Copper, industrial metals slide on trade row
Temitayo Ayetoto
June 19, 2018
Copper futures fell more than one percent on Tuesday as an escalating trade row between the U.S. and China rippled through most markets including the industrial metals which were impacted directly, according to multiple reports monitored by business a.m. “China demand-driven commodity futures including iron ore, copper, zinc and aluminium have seen a sharp decline, […]
Precious metals rally, base metals hang on bearish bias
Temitayo AyetotoJune 14, 2018
Gold and silver ended Thursday’s trading session near its day’s highs after the US federal reserve announced a 25 bpd rate hike in a widely anticipated move. Gold traded at 1308.50, up 0.55 percent whereas silver was at 17.15, up 0.97 percent towards the end of trading. While the rate hike was already factored into […]
Ivory Coast to appeal for $1bn reforestation strategy fund, minister says
Businessam StaffMay 26, 2018
Ivory Coast will call upon donors as well as timber and cocoa companies to help finance a reforestation strategy it estimates will cost 616 billion CFA francs ($1 billion) over 10 years, the water and forests minister said on Friday. The West African nation has lost an average of 400,000 hectares of tropical forest annually […]
Lipton, WE partner to empower 80,000 tea farmers in Kenya
Businessam StaffApril 23, 2018
Lipton, a global refreshment brand and WE, a charity organization have partnered to empower 80,000 women in tea farming communities across Kenya by providing them access to financial and business skills training. Program participants will learn financial fundamentals from budgeting and cost-pricing to creating business plans and applying for loans in addition to financial literacy […]
Nigeria expands basket of crops with entrance of 13 hybrid varieties
Businessam StaffJune 20, 2017
Ahead of June end’s commencement of Nigeria’s exportation of yam tuber to Britain, the country has intensified efforts at culturing hybrid crops with the release of 13 varieties of new high-yield crops for commercial purpose. The ministry of science and technology which made the announcement listed the new introductions to include two wheat varieties […]
Audu Ogbeh moves for second agric bank in quest for 5% interest rate for farmers
Kelvin EgerueJune 19, 2017
Nigeria’s effort at keeping food prices within range has culminated in the quest for the establishment of another specialized bank for farmers. The Federal Government said it is uncomfortable with prevailing high interest rates at which commercial banks in the country extend loans to farmers. To this end, Audu Ogbeh, Nigeria’s minister of agriculture and […]
First batch of certified yam export from Nigeria to reach U.K., U.S. in June
Obodo EjiroJune 10, 2017
Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh has announced that the first consignment of yam from Nigeria to the United States and the United Kingdom is set to take place in June. The minister made this disclosure in a statement signed by Olukayode Oyeleye, Special Media and Communication in the ministry of Agriculture in Abuja on Friday. […]
Agric, transport, creative sectors push Nigeria’s labour productivity to 9.8% in Q4 2016
Businessam StaffJune 8, 2017
Nigeria’s labour productivity rose 9.8 percent as at end Q4, 2016 , the second highest level since Q1, 2015, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report released Thursday. The Q4 figures however fall short of the 12.2 percent recorded in the previous quarter. The analysed data showed that labour productivity increased to N783.51 […]
These robots are milking cows without any humans involved, and the cows seem into it
Businessam StaffJune 3, 2017
Aided by sensors, lasers, and data collection, automated technology is cropping up on dairy farms around the world. Stensland Family Farms, which sits in the northwest corner of Iowa, has 170 dairy cows, but nobody milks them. Robots do. Aided by sensors, lasers, and data collection, automated technology is cropping up on dairy farms around […]
Agriculture is major opportunity for African Internet of things; security No. 1 challenge
Businessam StaffJune 1, 2017
Agriculture, Africa’s largest economic sector, is likely to be central to the growth of the Internet of Things on the continent. Security is the single biggest challenge facing its growth. The growth of African connectivity has been a big story for years, with the continent rapidly catching up and in some cases — like fintech […]