South West Obas, others challenge Governors, money bags for non-research development

   Group Picture at IAR&T Cropping/REfILs group picture with traditional obas from Ibadan and Ile-Ife.

·         *Scientists decry poor OFAR, TRM performance, hail  Ekiti, Lagos, ask for funding

The just concluded 30^th annual event of South West, Research Extension Farmers Input Linkage System (REFILS) with the theme “ Diversification and Sustainability of Agricultural Production: the role of mechanization” that took place at Institute for Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Ibadan had in attendance royal fathers, farmers, scientists, researchers, academia and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) at the input value chains who all out-rightly frowned at the governors and rich people in the zone for not investing  in agricultural development with reference to research and technologies transfer that may result in shortages just as scientists have described the last and previous years (On- Farm Adaptive Research)  OFAR and (Technology Review Meetings) TRM at all the states in the region as being very poor with the exception of Lagos and Ekiti states.

 They thus asked for more funding to enrich commercial agriculture with improved technology.

REFILS workshop annually organized by IAR&T is held to consider report of all research and extension activities in the zone for the preview year where feedback on technologies disseminated to farmers for OFAR trials by the ADPs for the formulation of appropriate extension messages just as Research Institutes are also afforded the opportunity of showcasing their new technologies to farmers and other stakeholders who were present.

Both the representatives of the traditional rulers, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi and Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Adetunji were very passionate about the deplorable state of agricultural development in the South West saying the lip service of the governors to the sector’s development was what is playing out in research and technologies transfer to farmers in the region thereby called for caution in order to save the food insecurity situation in all the states in the region.

The Ooni speaking through his representative, the Alara Oodaye of Araland, Oba Adebisi Layade, advised that the opportunities in research works and agriculture must be revived like is done in the Northern states, stating that “we need to talk to ourselves to be more proactive. The beans, pepper, tomato we are eating are from the North. Even the cattle they are using to disturb us are from the North. What do we have? We have agriculture and research here. Do not let them die. Let us beg our billionaires to support agriculture and research. In developed countries, the government support research, but this is what is lacking in our country” 

Also, the Olubadan of Ibadan’s representative, Oba Adetunji pointed out that government must encourage the youths into the real sector activities through farming inputs and agriculturally motivated incentives with research development, rather than engaging them in cycling business saying “you said that graduates are commercial motorcycling. This is because there is no love.

 They should stop buying motorcycles for our youths. Tell them to stop. Our Government needs to support agriculture and research. All state governments need to stand up to develop agriculture .You need to meet traditional rulers and government to ensure that things are better. If you go to the North, they are helping themselves. It is bad that Yoruba do not help themselves. Those you send to Abuja as representatives, most of them are looking for money to fill their pockets”

The report from states ADPs was nothing better as lack of fund was alleged for the non-performance of extension officers in this zone thereby denying farmers the accessibility of new improved technologies that are made available by the Research Institutes to full capacity with only |Ekiti and Lagos states being exonerated from this nonperformance.

All the scientists at the meeting frowned at the poor performance of the states in the zone to ensure Monthly TRM and OFAR with the exception of Ekiti and Lagos that both received stakeholders’ commendation which was championed by the IAR&T Executive Director (ED) Prof. J.A Adediran. 

In his opening address, Adediran commended both states for their performances in the area of support to MTRM and OFAR respectively saying the paucity of fund cum lack of support from the states’ ADP had hindered the event from taking place around February. 

Adediran who enumerated on the achievement the Institute had recorded towards agricultural development in terms of improved technologies, wanted all the states’ Governments in the region to assist in the REFILs activities towards assisting Federal Government policy on food security through adequate transferring of new improved technologies from IAR&T and other NARIs to farmers and other processors in the sector.

He said: “some of the newly generated technologies which have been developed and perfected by this Institute in the last few years are available for farmers’ use. Also, proven technologies from other collaborating NARIs have been transferred to extension agents of the ADPs in our various states through the Monthly TRM. I will like to encourage all the states in the South West to support the policy of the Federal Government and REFILS activities in their respective states. Please note that we will still need your assistance in paying all the counterpart funds as stipulated. Again, some states rarely or do not hold at all their monthly technology review meeting. At this juncture, let me congratulate Ekiti state ADP for not missing MTRMs once throughout the year under review. I will also like to emphasis the importance of the OFAR trials”

He continued:“ It was reported that some state ADPs could not carry out any OFAR trials as result of paucity of fund. Again it is my delight that Lagos state ADP is adjudged the best during the year under review as all OFAR trails approved for them were carried out successfully. I will like to call the attention of all the Chief Executives Officers of the states concerned to looked critically into problem facing REFILs and approve funds for the execution of relevant projects”

In the keynote address delivered by a former  Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) Engr. Oladehinde Abiodun, entitled “ Diversification and Sustainability of Agricultural Production: the role of Mechanization” he identified policy summersault, lip service in term of political subsidy, importation of dead equipment and faulty machines, lack of incentives for the tractor/ equipment operators  and poor land clearing among others as serious challenges to agricultural development adding that government must be ready to support fabricators and manufacturers as part of solution to remedy all the challenges.

He recommended the need for government to impose ban of all those equipment and tools that Nigerians have capability to fabricate or produce saying that fabricators must be properly trained with loan support. 

The statements made by the representative of the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh and acting Executive Secretary, National Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) Prof. 

Ambrose Voh were handy to the growth of the sector especially with new agricultural policy of the Federal Government and the need to ensure a better linkage between the research and extension officers for the benefit of best agronomics practices by the farmers. 

Meanwhile, the In-House-Meeting earlier held by the Institute has identified the following as some of the achievement recorded over the years by IAR&T as follows:

1.       Development of adaptable cropping system for increased productivity under intensive soil resources for cassava and maize based cropping systems.

2.       Successful incorporation of soybean into the farming systems of rainforest South West Nigeria for increased protein intake among resource poor farming households.

3.       Inclusion and development of organic fertilizer technology for increased land productivity in cassava based cropping systems using readily available materials.

4.       Development of farmers’ guide on different crops, livestock production and processing technologies for rapid dissemination to farmers at low cost.

5.       Eradication of downy mildew and folia diseases of maize in SWN. 

6.       Dissemination and training on the use of improved technologies.

7.       Conduct of adoption and impact assessment.

8.       Control of army worm pest infestation maize