Bagging bananas to quicken maturity by two weeks.

A new research has shown that farmers, who cover banana bunches with perforated polythene bags, will quicken the maturity of the fruit by up to two weeks due to the conducive micro-climate that is created. The perforated polythene covers speed up the maturity time by between five days. The cover, which runs from the first hand to the tip, creates a micro-climate of high temperatures of an average of 0.5 degrees Celsius per 24 hours. On warmer days the ‘greenhouse’ effect micro-climate can reach 7 degrees Celsius. The cover leads to increased bunch weight due to optimum photosynthesis and reduced pests attack. The cover is placed from the base of the bunch and tied at the top, right at the scar of the first bract. Early bagging helps in preventing thrips from attacking the banana. In Central Kenya, a few farmers are adopting the method by improvisation using the common yellow polythene bags for shopping. The inner linings of synthetic fertiliser bags can also work in covering the banana hands individually or as a whole bunch. The research says thick bags increase and maintain temperatures faster and for long. Transparent covers allow in more than 90 per cent of the light required to photosynthesis while 73 per cent of the energy required in the food making process is at 73. Organic farmers around the world using this method to quicken maturity of the bananas impregnate the equipment with garlic and pepper solution to reduce thrips attack. source

How irrigation boosts banana yield by 30%.

Farmers, who regularly irrigate bananas, can boot the weight of the fruit by more than 30 per cent. More than 90 per cent of famers in Kenya- especially in Nyanza and Central regions- do not know bananas have to be irrigated like other horticultural crops for high yields. That is why some of the biggest bananas only reach 50kg to 80kg- depending on the rains. Naomi Wahu, who had a banana weighing about 110kg during a farmers’ event in Thika in February 2017, said reduced soil moisture affects food conversion in the crop for maximum weight. A plantlet requires at least 40 liters of water after planting. But as it grows, 20 litres of water must be added to the sucker until maturity,” Wahu, who is a field officer at the Aberdare Technologies Limited said. In the absence of rains, the banana sucker must get 40 to 60 litres of water every week. However, Wahu warned that excess water encourages rotting of the roots due to clogging. Bananas have broad leaves, with some spreading to more than two mitres. The leaves offer a large surface area for the loss of water through transpiration. This water, therefore, must be recovered via irrigation in absence of rain.more

Digital pen technology reports disease fast. and prevent outbreaks.

Livestock farmers in the country can now breathe a sigh of relief after the introduction of a digital pen technology used by veterinary officers to immediately report to the capital about any disease outbreak within ten seconds. The innovative tool which reports about an outbreak to the capital in ten seconds is aimed at saving millions of shillings worth of livestock which are lost due to longer periods of over three weeks that manual processes take hence making it difficult to contain an outbreak in time. The old trend has greatly been revolutionized with the Digital Pen Technology which reports about an outbreak to the capital in the shortest time span. The technology entails use of a digital pen, digital paper and an internet enabled phone. The digital paper has commands that are interlinked with the pen. It has a start and end command boxes. When one ticks the start box then the Bluetooth in the pen is activated and the pen will note anything that will be written on the paper using the camera on it and when the end box is clicked then the information is automatically stored in the pen’s memory chip. The veterinary officer just writes on the digital pare normally and then the details are recorded simultaneously by the camera on the pen to the memory chip. According to Dr. Kahariri,one of the brains behind the innovation noted, the technology is better than smart phones and gives users ample time to note the details. “Field workers and veterinarians cannot take time punching in information on a phone, trying to find the small keys on a touch screen that might be impossible to see in the bright sunlight. A digital pen, however, has a miniature infrared camera that records writing as the pen passes over paper sending the data wirelessly using Bluetooth technology to a cell phone and then onward to a central server.” The pen can store 40 forms on its’ memory chip. Once the information has been sent to the capital for analysis the platform also allows editing and adding more data on a similar report earlier keyed in. The innovative technology was first initiated by the United Nations agricultural agency; Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). Since the introduction the technology, Dr. Kahariri noted that they have been able to detect and contain some of the fatal animal diseases on time and therefore improving their relations with the pastoralist communities. The digital pen technology can locate the exact position of the outbreak through GPS as the technology locates both longitude and latitude of the place. The use of the digital pen technology will help increase productivity by reducing endemic animal diseases that lower productivity but also lower zoonotic disease transmissions that threaten small-scale livestock producers in poor countries as well as human health in all countries. source

Gates, Dangote float new funding window for healthcare delivery in Kano, Yobe.

As part of its global humanitarian activities, Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation, in partnership with Dangote Foundation, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the governments Kano and Yobe states. The aim is to boost primary health care delivery in the two states. The signing of the agreement which was witnessed by a large collection of major stakeholders various countries, was a follow up to earlier agreement entered into by the two Foundations and governments of the two states. Under the new agreement, the management of the Foundations will be partnering governments of each of the two states to float a funding basket to be used in financing Primary HealthCare Delivery in rural areas of the two states. more

Dangote to set up powder milk factory.

The Dangote Group of companies is to set up a multi-billion-shilling powder milk plant in Kenya. The conglomerate is looking at possibilities of exploiting the rich Kenyan dairy sector and the precise position, to set up a factory that would process dry milk for the Nigerian market, according to group vice-president Sani Dangote. “We will process the milk and have it shipped to Nigeria: We are first commencing with a full study to understand the value chain of the Kenyan dairy market and to evaluate the costs involved in running a full plant.” Mr Dangote said that the Nigerian market relied on a beverage company that imports in excess of 4,000 tonnes of powder milk annually. The company imports an estimated Sh1 billion worth of milk, which was still insufficient, he said. Mr Dangote said there was minimal local production of milk in the country, hence the increase in consumption of powder milk.source Mr Aliko Dangote, says 98 per cent of all dairy products consumed in the country are imported. He said that the nation was at the risk of hunger in the next few years if the mass food importation was not checked. “Ninety-eight per cent of all the milk and dairy products we consume in Nigeria are imported. “This is why Dangote Group has planned to develop dairy plants, and develop homegrown milk production, to reduce importation. more

Grazing reserves essential to boost milk production.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Audu Ogbeh says the Federal Government is working toward setting up grazing reserves across the country to curb incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers. Ogbeh, who spoke at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja, said he was called all sorts of names for suggesting the importation of grass for the creation of reserves, which would solve the conflict and boost milk production in the country. He explained that there were grazing reserves in the country before and the cows were then properly fed and taken care of. The minister showcased Brazil ,“Brazil took grass from Africa 25 years ago and now, they are exporting same grass to Saudi Arabia. The minister explained that when he was newly appointed, he suggested grass planting by importing grass but was called all sorts of names. He stressed that it was impossible to have grazing reserves without grass. He explained that Saudi Arabia had the largest dairy farm in the world with about 135,000 cows in one farm. The cows are very comfortable housed in an air-conditioned environment. The cows produce milk in large quantities, which is now imported into the country. He noted that we need to improve our dairy industry, by placing cattle in conducive environment so that a cow can produce 25 to 40 liters of milk per day. more

Cross-border e-commerce considered a growth rocket for sub-Saharan Africa retailers.

Thinking of a new business venture? then take advantage of the exchange rate and delve into export business. The thirst for local products has increased considerably due to fall in Naira, pushing more consumers to home grown products. There are a crop of business people that are savvy and have turned the problem to a big-time solution for exporting local products to earn forex and many are using the services of DHL. The delivery service expert has cashed in on this opportunity by providing a DHL hub in Lagos to facilitate easy freighting of cargo. Agricultural products are enjoying the spotlight with more people using this service to grow there brands and expand there capital base. DHL Express, the world’s leading international express services provider, has published research highlighting the significant growth opportunity for retailers and manufacturers with an international online product offering.The report – The 21st Century Spice Trade: A Guide to the Cross-Border E-Commerce Opportunity. Cross-border shipping is actually simple and retailers in sub-Saharan Africa are perfectly positioned to take advantage of international opportunities. More