Japan’s firms to focus on ICT, agro processing

Japanese firms with a focus on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Clean Technologies and Agro-processing are being encouraged by Prime Minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar to set up shop at the recently launched Tamana Intech Park in east Trinidad.

The PM invited Japanese firms to do so during bilateral talks with her Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, held in the Octagon Room of the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s late yesterday afternoon.

The talks were the first official business of Abe’s two-day Official Visit to Trinidad and Tobago, following his mid-afternoon arrival in Trinidad yesterday.

Although the approximately hour-long talks were private, the Office of the PM issued a statement afterward about the issues raised.

Apart from the Tamana invitation, which Persad-Bissessar advised Abe would be pursued by Minister of Trade, Industry, Investment and Communications, Vasant Bharath, in discussions with relevant members of the delegation during their stay, the delegations also spoke about the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and both countries’ bids for non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.

The ATT, which establishes international standards for the movement of conventional arms and ammunition across borders, was signed by Japan and TT in 2013.

Yesterday, Persad-Bissessar sought the support of Abe’s administration for this country’s bid to host the ATT Secretariat.

Meanwhile Abe expressed his gratitude to Government for its decision to waive entry visa requirements for Japanese nationals entering the country for business and tourism purposes for a maximum period of 90 days.

During the discussions, Japan’s PM also raised the matter of deepening bilateral relations and requested that Persad-Bissessar consider opening a TT Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. The PM promised to immediately engage in discussions with Foreign Affairs Minister, Winston Dookeran, on this issue.

Persad-Bissessar spoke of the positive impact on the South-Western peninsula with regard to job creation by the introduction of the dimethyl ether (DME) Project, which was established by the Massy Group, the Mitsubishi Corporation, and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical.

The OPM said matters regarding climate change, renewable energy, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), crime and security, triangular co-operation, and the environment were also pursued ahead of the Japan-CARICOM Summit being held today at Hilton Trinidad, Port-of- Spain.

Japan’s PM recognised the role Trinidad and Tobago plays in CARICOM and advised that Japan would host the 4th Japan/CARICOM Foreign Ministers Forum in Tokyo.

Prior to the talks, Abe inspected an honour guard of the TT Air Guard on the grounds of the Diplomatic Centre. This was followed by a private exchange of gifts between himself and Persad-Bissessar. TT’s PM presented Abe with a steel pan while his gift was wrapped in a medium-sized rectangular box. As of press time, the exact details of Abe’s gift to Persad-Bissessar were not known.

By Sasha Harrinanan Monday, July 28 2014

Re-posted from Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday

Nigeria: I'll Deploy ICT to Drive Agric Insurance - NAIC MD

An exclusive interview with the Managing Director of Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), Bode Opadokun, identified challenges confronting the organisation, his new road map, top priorities and plans to turn around the fortunes of the only Federal Government owned agricultural insurance company which had become almost "moribund" prior to his assumption of office. Excerpts.

What were some of the problems you met on assuming office four months ago?

I will not call them problems. I will prefer to call them challenges. The challenges have to do with the level of performance of the organisation, when we look at the opportunities that really exist in the sector that we are practising. Yes, it is an insurance sector. We are established to focus more on agricultural insurance. When you look at our level of penetration, prior to my assumption of office, we are still scratching the ground. That really confirms that a lot of opportunities are still untapped. So what I can say is that we have not done as much as we ought to be doing, as at the time of assuming office. That is a major challenge.

To read more, Nigeria: I'll Deploy ICT to Drive Agric Insurance - NAIC MD

Taken from All Africa

AGRA integrates ICT into agriculture to spur productivity

The Alliances for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in partnership with Image-Ad has introduced an Information Communication Technology (ICT) services into agriculture to spur growth and productivity of smallholder farmers in six African countries including Ghana.

The technology uses mobile phones and software that could send SMS and voice messages to farmers about extension services, marketing and all other important messages relating to agriculture to ensure that smallholder farmers achieved increased productivity across the value chain.

As part of the partnership, AGRA under its Market Access Programme has provided $957,475 to Image-Ad for a three-year period to mount this mobile and internet-based software that would link thousands of farmers in Ghana with a wide range of information and services to boost crop yields and to locate buyers to make transactions more transparent. 

Madam Garcia Armelle Chedoi Honvoh, Head of Business Development of Image-AD Ghana, said the project known as mFarms had profiled over 20,000 farmers in Ghana on the platform which allows them to build relationship with marketing agents and other aggregators.

She said farmers accessing mFarms on their phones receive information about good agricultural practices, where to locate agro-dealers and the prices and availability of inputs such as seeds and fertilizers noting that aggregators or Farmer Based Organizations (FBOs) uses the platform to extend extension services to farmers.


To read more, AGRA integrates ICT into agriculture to spur productivity


Taken from Business Ghana

Growing use of ICT in agriculture helping to "transform Africa"

An influential report on education, training and development in Africa shows that the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is beginning to have a significant impact on agriculture and may even be helping to make a reality of the African Union's 2063 Vision of a "transformed continent".

The report's editor, Dr Harold Elletson, said:

"African agriculture is changing. It is steadily becoming more efficient. Much of the change is happening at the level of the smallholder farmer and it is being driven by the increased use of ICTs, which are helping to boost yields, increase choice and improve living standards.

"Our survey shows that people working in the agriculture and food sector realise how useful ICTs can be. They are bringing new solutions to a whole range of farming problems - for example, promoting more efficient irrigation methods or better livestock management and even encouraging the development of self-sustaining funding solutions. ICTs are making a massive contribution to growth in African agriculture and, as this sector still employs nearly 70 per cent of the workforce, it is very significant in terms of making a reality of the African Union's vision of a transformed continent."

To read more, Growing use of ICT in agriculture helping to "transform Africa" 

Adapted from Business Ghana

Virtual toolbox empowers sheep and goat farmers with information

With demand for their meat, milk and fiber growing, sheep and goats offer an appealingly solid return on investment, particularly for beginning, small-scale and limited-resource farmers. But there is a lot to learn, so success can be a challenge. "Information is power. You can make a lot of mistakes if you don't under stand small ruminants," says Linda Coffey, a National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) specialist.

Now, farmers and Extension educators have an expansive new resource available to them in theSmall Ruminant Toolbox. The toolbox is a collection of practical, proven materials covering a wide variety of topics, including pasture and herd management, marketing, pest management, qual ity of life and whole-farm sustainability.

Toolbox materials are free to access online or can be purchased on a USB flash drive atwww.sare.org/ruminant-toolbox.

Coffey and a team of sheep and goat specialists created the toolbox through a 2008 Southern SARE grant, with limited distribution of the USB. Due to the toolbox's popularity, NCAT and SARE have now partnered to reissue the USB and post the materials online.

To read more on the benefits of the toolbox, please click on the following link: Virtual toolbox empowers sheep and goat farmers with information

Adapted from The Prairie Star

Small Ruminant Health Superheroes Assemble

If you’re a small ruminant producer, you know that internal parasites present serious challenges to your animals’ health and your farm’s bottom line. But did you know there’s a group working on your behalf to find sustainable methods of controlling these nefarious nematodes? They’re called the American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (ACSRPC). They’re the small ruminant industry’s Justice League, and NCAT’s own Margo Hale, Linda Coffey, and Dave Scott are members.

The ACSRPC is composed of researchers, veterinarians, and educators from across the country, and they come together a few times each year. Representatives from Fort Valley State University, Langston University, Louisiana State University, North Carolina A&T University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, University of Missouri, University of Arkansas, and USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) attended the meeting, as well as two consultants/educators who have sheep operations in northwest Arkansas.

Members reported on their research into ways to control anthelmintic resistant worms, including bioactive forages, various forage/parasite trials, and genetic and breeding values. They also discussed new research needs and ideas.  The group outlined training modules and videos that will incorporate parasite management into a holistic small ruminant production outreach plan.

Adapted from the National Center for Appropriate Technology

Campaign to inspire farmers to use ICT

Bangladesh Institute of ICT in Development (BIID), Grameenphone and Department of Agricultural Extension yesterday launched a campaign to promote ICT-enabled e-Krishok services in agriculture.

The campaign, Smart Farmer, Smart Future, targets young farmers to help improve livelihood by positioning agriculture as a distinct profession and highlighting the benefits of mobile and internet services in agriculture, Grameenphone said in a statement.

Sunil Kanti Bose, chairman of Bangla-desh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, and Nazrul Islam Khan, ICT secretary, attended the launch at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council auditorium in Dhaka. The campaign will reach out to 100,000 farmers.

As many as 100 winners will be selected through the competition to generate ideas on how mobile phones and the internet can help increase their income.

BIID launched the e-Krishok campaign in 2008 in 10 locations and transformed it into a service proposition in 2010. Later it was spread to 350 upazilas in collaboration with Grameenphone, Katalyst and ACI Ltd.

Adapted from the DailyStar.net