Agriculture
Stakeholders List Benefits Of Moringa
Harnessing the economic potential of
the ‘Moringa Olifera’ is the focus of the discussion at the first
international conference on the crop at the University of Ilorin.
Our correspondent reports that representatives of various
organisations, including the ‘Moringa’ Association, the academia, research
institutes, colleges of agriculture and the National Agricultural Research
System (NARS) are participating in the conference.
Delivering a
lecture at the conference, Prof. Yusuf Abubakar, the Executive Secretary,
Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), noted that the plant had
aroused overwhelming national and international interest.
Abubakar said: “Moringa has been described as an “all in one’
plant in terms of its nutritional attributes, and elegantly summarised as a
supermarket on a tree.
“It deserves all the attention of policy makers, researchers,
farmers, products promoters, and other players across the product value chain.
“We recommend
that it should be included amongst the value chain commodities of the
Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA),” he said.
He said that
the conference could not have been organised at a better moment than now considering
the enormous potential of Moringa in contributing to Nigeria’s food security,
wealth creation and poverty alleviation.
According to
him, Moringa is mostly found in the northern parts of the country, where it has
been in use for many centuries by rural dwellers as a salad-like meal (kwado)
or in soups (miyan zogala) and as a pot herb, until the recent discovery of its
other benefits by researchers.
He noted that
the plant, grown in home gardens or as living fences, the leaves are commonly
sold in local markets in many forms.
He explained
that recent scientific research classified ‘Moringa’ as a very versatile plant
as everything about it was useful in one way or the other, from its leaves to
its roots.
The executive
secretary said the plant was discovered to contain specific antioxidants and
health promoting ingredients that offered veritable answers to malnutrition,
hunger and diseases.
He said that
the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Union, UNICEF and many other
organisations and NGOs, support the planting of ‘Moringa’ in Africa and other
places with a view to fighting malnutrition and deforestation.
In his
opening address, Prof. Olawale Badejo of the University of Ilorin, said the
‘Moringa’ leaves was rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, and could be
utilised to prevent malnutrition.
Similarly,
Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, the Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, said the
institution had cultivated 631 hectares with cash crops, including teak, date
palm, jatropha, cashew and citrus, adding that it had recently added ‘Moringa’
species.
Federal Government and the Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, distributed farm inputs to farmers as part of effort to address food security challenge.
The State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, during the flag-off ceremony of Inputs Redemption Under The National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), in Ogun State, disclosed that beneficiaries of the gesture were primarily rice, maize and cassava farmers across the State.
Ayo-Ajayi commended the Ogun State Government for partnering with the government at the centre for the effort in supporting farmers with inputs that would bring about yieldings for local consumption and likely exportation.
She noted that government is supporting rice, cassava and maize farmers with inputs worth N212,000; N189,000 and N186,000 respectively.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kehinde Jokotoye, who represented the Commissioner in the Ministry, Bolu Owotomo, stated that traditional farmers are critical in food production, hence the need to encourage and support them with inputs that would bring about desired results during harvesting.
Owotomo said: “Let us make good use of this opportunity, so that the success of this phase will make farmers benefit more from the state and federal governments of Nigeria.”
Earlier, State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Ayo-Ajayi, appreciated the present administration for partnering with the federal government for the initiative, adding that the programme is designed to support farmers at the grassroots level in cassava, rice and maize with inputs such as, seeds, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, to boost their production and enhance their livelihood.