The Managing Director (MD) Premier Seeds of Nigeria, Prof. A.A Ogungbile in red cap |
The Managing
Director (MD) Premier Seeds of Nigeria, Prof. A.A Ogungbile has said his organization
would tread on the path of market availability before the company would fully
engage in the commercial multiplication of the newly released Biotechnology
genetically modified cotton (Bt cotton) for the farmers.
Speaking
with Food Farm News, in his office at
Zaria, Prof. Ogungbile said that the decision on Bt cotton commercial
multiplication to farmers was not yet taken as the company would study the
marketing situation before taking such action saying that the abolition of
cotton marketing board had negatively impacted on the productivity growth of
the produce and textile industry in Nigeria.
He said that
from the economic point of view “Premier seed is yet to take decision on
commercial production of bt cotton new varieties to farmers due to economic
reason unlike in the 1980s when it was very profitable as the marketing board
was still existing to control prices and quality with British Cotton Ginning
Company (BCG) at Funtua in Katsina state serving as off taker. Most textile
companies are gone in Nigeria. So if I produce who will pick since the board
that usually control the activities are now scrapped. Another issue is illegal
importation like what is happening in rice production in Nigeria can hinder
local production as well. But unlike rice, maize, groundnut, and sorghum that
can be sold at the local market, this is not applicable to cotton, it cannot be
sold into local market like rice. This is one great challenge we have to
consider”
The Bt
cotton varieties were among the newly registered improved seed by the National
committee on naming, registration and release of crops, livestock/fisheries at
the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) in this
year July 2018, and it can now be commercially multiplied for the use of
Nigerian farmers by the registered seeds companies after certification by the
appropriate authorities as the case may be.
This is the
first time two national genetically modified cotton varieties would be released
at once into the Nigerian market and its demand according to Premier seeds boss
is expected to be a gradual thing more so that the marketing board who would
have overseen its coordination had long been scrapped thereby making the
marketing of the crop very difficult locally as provision for quality inputs to
farmers are no morewell-coordinated to encourage market for off takers.
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