Prof. Olusoji Olufajo |
Can you introduce yourself sir?
I am Olusoji
Olufajo. I am a professor of agronomy. I work in Institute for Agricultural
Research (IAR), Samaru, Zaria. I am the National Coordinator, cowpea, and also
the National chairman, Technical Sub Committee on Crop for National Varieties
Release in Nigeria.
Let me start with National Release of
crops varieties, how is it strategic to agricultural production?
Any variety
that is released officially means people can now legally do business with it. A
variety that is released officially must best be published in the variety
released catalogue. It is only the varieties in this catalogue that the
National Agricultural Seed Council recognizes for commercial productions. So
any variety that is not listed in the book is not recognized by seeds council
and any other affiliated agent. So nobody can do real business with any variety
that is not officially released. That is the importance of it.
The core reasoning of this interview
is to know the process of getting a new crop, livestock or animal varieties
released registered and released?
Well the process
is pretty simple. I will say simple in the sense that if a breeder has officially
finished with the breeding processes having tested the variety at all stations
and finds the variety is very outstanding at his own station location, then
what he needs to do is to test it at all other stations which is called
multi-location trials in order to give a larger coverage in terms of ecologies.
The multi-location trails are just for minimum of two years. And if the variety
is satisfactory at this point, then he will have to do another one year farm
trails with farmers’ participation. Here farmers will be accessed to the
variety for assessment, and if it is still outstanding by farmers’ opinion as
regards preferable traits during an interface with other invited members of the
National Sub-Committee members, then one can now bring the variety for
registration and release. In essence, what we are talking about apart from the
preliminary drive by the breeder, and on station trails, the two years
multi-locational trails, and one year minimum of on farm with minimum of two
years as one can do three. This is all about the process.
Let us juxtapose in the global
standard, what would be your take with our practice compared to other part of
the world?
Well the
global practice, it is about the same process. Some countries process is even
longer than ours. It may even requires three years multi locational trails in
some countries and you know you cannot compromise certain things when it comes
to crop because of the factors relating to climate change coupled pest disease.
Could this long process be due to
non-availability of infrastructure or what?
If you are
not familiar with the process, you may not understand. It is left with the
person that wants to bring his variety to access it for the purpose of
assurance of what he is bringing for registration and release. You need to know
its stability to stress at every cross location.
So you do not agree with the school
of thought that says the process is cumbersome?
No, you have
to say which aspect is cumbersome. In fact the two years is the minimum that is
acceptable anywhere. In fact I was talking with somebody from India yesterday
saying multi locational trial in his country was three years. Ours is two years
but we are not saying it cannot be more but the minimum is two years.
What is your assessment of the
varieties that have been registered and released?
Presently
the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) is trying to do a study on the
situation performance of all the varieties that have released. They are trying
to check on the farmers the level of the acceptability of the released
varieties, but I know the varieties are moving and gradually replacing the old
ones. But the issue is that before the new improved varieties can replace the
old ones, the seeds have to be available and somebody has to take the
responsibility for making the seeds available.
I think the new varieties will
make much an in road based on the preferred traits by the farmers. The new varieties
are better in terms of resistance to heat, pest and diseases. In view of the
climate change that requires seeds with resistance to heat, we are now
concentrating more on early maturing ones with high yielding traits. Also
farmers are given opportunity to make choice among the new improved varieties.
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