IAR 2021 Planning and REFILs meetings, Stakeholders demand better research funding, condemn fake fertilizers

*IAR reels out achievements

 The researchers, scientists, farmers, technocrats, extension officials and other inputs providers that converged at the annual 2021 Cropping and Research Extension Farmers Inputs Linkage System (REFILs) have unanimously advocated that Government must as a matter of urgency take funding of research for agricultural development very serious in order to achieve sustainable food system towards commercialization of Agriculture as a business. They also frowned at fertilizers’ abuse on soil, saying it can be destructive to food production.  

 

These were the take home posited by all the stakeholders across the country at the 2021 Annual Cropping Scheme and Research Extension Farmer Inputs Linkage System (REFILs) meetings hosted by the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Samaru, Zaria.

The stakeholders in view of many challenges ranging from covid-19 pandemic disease cum climate change vagaries called for more injection of fund into research development towards enhanced food productivity that would meet the pace of our increasing population, saying it is now imperative to join voices together with IAR to advocate for more funding into research and extension services.

Speaking to this funding issue, the Permanent Secretary (PS), Ministry of Agriculture Kebbi State, Mr. Joel Aiki stressed the need for other states to replicate his Governor’s style of agricultural development policy, saying such model would fast tract funding into Agriculture and as well enhanced fund for research technologies and extension services.  

Aiki said further that it is important to engage the states’ chief executive officers by getting them involved in agricultural activities, stressed that information must be passed to the governors in order to attract a better funding into research development through more budget allocations in their dispositions.

Lending his voice to the issue, the South West Research Extension Farmers Inputs System (REFILs) Coordinator, Institute for Agricultural Research& Technology (IAR&T), Ibadan, Dr. Tande Olufunmilayo expressed her displeasure to low research  funding and attitude of many Governors in the region  to Agriculture in general  saying ‘’ we have same problem in the South and we need to do more visiting to these Governors so as to make them understand the working of Agriculture and its related problem as regards better research funding’’

Olufunmilayo said that ‘’we need to do more visiting to our Governors to make them understand Agric related programs and its financial involvement that requires their attention to be involved. Some governors’ support are only on the paper, and that is why most states do not have policies on Agriculture as they depend on the Federal Government’s policies. On getting board, they usual make promises on Agriculture, and at the end of the day, they end up doing nothing.  Infact some states had parallel structures on issue of agriculture that rendered the ADP redundant. So we need to get the state governments involved in agriculture in order to support research institutes’’

The IAR Executive Director (ED), Prof. M. F Ishiyaku also hammered on the need for consistent research funding that would mitigate food productivity challenges in view of COVID-19 pandemic disease and climate change impacts, adding that his Institute had been able to achieve a lot through basic research prioritization.

 

Ishiyaku said that  ‘‘despite the pandemic and its ravaging effects, funding and other issues affecting the agricultural sector, we at IAR has made steady strides in our research and projects development. Although the Institute has myriads of research projects, we had to reprioritize research activities in 2020 for optimum results within the limited funds availability. To this end a total of 72 research projects were undertaken, and I am glad to report here that those streamlined research activities have produced some of the wonderful results. The area covered include genetic improvement of our mandate crops, crop protection, irrigation, farm mechanization, crop production management practices, economics and extension etc’’

 ED said that ‘’ we worked assiduously and released five (5) improved varieties of maize SAMMAZ 59 and SAMMAZ 60 (with high level of pro-vitamin A greater than the recommended 15 μg g-1 and average yield of 6 t/ ha-1), SAMMAZ 61 (drought and striga tolerant), SAMMAZ 62 and SAMMAZ 63 (all with average yield of 8 t ha-1). Two (2) sweet sorghum varieties SAMSORG 50SW and SAMSORG 51SW with high sugar content like sugarcane for biofuel and other sugar related industrial uses were also released. In addition, the institute also released two (2) hybrid cotton varieties, C567 and C571 with potential yield of over 4 t ha-1 and resistance to bollworm. In addition, the institute also released two (2) hybrid cotton varieties, C567 and C571 with potential yield of over 4 t ha-1 and resistance to bollworm.

 

Already, the PBR cowpea SAMPEA 20T which was released in 2019 is currently in the hands of our farmers whose testimonies have shown appreciable preference for the variety because of its yield performance, and reduced use of harmful spray insecticides over other cowpea materials during the last growing season. To this day IAR made additional crosses in 2020 through introgression of Bt transgene into more cowpea varieties and we are optimistic of releasing more varieties with similar traits in the coming years. In terms of value addition, our Product Development Research Programme has come up with flakes (kanzo) from our mandate crops with variety in taste, spicing and colour. This is to improve the nutritional quality of our diets from snacks obtained from locally and easily available food products. We are working on obtaining NAFDAC registration for commercial production of this novel product’’

He also advocated for consistent research funding for 3-4 years minimum saying that ‘‘budgetary allocations is made on annual basis, while research is a continuous thing that runs  for a minimum of two, three years and sometimes for five years, and you are only assured  of just one year budget which does not make research practicable. Therefore , i will make a special request to the  Federal Government to give special recognition to the funding of research,  such that its funding can span through three- four years’’

IAR ED commended the resuscitation of Agricultural Development Fund by the upper chamber of the National Assembly, saying passing into law this bill would enhance development of Agriculture and more funding for research development towards rapid commercialization of the sector through the use of improved technologies.   

Meanwhile, the stakeholders also unanimously pondered on the abusive ways of using fertilizers on the soil across the zones, saying there is need for precaution to be taken against influx of fake fertilizers that could be very harmful to soil fertility, thereby hindering food security of the nation among many other things.

 

RESOLUTIONS

1.       Research Institutes and farmers should sit together to identify all problems affecting Agriculture with possible suggestions as solution to the Government to redirect the sector positively.

2.      Need for advocacy visits by the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension Services (FDAE) along with other relevant stakeholders including farmers groups to sensitize incoming administration in various States.

3.      The Nigerian Government should support the Extension Services by increasing the number of Extension Agents to eliminate the gross inadequacy of the number of EAs.

4.      The various State Governments in the zone should be encouraged to increase funding of ADPs in their States to enhance provision of effective agricultural extension service to farmers.