Business

Africa Lags Behind In Daily Calorie Intake – Agric Expert

Published

11 years ago

July 17, 2013

A nanotechnologist, Prof.
Olusoji Oyewole, said on Saturday that the weighted average per capita daily calorie intake for Africans is between 1,100 calories and 1,700 calories.
Oyewole, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Nanotechnology, Industries and Agriculture Support Systems Limited, made the statement in a lecture titled, “National Food Security Question’’, he delivered at the AGRIKEXPO 2013 held in Lagos.
He said that this figure was below the recommended average of 3,000 calories for an active male between 19 and 50 years.
He said that Africa had the lowest per capita daily calorie intake, adding that statistics revealed hidden, clinical and latent hunger on the African continent.
Oyewole said that the per capita daily calorie intake for Africa was critical, lagging and below the red line when compared with those of other continents, such as Europe and North America, which stood at between 3,000 calories and 3,600 calories.
He said the figure for Australia was the same as Europe and North America; while Asia’s ranged from 1,300 calories to 2,000 calories.
Oyewole also said that Latin America’s intake was between 1,300 calories and 2,100 calories, while Oceania was between 1, 300 calories and 1,900 calories.
“The normal daily requirement should contain 60 per cent to 65 per cent carbohydrates, 15 per cent proteins and 25 per cent to 30 per cent fats and lipids, totaling 10 per cent of the body weight.
“That 80 per cent of Nigerians suffer from `hidden’ hunger shows that we are zero on the scale 10 to getting to ‘El Dorado’.
“That 30 per cent of Nigerians suffer from severe and absolute hunger is an indication that Nigeria might still be tossed around in global politics and be at the mercy of other nations,’’ Oyewole said.
He said it was sad that Nigeria lost over 50 per cent of vegetables and fish, 40 per cent of tubers and roots and 35 per cent of grain on the farm and in transit.
Oyewole said the figures indicated that the nation’s value chains were far from being established.
He said statistics by the International Food Production Research Institute (IFPRI) for 2012 showed that six per cent of the nation’s population was undernourished.
Oyewole said that the statistics also showed that 27 per cent of Nigerian children were under-nourished.
He advised that government should embark on a “protein for all, crash programme’’ with emphasis on plant alternatives as a solution to the challenge of food security.
The nanotechnologist said that long established facts had revealed that one hectare of soya beans would fulfil the protein needs/ration of a person for 18 months and the same quantity fed to a cow would last for 15 days.
He said it was time for the government to match words with action and tackle the issue of agricultural productivity for food security.
Also,the Coordinator of the Community of Agricultural Stakeholders of Nigeria (CASON), a Non-Governmental Organisation, Dr Sotonye Anga, said that the success of Nigeria’s agriculture depended on incentives given to agri-businesses and people.
Anga, who delivered a lecture titled, “Positioning Nigeria as a Global Powerhouse in Agriculture’’, said that the next generation of millionaires and billionaires in Nigeria would be “agri-preneurs’’.
He said that Nigeria was on the right path with the Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA), aimed at adding 20 million tonnes of food to domestic food supply.
He said the President Goodluck Jonathan administration ATA would also create 3.5 million jobs by year 2015.
Anga listed some of the ways of positioning Nigeria in agriculture, including a shift in government policy to favour agriculture.
According to him, triggering massive youth involvement in agriculture is also a way of transforming Nigeria’s agriculture.

Business

Fuel Scarcity: IPMAN threatens shutdown over bridging claims

Published

4 days ago

May 3, 2024

The Tide

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Depot Chairmen Forum, has exonerated its members from the current fuel scarcity in the country.

According to IPMAN, this is caused by its inability to source petroleum products.

The IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum also threatened to withdraw its services over non-payment of N200 billion bridging claims by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to its members, since 2022.

Alhaji Yahaya Alhassan, the Chairman, of the Forum said this while briefing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.

Alhassan said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) was the sole importer of the product, but the marketers could not source products from NNPC Ltd. deport, rather from the private depots at high rate.

“We cannot buy fuel from the private depots at N950 and transport the product from Lagos to the North and other parts of the country with N2 million and still sell it at N900 or N1, 000.

“It is expedient for us to state that we are more pained by the non-availability of petroleum products in the country, which has given rise to another round of untold hardship for Nigerians.

“Contrary to claims that IPMAN members are hoarding Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as fuel, we would like to categorically state that PMS scarcity is wholly triggered by inability to get fuel from NNPC and not IPMAN,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the NNPC Ltd. Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye said the disruption was due to logistical issues which had since been resolved.

“We currently have an availability of products exceeding 1.5 billion litres, which can last for at least 30 days. Unfortunately, we experienced a three-day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues, which has since been resolved.

“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations.

“Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximise profits. Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain,’’ Soneye said.

He however, said the lines would clear out soon.

On the non-payment of bridging claims, the IPMAN forum said it was distressed and depressed by the laidback attitude of the NMDPRA towards the survival its member’s businesses, arising from its refusal in paying the claims.

“It is with deep frustration that we have assembled here today as the IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum. It is also disheartening to note that some of our members have completely shut down businesses and retrenched employees.

“As businessmen and women, our members acquired bank loans to keep their fuel retail outlets running on a daily basis across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria in order to serve the teeming population of Nigerians,’’ Alhassan said.

He recalled that Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), at a stakeholders meeting in February mandated the NMDPRA management to clear the entire debt in 40 days.

“However, today, we have crossed the 40 days’ time lapse given to the NMDPRA to clear the debt, and it is shameful to state that only the paltry sum of N13 billion has been paid, ignoring minister’s directive.

“We are not happy with the indiscriminate increment in the issuance and renewal of Sales and Storage Licence, by the NMDPRA, and the subsequent delays in acquiring the licence, which our members are recently subjected to.

“We are also calling on President Bola Tinubu to look into this unwholesome figure which is highly detrimental to our business and reverse it forthwith, as it is bound to impact negatively on the masses.

“We are poised to take far reaching decisions that may cripple the supply and sales of petroleum products across Nigeria if our demands are not met within the shortest period of time.

“We are collectively prepared to withdraw our services, shut down every single outlet, and suspend lifting of products forthwith till our demands are fully met, and the consequences will be terrible.

“We call on our members to however remain resolute and law abiding, even as we draw close to the immediate ultimatum for our demands to be met by the NMDPRA,’’ the chairman said.

Reacting to the IPMAN’s claims, the Acting Head, Corporate Communications, NMDPRA, Seiyefa Osanebi said the bridging claims payment was ongoing.

“The bridging claims payment is always an ongoing process,” she said.

Maritime

Shippers’ Council Registers 160 Port Operators

Published

1 week ago

April 29, 2024

The Tide

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) says it has registered 160 Port stakeholders into its Regulated Port Service Provider and Users platform since the initiative began in 2023.
Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr Pius Akutah, made the disclosure on the sideline of a sensitisation programme by the commission for port operators in Lagos, with the theme, “Regulated Port Service Provider and Users”.
Represented by the Director, Consumer Affairs, Chief Cajetan Agu, Akutah emphasised the significance of the programme for stakeholders.
He said the sensitisation programme was the second edition after its commencement during the last quarter of 2023.
The Secretary said the 160 registered port operators consist of agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, individual port users as well as service providers.
“We invited the ports stakeholders for enlightening them on the processes for online registration of Regulated Port Service Provider and Users.
“We have demonstrated to them how to register and how to make payment and we were able to present before them the various categories of the registration.
“The rate of payment is also in the registration. The payment of each group depends on the operation. A shipper pays N30,000, terminal operators and shipping companies pay N300,000, truckers also pay N30,000, while some pay N50,000 and N100,000.
“The Council was able to intimate them on the benefits, because port users benefit more as we help to interface on reducing port charges from time to time”, Akutah said.
He said that there was a need to continue to work with port operators to stop delays and eliminate high costs to make the port efficient.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Stakeholders, Service, NSC, Mr Celestine Akujobi, said “the sensitisation exercise was important for the council to enable us bring all the port stakeholders together”.
According to him, this is to avoid challenges during the implementation of the council’s responsibilities.
“By the time we introduce sanctions on defaulters, no operators will complain that he or she is not aware of the registration.
“I’m happy with the turnout of this sensitisation. This shows that the operators are well informed of the statutory friction of the council as the port regulator.
“The final implementation will commence as soon as we discover that all the operators have keyed into the portal.
“We are engaging other ports across the country and we’re hopeful that before the last quater of 2024, the council will implement sanctions on defaulting operators”, Akujobi said.
Earlier, Vice Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwards (NAGAFF), Dr Ifeanyi Emoh, said port challenges were enormous, adding that they originated from some of the government agencies.

Emoh urged the council to look into regulating other government agencies, so that there could be a window through which they can collect port charges collectively instead of indiscriminately.

By: Chinedu Wosu