IAR confirms machines competitiveness, responses to other issues at 2025 meeting

The Program leader, Agricutural Mechanization unit, Institute of Agricultural Research ( IAR) Samaru, Engr. (Dr.) Aminu Sahel has defended the various Agricultural machineries of the institute for being competitive with any imported ones, just as concerns were raised on the absence of policymakers and key government officials at the 2025 cropping/ Refils meetings.

These responses are coming on the heels of questions from stakeholders who wanted to know why both the Federal and state governments always preferred to import agricultural machinery at the expense of the ones being researched by our institutes, despite their effectiveness.

It will be recalled that both the Federal Government (FG) and notable state governments had in recent times imported agricultural technologies equipment like tractors worth billions of Naira that are on the shelves of either the National Agricultural Mechanization Centre ( NCAM)or any other prominent research institutes like IAR that demand multiplication in large quantities.

Dr. Sahel pointed out that all efforts towards commercialization by the institute are being taken to ensure these machine implements get into the hands of farmers through many attendances at National Agricultural shows, just as training is given to farmers on their uses for adoption and commercialization.

He said the Government must just exhibit the will power to patronize many of our research works like other foreign Non-Governmental Organizations ( NGO) that are using them, just as he requested the Minister of Agriculture to visit the institute for confirmation.

Sahel stressed the need for more funding for research to assist fast economic growth, saying that " We are very competitive with any machine coming from abroad. The Minister needs to be here to know what we are doing. We are competitive with the foreign imported ones. More funding for research will help the system"

Also, the two keynote papers delivered at the event placed emphasis on the use of modern technologies to reduce drudgery often encountered by peasant farmers, as the both papers noted that smart agronomics practices were very key to ensuring sustainable food security in view of the unabated growing population in Nigeria.

The lead paper tilted " Advancing Agricutural Innovation for Food Security And Economic Prosperity: Aligning Research with the Renewed Hope Agenda And Enhancing Agricutural Outreach with Digital Tools and Technologies delivered by the keynote speaker, Mr. Samuel Adegahi Musa, General Manager, Majestik farms, Birnikudu, Jigawa state advocated for the use of modern research technologies to overcome food insecurity in view of population challenges adding that all improved technologies in the research institutes must be deplored to farmers for smart agricultural practices towards food security.

According to Samuel A. Musa " The growing population needs food to eat, and someone needs to grow the food. If we continue farming the same old ways, we can't get different results and we can't meet the food needs of the growing world population and Nigeria in particular. So there a need to think outside the box. When people grow food with new ideas and improved technologies, there will be surplus leading to availability and affordability ( food security) and the end result is economic prosperity."

Also in his paper with the theme " Advancing Agricutural Innovation for Food Security and Economic Prosperity: Aligning Research with the Renewed Hope Agenda" the General Manager, Kaduna state Agricutural Development Agency ( KADA) Mohammad A.Rili identified growing population without proactive technologies transfer through smart agronomics extension in majority of the states not too good for food systems development, adding that over 6 billion US$ annually was usually spent on primarily stable crops.

Rili pointed out that import dependency was a great threat to our food security as it undermined our domestic productivity and self-sufficiency. He lamented over shortages of extension services especially in the North to overcome the challenges of new technologies not getting into the hands of rural farmers.

He advocated for the adoption of digital technologies through extension workers to transfer maximum information for best practices for sustainable food security in the country.

Comparing the new traditional methods of practicing agricultural food productivity, he said that " digital extension services are more cost-effective and have the potential to overcome geographic barriers. Farmers, regardless of their location, can access timely information such as weather forecast, market prices, good agricultural practices, pest management strategies, and other government schemes geared towards yield enhancement"

Responding to research funding, the Special Adviser ( SA) to Executive Secretary National Agricultural Development Fund ( NADF) Mallam Mohammad Aliyu promised an improvement in research funding through his agency's mandate to make funds available to core agricultural programs that align with Federal Government programs of renewed hope for food security.

Speaking also on the occasions, the Executive Director ( ED) Prof. Ado A. Yusuf pointed some of the achievements of the institute in the area of crops varieties releases into farming system coupled some machines equipment that are meant to enhance Agricutural productivity with less drugdery adding that " We are also renowned for innovation in irrigation research, farming system, Agricutural Mechanization, soil and water management, seed system, Biotechnology, extension services and value addition product development"

Ado stressed how the institute has engaged the rural farmers through adopted villages programs using digital platforms, and participatory research across communities to enrich farmers agronomics practices, adding that Kaduna state government was supported with improved ginger seeds during the crop disease challenges.

IAR ED said that " In 2024, IAR scientists registered and released SAMMAZ 76, a maize variety with yield potential of 10.3 t/ha and tolerance to multiple stresses including striga hermonthica, drought, and fall army worm. Most recently, just last week on April 17,2025, we registered and released nine new varieties - six maize hybrids and three barley lines. In collaboration with the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) we released two pasture legume lines ( Shikalegume 1 and 2) and six pasture grass lines ( Shikagrass 1 to 6. In partnership with the Lake Chad Research Institute ( LCRI), we released three barley varieties ( LACRISAMBARLEY 1,2, and 3).

Prof Ado, however, commended the improvement of the activities of the ADPs in the North West, commending Jigawa state and Kano for employing more extension workers, even as Kaduna state is working towards it.