Experts speak on Plant Protection Right gains to Nigeria

  

Experts have advised that Nigeria needs to work towards getting Plant Protection Right ( PPR) for premium earnings, job opportunities, and food security.

This was said during a workshop organized by Neitherland Government (Nak tuinbouw) in collaboration with the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) in Abuja this week Monday.

Speaking with journalists,  Laura Pinan Gonzalez of International Project and Plant Breeders Right (PBR) Specialist disclosed that the collaborative program between the two countries is focused to ensuring both plant breeders and varieties rights, saying that the economic gains for Nigerians would be much as farmers will have more access to improved varieties in terms of choice.

She said that " Plant Variety Protection will allow Nigerians have more varieties that farmer can choose between to have more high production, more quality production and an increase in the economy through more money earnings as this also will ensure policy of quality seeds control " 

“ local varieties are really the basis for a plant breeding program and that's where you need to concentrate, the local varieties are essential as they are the basis of your breeding program. And that's why your government needs to survey those varieties with your seed banks so that farmers can choose whether to use the traditional varieties or new improved varieties. And that's why we are here because we want Nigeria to improve her agricultural sector for the benefit of the farmers and society”. Said Gonzalez 

During his remarks, the acting Director General ( DG), NASC, Dr.  Ishiak Khalid said that Nak Tuinbouw had provided various capacity building support in the development and operationalization of natural plant variety protection. 

According to him “as you are already aware that Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) evaluation is very important in the resolution of a new variety for protection. " It is a very serious exercise we must all commit ourselves as we plan to impact various reforms and advocacy that will ensure sustainable compliance with DUS requirements in the registration and listing of new varieties. The National Agricultural Seed Council will continue to work with partners and collaborators to ensure we're entering a new regime of strict  adherence to international best practices while performing the development of seed alternatives and increasing private sector participation in the development of new varieties”

He went further “ In the past few years the NASC has introduced various reforms made to address a lot of challenges in the seed sector in Nigeria. Among these include, introduction of the plant variety Protection Act that is capable of accepting and processing applications for the protection of new plant materials. We are currently making all efforts to ensure that Nigeria summits it instrumental assertion to complete Nigeria's membership of the International Union for the protection of new breeds of plants”. 

 Dr. Sunday Okelola,  the Acting Registrar of the plant variety protection office, NASC disclosed that the benefit of the Plant Breeders Right will not come until when the country begins to do things rightly through the payment of royality to breeders.

This according to Okelola would enable breeders to do more on varieties improvement for better quality seeds availability to farmers towards food security while younger generation will be motivated into the profession as a result of being protected by plant breeders' right.