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An official, National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Mr. Zidafamor Ebiarede Jimmy has said Nigeria is already building a laboratory whereby DeoxyriboNucleic Acid ( DNA) fingers’ print of users will soon be established to monitor and ensure standard of all improved seeds in circulation.
Mr. Zadafamor Ebiarede Jimmy said this while responding to the issue of need to evaluate the performance of released seeds after five years in circulation at the National Technical Sub Committee on Crop varieties naming, registration and release during its 33rd meeting at Ibadan.Mr. Jimmy said that this process is more scientific to help breeders, saying that ‘’using the DNA fingers’ print to monitor how varieties released into the national seeds system are performing is a very scientific method of monitoring the process instead of the guess work of going to farmers with questionnaires they will be filling with the stories of what they feel or have in mind.
Jimmy also tasked breeders and
Research Institutes to start thinking ahead of the model that would be adopted
as guide to ensure standard for the new entries like achia, kenaf and
ginger that required a seed system in
order to maintain standard while in the hands of farmers, saying the seeds
council is much interested to ensure it in view of the plant variety protection
act that president Buhari had already signed into law.
According to him ‘’ from the NASC angle, i want to say that we are interested in setting up a seed system for the new entries of achia, kenaf and ginger. I want to particularly enjoin the breeders and institutions involved to start thinking because we want to set quality standard, and it is the breeders that will help us to do it since they know better about the crops in such a modification process that will not allow the quality to reduce before they get to the hands of farmers’’
He pointed that the seeds council would
be ready to facilitate a meeting for this, saying ‘’ The breeders are the ones
to set the standard for us, so you are to think ahead what quality parameters
that will be adopted and seed council will facilitate the meeting of such
standard process. But there is need to start thinking ahead towards these new
entries. We all know that the PVC law is there and it will encourage breeders
to claim what they have’’
However before the response of the Mr. Jimmy, there was a suggestion by Dr. Timothy Olorunfemi Ajiboye, a NACGRAB official who had raised the need for impact accesement of any seed variety being released into the system after five years to ensure the level of adoption and the names the farmers are calling them, saying the feedback would be very handy for the breeders’ appraise and standard performance.
Also, stakeholders that gathered at
the recently concluded validation workshop on seed system development for
forage, oil palm and sunflower crops have emphasised on the registration and
release of all improved seeds for commercialization in order to ensure proper monitoring through the catalogue just
as assistance in terms of incentive is being advocated for private seed
companies in order to be helpful in the productivity process.
Prof. Johnson Onyibe, the lead
consultant during his briefing told the audience the need for more partnership between
National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), Zaria and National
Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) for more productivity of quality livestock
feeds and forages through more improved seeds modification, adding that
sunflower had got four varieties that are awaiting commercialization with
progressive extension services.
Oyinbo called the attention of the
Agricultural research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) to work assiduously to ensure
that more funding is directed towards the development of the sunflower in the
country with research focus on storage, pointing the need to consider offering incentive to private seed companies in order
to empower them to take more active role in the commercialization of the
sunflowers towards making it a priority crop.
The programme leader, Feeds and Nutrition
Research Programme NAPRI, Dr. Yunusa Muhammad Ishiaku decried unserious
attention being given to animals forage and seeds in view of pasture scarcity
and challenges occasioned by default funding required urgent attention for
better development of the seeds system in forage.
Ishiaku lamented over non laboratory
to work on the improvement of available seeds that need to be improved upon
adding that many nations have developed Napia grass except Nigeria who is yet
to start due to lack of sufficient synergy between the necessary agencies.
He appealed for NASC partnership to
release seeds for grasses availability for animal feeds, saying ‘’ there still
no commercialization of pasture seeds as no single industry is going into the
process for commercialization’’
The Assistant Director/ Head Plant
Breeding Division, National Institute for Oilpalm Research ( NIFOR)
Dr. Maxwell Okoye said that the institute is embarking on new hybrid seeds establishment towards achieving
15 million improved seedlings, adding that funding has always been the
challenge of palm oil development in Nigeria.
Okoye also lamented over the adulteration
of oil palm materials saying it was a critical challenge to the sub sector as
he stressed the need for proactive action that will checkmate the abnormality
in the system.
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