Notore: Championing Nigeria’s green revolution policy
From Victor Edozie, Port Harcourt
The trio of Dickson Agedah, Jide Popoola and Chuk’ka Ijeoma had in a book published in 1993 and titled ‘Military in Politics’ chronicled former President Olusegun Obasanjo agricultural revolution policy tagged ‘operation feed the nation’ which was aimed at engaging Nigerians to embark on farming as to improve on agricultural value chain.
Faced with the problems of an alarming decline in food production, increasing import of variety of food items from abroad, a sky bound leap in the prices of food stuff and distributing spate of rural urban drift, the authors stated that the Obasanjo administration launched its Operation Feed the Nation program on May, 1976.
According to the authors General Obasnajo had earlier in his 1976 budget speech told the nation that he would launch the program to make the country self-sufficient in basic food needs during that year’s cropping season, with the hope that the program will impart to Nigerians a new sense of purpose and bring home to everyone the need for self reliance. Operation Feed the Nation Obasanjo said was meant to serve as a spring board for more permanent and sustained agricultural development, inject a sense of urgency into the normal agricultural program of government and bring home to all Nigerians the dignity of labor through mass participation. Although the Obasanjo administration made it clear that O.F.N was not introduced as a re-placement for major agricultural development efforts as set out in the third National Development plan, it made concerted efforts in providing such inputs as fertilizers, improved seedlings, pesticides and the necessary support services required for the attainment of increased output in food production . Fertilizers were sold at uniformed and subsidized prices to farmers throughout the federation while 50,000 tonnes were distributed in this regard.
Agriculture is currently a dominant sector of the economy as it employs 70 to 75 percent of the population and contributed about 23 percent to GDP in 2016 and about 14 million farming families.
Notore Chemical Industries Limited, an Agro- Allied chemical, fertilizer and Power Company is growing in leaps and bound to champion the African green revolution. Sitting on 560 hectares of land and with a capacity to produce 500,000 metric tonnes of Urea and 600,000 metric tonnes of NPK , Notore has maintained a strong presence across Nigerians agricultural value chain.
With high integrity rated management team spearheaded by Mr Onajite Okoloko , the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Notore and efficient and effective work force Notore has made a landmark achievement in championing Nigerians agricultural revolution.
Notore came into being in 2005 when it acquired the moribund NAFCON assets both in Port Harcourt and Lagos. The plants were in tatters while the entire plant sites were overgrown with weeds and harbors all kinds of dangerous animals. A first visitor to Notore corporate office located at Onne, Rivers State will be confronted with a success story recorded within a short period of time by Onajite Okoloko and his team.
Okoloto was proud to tell his success story to the visiting management team of Media trust Ltd led by the Chief Operating Officer, Mr Abahay Desai and Mallam Aliu Akoshile , Associate Director, Business and Strategy and other management staff of the company who were on a facility tour to the expansive Notore Onne corporate office.
‘’We started by taking over the rein of NAFCON. We acquired the assets of NAFCON in Port Harcourt and Lagos. The plants were abandoned before we acquired it. We raised money and were able to refurbish the plants. We need to build capacity and inject a new trend. We are big employers of people and control the entire agricultural value chain in the country. We train farmers on how to use fertilizers’’, Okoloto told his visitors. He lamented the challenges Nigeria’s agricultural value in chain and attributed some of the problems to inability of small holder farmers to access financing.
He said ‘’Agriculture sector accounted for 3 percent of total lending in commercial banks. Out of one million annual fertilizer usage about 11 percent input subsidies got to the users. Lack of good quality farm inputs , fertilizers , seeds , crops protection, inappropriate packs sizes and low quality products are some of the challenges confronting Nigeria’s agricultural value chain’’.
Other challenges confronting the agricultural value chain according to Okoloko are insufficient and ineffective processing and storage methods, poor transport systems, and networks limitation of the movement of food crops from areas of production to the areas of consumption as well as non regulation of commodity exchanges.
Notore has maintained a sordid presence across agriculture value chain and this can be testified through its production of quality and affordable fertilizers products, production of improved rice and maize seed varieties in affordable sizes for farmers as well as production of specialty blends of fertilizers for different crops.
Other area Notore has added values to agricultural chain are education of farmers on fertilizers, seeds and crop protection products application as well as best farming practices.
The company has implemented over 1,000 demonstration farms , 100 percent higher farm yields guaranteed while it work with farmers to address any production challenges.
Notore has also created a food subsidiary to fix the value chain from end to end while their world class supply chain ensures products reach farmers directly. A mobile platform has also been deployed by the company to ensure that farmers have access to finance and market value.
On the company’s strategic plans to reach farmers across the country, the Notore’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Bode Agagu in his slide presentation to the visiting Media trust team said the company has set up a strategic plans to reach out to farmers and improve their lives. ‘’The objective of the vehicle are to educate farmers on inputs, give them access to appropriate inputs, fertilizer seeds and reduce supply chain cost’’, he stated.
He said that the organization has deployed innovative education, private extension led demonstration as well as videos and radio jingles to reach out to its target audience.
On its reach out program for farmers, Agagu said, ‘’Over 2.0 million farmers have been reached through demonstration plots and field days and market storms. We have also reached out to rural dwellers in 2,500 communities in 30 States and granted them access to fertilizers in appropriate sizes’’.
One area Notore has impacted positively to the growing of Nigeria economy is in the area of employment generation. The company in its employment drive has created about 3,000 private sector extension personnel, over 1,700 staff through distribution channel and over 450 employees into its transport network.
On government initiatives the company has contributed to agricultural transformation agenda for the previous administration while it assisted in primary supply of fertilizers for the ongoing ‘Anchor Borrowers Program’ of the present administration.
The company has also intervened in the onion twister fungal disease control in Kebbi State where it worked with extension officers to identify and tackle the disease.
It has also initiated a Notore food project where it intend to off check farm produce that will keep farmer afloat in agric value chain.
The management team of Notore is not resting on its oars to become the champion of the African green revolution. To this end the company has set out a five year development strategy to conquer the entire agricultural value chain across the entire African continent.
‘’Our fertilizer business is to secure the West and Central African Markets via 2.5 million metric tonnes Urea/NPK production capacity and a world class supply chain’’, stated the highly elated Okoloko.
Chief Operating Officer of Media trust, Mr. Abhay Desai, in his speech commended the management of Notore for its giant stride in creating agricultural value chain across the Nigeria and African countries.
He stated that Nigeria is a strong agricultural base economy stressing that the numerous readers of Media trust titles are interested in reading about inroad made in agricultural advancement in the country.
He called for more partnership between Notore and Media trust adding that the two organizations have the potential to work towards the creation of strong agric value chain in Nigeria and beyond.
Associate Director, Business and Strategy of Media trust, Mallam Aliu Akoshile had earlier gave a historical background of Media trust as it concerns its achievements and success stories through his slide presentation and pointed out that Media trust is very strategic to deliver Notore’s agricultural value chain to its targeted market.