THE CURRENT STATE OF AGRICULTURAL
INVESTMENT AND HOW IT AFFECTS
CONFLICTS IN THE NIGER DELTA AREA
BY
AHIMOTA AYADEI DICKSON
Introduction
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Agriculture is the principal investment of rural people (FAO,
2006), a source of income and employment (IFAD, 2002;
World Bank, 2008), an antidote to environmentally induced
conflicts, thus a source of peace among rural dwellers (de
Soysa and Gleditsch, 1999).
The effective take-off of the economic, industrial and
technological development of any nation hinges on a sound
agricultural base.
The ND people depended on agriculture for a living before oil
discovery.
Today, agriculture is pushed into the backwaters in
preference to crude petroleum which is not only an
inexhaustible resource but beyond the exploitation of the
rural Niger Delta people.
Hunger, starvation, poverty, unemployment, and conflicts
[struggle over perceived destruction of agricultural
resources (land including waters), communal conflicts,
struggle over land and economic resources] are evident.
Current Agricultural Developments
in some Niger Delta States
Abia state
 Abia oil Company Ltd.
 Ogwe Modern Poultry Farms
 The Cashew Complex
 Songhai Integrated Farm on 55ha. Land at Okwoi, Ibeku for plantain,
banana, and pineapples
 200ha in Ndiebe, Abam/Bendefor rice and fish farming
 Partnering with the private sector, the 5 ton industrial oil palm mill at
Ohambele is reactivated. Reactivated 2,600 ha (1,500 ha with improved
seedlings) oil palm estate at Ohambele. Reactivating 2000 ha at Ulonna
North/South Ozutem/Anamba. Ordered 1 million improved seedlings to
replant fallow areas of the plantation
 The Unified Agric Extension System (UAES) based on the World Bank
supported T& V in place.
 Livestock and Fisheries production complement crop production
 Agric & inland fisheries development receiving support from FAO
Current Agricultural Developments in
some Niger Delta States (cont.)
Akwa Ibom State
 5000 ha oil palm plantation under the Community Project Development Scheme
(CPDS)
 State govt. assistance to private oil palm farmers with funds and farm inputs
 State govt and Trans4nation Agritech UK/Vietnam signed MOU for commercial
production of rice for export. State to provide land (10,000ha), foreign partners to
fund project. 4,000 to be employed.
 Accelerated Livestock and Fish Production Program (ALFPP). 3 poultry hatcheries
and 10 fish farm estates. 30,000 jobs to be provided
 The Integrated Farmers Scheme has recruited, trained and empowered 930 youths
with soft loan facility N500,000 each to establish agro0enterprises
 Three cassava processing centres in 3 LGAs
 The Itu irrigation and flood control project to develop and open up 2,000ha of land in
Itu for all year round farming
 Accelerated Livestock production. N11.8 billion to be provided in phases and
100,000 persons to be employed
 Commercial Agriculture Development Program. Tractors and implements distributed
to farmers at 40% subsidy
 Akwa Ibom Food Reserve Program. 180,000 metric tons of food storage and
processing infrastructure at Abak at a cost of !.5 billion for take-off.
Current Agricultural Developments in
some Niger Delta States (Cont.)
Bayelsa State
Bayelsa Agricultural Development Company Limited (Government owned)
has the following subsidiaries:
 Niger Delta Seafoods Ltd.
 Bayelsa Farms Ltd.
 Creek Foods Ltd.
 Bayelsa Palms Ltd.
Apart from these, the state ministry claims to be involved in the following
activities
 Shrimp Culture Project
 National Food Security Program
 Community-Based National Resources Management Program
 Roots and Tuber Expansion Project
 Green House Vegetable Project
 Agriculture Extension Scheme in Collaboration with the Bio-Resources
Development Centre, Odi
 Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP) in collaboration with the World
Bank
Current Agricultural Developments in
some Niger Delta States (Cont.)
Cross River State
 Cross River Commercial Agric. Dev. Program
(CRCADP)
 Fadama III Project
 Cross River Agricultural and Rural Empowerment
Scheme (CRARES)
 IFAD/FGN/NDDC Community Based Natural
Resource Management Program
 Cross River Agricultural Development Program
(CRADP)
 Songhai Cross River Initiative ( SCRI)
 Cross River Farm Credit Scheme
 Project Awake
 Growth Enhancement Support Scheme
Current Agricultural Developments in
some Niger Delta States (Cont.)
Delta State
 The state accords various forms of
assistance to farmers in the areas of
fisheries, aquaculture, forestry, vertinary
services, etc.
 The state encourages farmers through:
 Delta Agricultural Development Program
(DADP)
 Task Force on Communal Farming
 Agricultural Loan Scheme to Small Scale
Farmers
 Fishermen Farm Settlement Scheme
Current Agricultural Developments in
some Niger Delta States (Cont.)
Edo State
 Okomu oil (palm oil)
 Presco Industries PLc (Siat Nigeria
Ltd. holds 60% of capital shares)
produces olein, sterain, palm kernel
oil, palm kernel cake, fatty acid.
 Iyaye rubbers
 Deffy green (oil palm)
 A & Hatman (palm oil)
Current Agricultural Developments in
some Niger Delta States (Cont.)
Imo State (Tropical Rainforest)
 Fourth Tier Community Governance (every community to
focus on cultivation of specific crops and animal husbandry.
This is the ROCHANOMICS Theory and of the principle of
OHASHARISM
 Each community to plant at least 200,000 improved oil palm
seedlings. This will bring about an economically independent
state and create opportunity for the unemployed youths.
 The Mechanized Imo Modern Poultry Farm at Avutu Obowo
LGA, has taken the lead in private fish farming.
 Fadama II
 Massive production and processing of rice in Arondizuogu,
Ideato North (Govt to take over rice mill)
 investors invited in rice and palm oil production
Cash crops (oil palm, raffia palm, rice, groundnut, melon,
cotton, cocoa, rubber, maize, etc.)}
{Food crops (yam, cassava, cocoyam, maize)}
Current Agricultural Developments in
some Niger Delta States (Cont.)
Ondo State
Investment Opportunities
Extensive fertile soil suitable for
agriculture with Sub-Savannah
forest suitable cattle grazing in
the northern fringes
Largest producer of cocoa
Other cash crops – rubber,
cashew, kola nut, oil palm, etc.
Current Agricultural Developments in
some Niger Delta States (Cont.)
Rivers State
 The rivers State Government established the Rivers
State Sustainable Development Agency which
established the Songhai Rivers Farm Initiative. This
seen as a massive investment in agriculture by the
Rivers State government
 The agency in collaboration with Onida Development,
an Isreali Company, also established the Onida Tilapia
Project in Buguma, Rivers State
 Siat Nigeria Ltd holds 100% former Rison Palm estate
which comprises 16,000ha
 NEPAD Integrated Farms Initiatives. Setting up
integrated farms in the three senatorial districts. First
farm in Kpite in Tai LGA
 Rivers State has a total land mass of 1,940,000ha out
of which 760,000ha is cultivable area.
Niger Delta State Governments,
Agricultural Investments and Conflict
Nexus
In Nigeria, so much importance is attached to
crude oil production to the detriment of
investment in agriculture.
Sectoral contribution to the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP)
 Crude oil rose steadily from an infinitesimal
0.3% (1960), 7.1% (1970), 22.0% (1980),
12.8% (1990), 47.5% (2000) to 40.6% (2002)
 Agriculture nosedived from an appreciable
64.1% (1960), 47.6% (1970), 30.8% (1980),
39.0% (1990), 35.7% (2000) to 28.4% (2002).
Niger Delta State Governments,
Agricultural Investments and Conflict
Nexus
Agricultural investments can be used to reduce the current hunger and
starvation, anger, youth unemployment rating and conflicts in the Niger
Delta States.
 A lot of the agricultural projects the N.D. state governments claimed to
be going on are mere political statements for image launderings (political
gains) and not realities
 Budgetary provisions are just on paper and not implemented
 Land portions acquired for agricultural investment by governments. spore
new conflicts
 Suitable investment climate in the form of provision of farm inputs for
local farmers is absent or abysmal.
 Marketing Boards to buy over excess agric. Produce absent
 Genuine efforts are not made to attract foreign investors agriculture
 Opportunities for employment or training are cornered by political
appointees and influential people lone
 State and local government authorities in the Niger Delta area are in the
habit of shifting responsibilities to the oil companies in spite of the fact
they took oat to work for the well being of the masses.
Conclusion
• From the fore-goings, though
agricultural investments
expectedly should have positive
impact on the ND states, the
actions and inactions of the state
governments have generated
negative impacts and the conflict
circle continuous in the ND
states.