Interview- We cannot sub standard crops varieties registration says Prof. Olufajo

Prof. Olusoji Olufajo

Against the background of crops, livestock and animals improved seeds varieties registration  as being cumbersome, Prof. Olusoji Olufajo has said the process cannot be compromised for the purpose of global standard practice saying Nigeria process is not cumbersome compared to what are obtainable elsewhere. Read the excerpt of his interview with food Farm News at the recently released varieties at NACGRAB at Ibadan, Oyo state.

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.