Business
GES: Institute Partners FG To Enhance Fish Production
To enhance fish production, the National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research (NIFFR) says it is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Dr Augustine Okaeme, the Executive Director of the institute said in Abuja last Wednesday that the collaboration would ensure adequate support to aquaculture practitioners under the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme.
Okaeme said that the support would not only enhance fish production but also create fish market and enable fish farmers to access funds from the Federal Government.
He said that the government planned to distribute 34,000 fingerlings to 10,000 fish farmers in the Niger basin, through the institute, adding that the institute had received 6,000 fingerlings for the farmers already.
Okaeme said that under the scheme, the institute also had the responsibility to identify fish farmers in Kebbi, Kwara and Niger.
‘’Most of the distribution will involve fingerlings and some elements of fish feeds.
‘’It is good for them to get into the national database quick so that they can benefit, as this will enable them to have access to market and access to fund that will enable them to improve their business.’’
He expressed the hope that the GES would create market for the farmers, pointing out that the lack of access to market was a major constraint facing fish farmers.
‘’One of the major limitations is creating market but once they are in this scheme, they will be able to interact with other farmers to know where the markets are.’’
Okaeme urged farmers to see farming as a business venture so that they would improve their well-being, adding that they needed to make farming a major source of income, especially, in this era of unemployment.
He gave an assurance that the institute was committed to creating more jobs in the fish farming system for both the youths and the unemployed.
‘’We’ll empower them to see farming as a business venture so that they can improve on their lives and make farming a major source of income, particularly nowadays that there are no opportunities for employment.
‘’Our mandate revolves around developing technologies that will assist farmers in aquaculture to improve their productivity and promoting the attainment of self-sufficiency in fish production through rational exploitation of the inland aquatic resources of Nigeria.
‘’We have come up with strategies to make every farmer an employer of labour; we teach them the skills on how to produce their own fingerlings and local feeds.
‘’Farmers cannot produce fingerlings and feeds alone, so, there is a need to employ people.’’
The executive director said that in order to boost fish production, the institute had created a platform for farmers to access funding.
‘’We are running a microfinance facility for the farmers; we have grouped them into cooperatives and each of the groups will be able to access up to N200,000 from which we encourage them to buy mobile phones.’’
He explained that the phones would ensure communication between the farmers and the institute.
He said that institute’s researches were being funded by the Federal Government and the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme to undertake new researches.
‘’Currently, we are researching into producing fish seeds that can mature in four months instead of seven months. ‘’We are also researching into high quality easily convertible fish feeds that can give fish flesh.
‘’We have partnered the Nigerian Stored Produce Research Institute, Ilorin, for value addition in packaging and preservation of fish.
‘’We have also collaborated with the National Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research and the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation for fabrication of our developed tools.’’
The director identified public enlightenment of the institute’s products, farmers’ lack of access to market and capacity building of scientists and farmers as the challenges facing the institute.
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
Chivita| Hollandia (CHI Limited) leading fruit juice and value-added dairy manufacturer in Nigeria has rewarded its long standing distributors at the recently held 2024 Distributor Conference. The event with the theme, “Break Boundaries Exceed Expectations” served as a platform to recognise and reward the exceptional contribution of the distributors and wholesalers who play a critical role in Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) success and business goals for the year.
The Distributor Conference was held in two sessions. While the morning session featured keynote addresses, industry insights and brand immersion experience, the evening session was a cultural display of elegance and funfair that culminated in the award presentation and recognition of the contribution the trade partners made to the company in the 2023 year under review.
A key highlight of the event was the award ceremony which acknowledged outstanding trade partners in various regions across the country. The awards recognized commitment, dedication, and outstanding performance in areas of sales growth, brand promotion, and market expansion.
Eelco Weber, Managing Director, Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited), stated that the company’s success story is incomplete without the strong partnerships it has built with trade partners. “Today, we celebrate not only the achievements, but the collaborative spirit that has made our growth possible” he said.
Bola Arotiowa, Chief Commercial Officer, Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited), in his statement revealed that, the event which was first of its kind will continue to be an annual meeting to enable the company work more closely with its distributors, share insights and action points, help the trade partners familiarize themselves with the company’s goals and objectives for each year, and serve as a driver for mutual success.
“Our distributors are the backbone of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited). Their relentless efforts in distributing our products, promoting our brands, and expanding our reach across the nation is truly commendable. As the bridge between us and our valued consumers, it is very important to reward their hard work and dedication for being an essential part of the Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) family. Together, we will continue to deliver great products to our conusmers which in turn will deliver value to them”, Mr. Arotiowa added.
Speaking at the conference, HajiyaBilikisuSaida, Chief Executive Officer of Smabirm Nigeria Limited, who won the Outstanding Distributor of the Year in North 1 region, and got a reward of two million Naira worth of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) products expressed delight at the company’s recognition, and stated that the awards served as a way to inspire distributors to do more and put in more effort, which in turn would help both the distributors and the company to grow.
Other outstanding performance distributors of the year rewarded with a two million Naira worth of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) stock include, Sunny Chuks Limited for East 1 region, MRS FA & Sons Limited for East 2 region, Hussakas Ventures for North 2 region, Rookee 1388 Ventures for Lagos 1 region, Pik N Pil Ventures for Lagos 2 region, FaithJoe Event Management Limited for West 1 region, and Progress Family Nigeria Enterprise for West 2 region.
The annual Distributors Conference aims to strengthen the bond between Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) and its trade partners. This collaborative approach fosters mutual growth and ensures the continued success of the brands in the Nigerian market.
A global leader in insurance and asset management, AXA Mansard, has supported three female-owned MSMEs with business grants totaling 1.4 million to boost their operations.
This, the company said, is part of its commitment to women and the Medium, Small, and Medium-scale Enterprise (MSME) sector in the country.
The three businesses were successful at the International Women’s Day Pitch Competition, organised in partnership with SME 100 Africa in Lagos.
According to the Head of Marketing, AXA Mansard, Olusesan Ogunyooye, the competition, which is aimed at supporting female entrepreneurs in Nigeria, “is another way AXA is demonstrating its commitment to the causes of women and stimulating the MSME sector in Nigeria”.
The business pitch competition received numerous entries from women across different sectors, but after a rigorous selection process, shortlisted participants were selected to participate in the competition.
Ogunyooye said “the programme provided a unique opportunity for women from various works and socio-economic classes to showcase their innovative ideas and solutions in sectors such as food, tech, fashion, and fragrance, creating an atmosphere filled with excitement, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of community”.
He stressed the importance of investing in women, saying it is not just the right thing to do, but also aligns with AXA’s purpose of acting for human progress.
He explained that AXA believes the future of women should not be at risk, hence investing in their economic empowerment is a crucial part
-
Rivers2 days agoCustomary Jurisprudence: CCA President Harps On Fair Hearing Importance
-
Oil & Energy2 days agoMinister Seeks IOCs, Stakeholders’ Unity On N’Delta Dev
-
News2 days agoFubara Expresses Satisfaction With National Council On Niger Delta
-
Environment2 days agoSouth East Businessmen Charge Governors On Rail, Security, Others
-
Nation2 days agoYahaya Bello: Senator Hails EFCC’s Probe Of N80.2bn Fraud
-
Niger Delta2 days agoMDCN Clears Asaba Specialist Hospital As Novena University Teaching Hospital
-
Politics2 days agoFubara Tasks Rivers Stakeholders On Political, Economic Emancipation …Commissions NAVAL Training Command Headquarters At Ebubu
-
Foreign2 days agoMunitions Explosion At Cambodian Army Base Kills 20 soldiers