share mechanised farming tools worth 151 million to rural women.
Earlier, Mr Mohammed Idris, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry said the event marks a significant day for rural women worldwide as it helps to showcase the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agriculture and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.
“Available evidence points to the fact that in the world over, women play a vital role in the rural economy.
”They are involved in crop production and livestock care, provide food, water and fuel for their families, and carry out other activities to diversify their family’s livelihoods.
”Rural women are active agents of economic, social change and environmental protection”.
Idris, further sympathised with rural women and their families whose lives and properties were affected by flood and armed conflict in different parts of the country.
Also, Ms Beatrice Eyong, UN Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, reiterated the commitment of the world body to addressing challenges affecting women, especially the rural women.
“We are working on our Climate smart agriculture that is digitally assisted.
” We want to make sure that issues about environment, low productivity, low soil productivity are handled in such a way that production and production goes up.”
On her part, Hajiya Lami Adamu-Lau, National President of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) called on the ministry to ensure judicious distribution to the rural women.
NAN reports that it was suggested that Oct. 15 be celebrated as “World Rural Women’s Day,”
“World Rural Women’s Day” has been celebrated, primarily by civil society, across the world for over a decade.
NAN reports that the theme is “Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All”.
This day, established by the General Assembly in its resolution 62/138 of Dec. 18 2007, recognizes “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.”
The idea of honouring rural women with a special day was put forward by international NGOs at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Anambra State Sector Command, has confirmed the death of a woman in an accident at Okpoko Market on the Asaba-Onitsha Road.
The Sector Commander, Mr Adeoye Irelewuyi, who confirmed the accident to journalists in Awka on Thursday, said that the woman was hit while she was crossing the road.
He said that the accident, which occurred on Wednesday, involved a commercial tow truck with registration number XA550BMA.
“Eyewitness report reaching us indicates that the truck was towing a vehicle in an uncontrollable speed along the axis.
“The vehicle that was being towed got detached from the tow truck.
“It hit and killed a female adult, who was said to be crossing the road, while the tow truck continued its movement.
“FRSC rescue team came to the scene and took the woman to Toronto Hospital, Onitsha, where she was confirmed dead and her body deposited at the hospital’s mortuary,” he said.
While sympathising with the family of the dead, the sector commander urged motorists, especially tow truck drivers, to exercise a high level of professionalism.
He also urged the drivers to always use standard equipment and avoid speeding.
The Chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos State Chapter, Mr Mojeed Iyiola, said the state government’s maize palliative to members of the association made a positive impact on the sector.
Iyiola said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
“We received about 150,000 tons of maize in February from the Lagos State government as palliative to cushion the effect of high feed prices.
“The major benefit of the palliative is that it actually cushioned the cost of production for most poultry farmers in the state.
“The palliative was beneficial as it made the cost of some poultry produce, especially eggs to drop,” Iyiola said.
He noted that prior to the palliative, a crate of egg was sold between N3,500 and N3,700 at the farm gate, but after the palliative, it now sells between N3,200 and N3,400.
According to the PAN chair, retailers and middlemen who sell from N3,800 to N4,200 do that for their personal gain.
“We have urged our members to sell their eggs at reasonable prices following the receipt of the palliative from the government.
“We appreciate the Lagos State government for the palliative but we also urge the federal government to do likewise, to further reduce the cost of production in the sector.
“This will consequently lead to drop in the prices of all poultry produce across board,” he said.
He said the palliative was shared among financial members of the association at no extra cost.
“As an association we shared the grains equally across PAN’s eight zones in the state equally. We also mandated each zone not the sell even a grain of the maize.
“We, however, considered new poultry farmers who wanted to the join the association as beneficiaries of the palliative,” said Iyiola.
He noted that through the palliative, more poultry farmers were recruited into the association.
“The maize was shared only to poultry farmers and not feed millers, it is the major component of poultry feed formulation,” he said.
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