IAR cropping/REFIL: stakeholders want integration of research, extension into agribusiness

Stakeholders have advocated integration of research innovations, with efficient transfer of improved technologies, to farmers as a way to attaining acceptable global acceptability through best agricultural practices that would guaranty standard and markets with no rejection.

The stakeholders comprising of scientists, farmers, extension workers, academia, media and public workers at the annual  Cropping Scheme and Zonal REFIL meeting for the year 2019 held in Zaria pointed that the standard of any agricultural produce could not be achieved without sufficient fund for research and extension services to farmers.

They punctured the FG’s dream of commercialising agriculture without improved inputs, maximum agronomics practice, proper integration of research innovations and technologies transfer to farmers towards standard agricultural produce for local consumption and export, noting that billions of naira had been lost to rejection of our produce abroad as a result of these.  

This position was triggered by a paper titled ‘’ Imperatives for Harnessing the Potentials of Agricultural Export for Sustainable National Development’’ presented by the Executive Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Segun Awolowo who was represented by one of the directors, Mr. William Ezeagu that requested researchers and extension workers to scale up action towards ensuring standard of agricultural produce for local consumption and export without corresponding increase in fund for research.

He said that Nigeria need to grow her food crops by 50% before year 2050 so as to be able to feed the growing population noting that agriculture was a vibrant sector to reposition the country’s economy as research must be ready to give a complimentary support for standard.

Participants however reacted to NEPC’s executive director’s paper saying that government policy on commercial agriculture without properly integrating the research and extension workers, who are very strategic to ensuring standard through best agricultural practices along the value chain, with improved technologies, without increased funding, was not quite encouraging and could be very costly in terms rejection due to substandard.

 They advised that governments need to ensure the revival of extension activities, with proper funding of research while making available improved inputs with simple agricultural tools to remove drudgery that would attract the youths into farming is also very germane.

Dr. D.A Labe of IAR agronomy department queried the promotion of commercial agriculture that did not give consideration to extension services for the large scale farmers, noting that research institutes cannot alone set and enforce standard without extension services reactivation by better funding.

Labe who called for intensive support for extension services and research innovations through an effective funding window for Agricultural Development Programme in all the states of the federation added that commercial farmers must be provided with best agronomics practices and simple mechanisation tools for optimal crops harvest for consumption and export.

In his speech, the Executive Director (ED) of the institute, Prof. I.U Abubakar had earlier said that the 2019 cropping scheme has strategically chosen the topic, ‘’Harnessing the potentials of Agricultural export in Nigeria: The role of key stakeholders’’ to generate discussion and  engage stakeholders on commercialisation of agriculture towards meeting export standard with research innovation and extension service.

He pointed out that the population growth has called for a national legislation that would address standard food nutrition to agric commercialisation saying ‘’ in addressing the growing challenges of urban food and nutrition security, it is essential and complementary to reshape agribusiness and agric-food systems to make them healthy, safe, and sustainable and to support rural revitalisation. In this regards, the Federal Government and the National Assembly, should enact public policies for deliberate investment, which support increased agricultural productivity, diversification of agricultural production, and development of agribusiness and agric-food value chains, which can create better rural jobs and improved nutrition and well being of our people. It will also give us the needed impetus to generate enough for both local consumption and for export.’’

 He continued, ‘’ research from India and China for example has shown that government investments in agricultural research, rural education, rural roads are extremely effective in reducing poverty. If this can work in other climes similar to ours, I believe it will work for Nigeria. Revitalizing and developing rural areas can also provide solutions to rising rural-to-urban migration issues, decrease congestion of cities, ameliorate growing population of unemployed youth, and reduce environmental degradation.’’

The ED also reeled out some of the achievement of the Institute that has assisted the sector in the country saying it has released about 17 varieties of various mandate crops which includes SAMSORG 47, 48 and 49. Both 47 and 48 are yellow seeded, while 49 is white with 2.8 yield per hectare as against 2.8 and 2.7 yield per hectare respectively for SAMSORG 47 and 48 and that three additional new groundnut varieties - SAMNUT 27, 28,and 29 were released.

Others are two cowpea varieties called SAMPEA 18 and 19. Seven maize varieties were also released as five hybrids and the rest two are synthetic with yield between 7.7 to 9.1 tons per hectare. And finally two Bt cotton varieties were released in conjunction with MAHYCO India. The varieties are MAHYCO C567BG11 and MAHYCO C571 BG11 with four tons per hectare but high resistant to boll worm and all other diseases.

The ceremony however witnessed the official commissioning of a twin conference hall that was named after late Prof. Balarabe Tanimu with commendations from the stakeholders, just as the Institute’s agricultural library was re-named after one of the former directors in person of Prof. J.Y Yayock after being upgraded to e-library.

In his opening speech, the Vice  Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Garba expressed happiness to lead the occasion and to perform the commissioning of the twin 900-seater conference hall named after late Prof. Taminu adding that ‘’ this year’s theme, Harnessing the potentials of agricultural export in Nigeria: the role of key stakeholders, is particularly instructive, owing to the current administration’s well-decided interest in agriculture and the obvious malaise of continuous national reliance on oil’’

Prof. Garba who was represented by Prof.  Amans in his speech said that ‘’ the future of Nigerian economy is agriculture and the current awareness and its advocacy is most important. You all must make sacrifices to gain it. The Nigerian agricultural export potentials are enormous. Nigeria has all it takes to lead the West Africa and African trans-border trades in food and fibre. It can cut its global share too, in a number of crops it has comparative advantages in the production.’’