Crops committee registers five tomatoes, 15 others

• commends Netherland support

The Federal Government (FG) constituted Committee on naming, registration and release of crop varieties has approved six improved tomato seeds and fifteen other crops for commercial release to farmers.

This came on the recommendation of the chairman, sub committee on crops, Prof. O. O. Olufajo who presented the new scientifically tested crops for official approval.

Among the improved crops released by the National Chairman, varietal committee, Chief Oladosu Awoyemi were five tomato seeds brought by National Horticultural Research Institute ( NIHORT) and Premier Seeds Nigeria Limited in proportion of three by two.

Chief Awoyemi commended NIHORT being a long while such release had happened in Horticultural crops.

Also approved for release are three millet varieties from Lake Chad Research Institute ( LCRI), Maiduguri, Nigeria in partnership with International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics ( ICRISAT) Kano with two other institutes from Bamako, Mali and Hyderabad, India.

The National chairman also in the released cligue approved 3 yam varieties namely UMUDa35- Delight, UMUDr33 -Blessing and UMUDr34 Sunshine which were all brought by the joint effort of National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Nigeria, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan and Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.

Others include 10 maize varieties, comprising one (1) yellow hybrid with pro-vitamin A called" Oba Super8 from Premier Seeds Nigeria Limited, Zaria, IITA and Institute for Agricultural Research ( IAR), Samaru, Zaria. 

Three synthetic maize varieties were also authorized for release that are from IITA, Ibadan, IAR&T, Moorplantation and Value Seed Limited, Kaduna.

The rest under maize category that were approved include one (1) ECOWAS hybrid jointly presented by IAR, Samaru and Advanta Seed International, India.

The released committee also approved for registration two early maturing yellow maize varieties ( SAMMAZ 69 and 70 from IAR and IITA. The rest two are early  maturing hybrids SC423 and SC555 presented by SeedCo Nigeria, IAR, Zaria and IAR&T, Ibadan.

Finally, Pa Awoyemi approved three open pollinated varieties with 1dwarf and 2 semi dwarf.

The committee members also approved 1 lowland rice called Faro68 from National Cereal Research Institute, Badeggi and National Rice/Maize centre, Moorplantation, Ibadan.

The meeting however acknowledged the contribution of the Government of Netherland to seeds development in Nigeria, saying it was part of the success story recently recorded in the certified seeds process in Nigeria.

It was stated that " the Collaborative Seed Programme, a seed sector development program funded by the government of the Netherlands, achieved a remarkable success in piloting innovations that shortened the variety release process for tomatoes from 2-3 years to just one year. Furthermore, the program innovations facilitated the accelerated release of a maize variety that was previously only available in another ECOWAS country as prescribed by the ECOWAS regional seed regulation harmonization law. These breakthroughs are testimonies to the program's dedication to enhancing agricultural production and addressing the needs of farmers towards promoting food security and sustainable agricultural practices"