Onion,Tomato, Pepper Ginger not our mandate crops, says IAR ED

The Executive Director ( ED) Institute for Agricultural Research, Samaru, Prof. Ado A. Yusuf has said that its crops mandate genetic improvement didn't cover tomatoes, peppers, onions, and ginger.

Prof. Yusuf said this at the 2025 Research Extension Farmers lnput Linkage System (REFILS) meeting with farmers and staff of Agricutural Development Programs from the North West while responding to the challenges being faced by farmers who planted fake onions that refused to bud after eight months, and those that used poor farming management for tomatoes with no  harvest to show.

He pointed out that the issue would have been better directed to the sister Institutes that have the improvement genetic mandate of the crops since they had since been transferred to them since 1987 from IAR.

" I see no reason why anyone should come here and challenge IAR on what it is doing about onions and tomatoes in view of the challenges farmers are presently facing with them. The question is, what do you expect of us when you know we are no more with tomatoes, onions, pepper, and ginger mandates" said the ED.

The Managing Director, Kano Agricutural and Rural Development Authority ( KARDA), Dr. Farouk Kurawa and Head of station, National Institute for Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Kano Idris Bala Abdullahi have both reported the issue of bad onions seeds, and how pest diseases affected growth of tomatoes farming in the core north as they pleaded for support to assist affected farmers in order to quickly get back to farms.

Prof. Yusuf said it would be unfair in view of the limited resources of IAR to be bringing mandate crops that belong to a sister institute to IAR, adding that the challenges with the two crops were fake imported seeds for onions, and poor agronomics practices that affected tomatoes' growth according to findings.

Dr. Farouk Kurawa, however, pleaded that the government should support those farmers affected by these crops so as to enable them to get back to planting with improved seeds.