IAR renames cropping scheme, holds annual meeting March 28th-30

The Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Samaru, ABU, Zaria

The Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Samaru, ABU, Zaria has changed the popularly known Cropping Scheme to Annual Research Review and Planning Meeting, and this year maiden edition under this new name will come up between March 28^th-30 with the Zonal REFILs follows immediately.

This new name according to Executive Director, IAR, Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar was necessary so as to really reflect the purpose of the meeting in the agricultural cropping planning for the new year towards food security saying all arrangement to ensure this is already ongoing.

Prof. Abubakar pointed that the meeting would look into the last year crops’ performance along the mandate ecological zones of the Institute considering all aspects of research technologies towards the 2017 planting seasons as rain is about to start. 

 According to him “Yes the cropping scheme is coming up at the end of this month, although it is no longer called cropping scheme, it is now Annual Research Review and Planning Meeting.  So we are going to have our Annual Research Review and Planning Meeting at the end of this month and we are expected to showcase achievements of last year and also plan for the fort coming year, and as you are aware the raining season is by the corner.

 In the next two months we shall be deep into the raining season.  So we have to plan on how to go about it, we have to plan how to go about our researches and fortunately last year we were able to achieve additional three varieties of maize, sam nut 49, sam nut 50, sam nut 51. Sam nut 49, vitamin A maize, which is bio-fortified maize and it, has a yield of about 8.8 tons per hectare, and we also have sam nut 50 and 51 which are drought tolerant varieties which can yield 9 tons per hectare, so we are making a lot of progress”

The Head of extension unit of the Institute, Dr. A.I Sharifai told us that the invitation for the programme and changed name notification would soon be sent out to all scientists, researchers, ADPs, policy makers and other research Institutes.

The communiqué of the last cropping scheme and REFILs recommended-

i.                   

  Harmonization/ Unification of various e-extension models in the country

ii.                    

The need for enlightenment of seed companies and other stakeholders on the need to maintain quality seeds for sustainable crop production.

iii.                 

 Review of IAR mandate crops to cover more than North-West zone because IAR research outputs are used by farmers in other regions of the country.

iv.                 

 Increase funding for research and extension to IAR in particular and other NARIs and ADPs in general so that research and extension can be carried out effectively.

v.                    

Repackaged GES to be more effective and increase the quantity of fertilizer bags from 2 to 4 or 5 per farmer.

vi.                  

Enforcement of agricultural inputs legislation especially seeds and pesticides to eradicate adulteration in the market.