Ginger: FG calls for research collaboration to fight disease

*IAR, NRCRI speak 

The Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, has called for strategic and harmonised research collaboration between two national research institutes to decisively tackle the recurring ginger blight epidemic in the country.

Speaking on the need for a unified front to combat ginger disease in Kaduna state last month at the National Council meeting on agriculture, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi emphasized that the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria, and the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, must collaborate to overcome the challenges of this crop in Nigeria.

The PS acknowledged the expertise and knowledge of both institutes but insisted that they synergise to ensure the development of the crop for farmers in the country.

Ogunbiyi said that " Both IAR and NRCRI have the expertise and responsibility to address the ginger blight problem. We must harmonize their efforts rather than creating conflict mandates"

The PS gave this advice when deliberating on a memo seeking approval to share the ginger mandate between NRCRI and IAR, who were said to be much closer in responses to farmers at the nip of time.

Ogunbiyi suggested that “Collaboration is key to achieving a permanent solution"

He stressed that this position has become very necessary in view of blight disease, which is seriously devastating the ginger crop in the major producing area in Kaduna state, saying that farmers claimed that the mandated research institute was too far from them.

In a related development, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Mohammed Dabo reaffirmed the state government's commitment to scaling up investments in ginger production, saying that “ Ginger has enormous potential for the economic growth of the state locally and internationally " 

Dabo stressed the investment efforts of the government last year to support ginger farmers but pointed out the need for more action, particularly in the procurement of improved pest-resistant seed varieties that would boost yields and earn profitability.

Providing also an update on the crop, the Executive Director ( ED), IAR Prof. Ado Yusuf, ably represented by his deputy, Nafiu Abdu, said that his institute had successfully developed effective solutions against the blight disease in view of last year's attack, which destroyed large hectares of farmland across several northern states.

Prof. Nafiu Abdu explained that IAR's deep, longstanding expertise in ginger cultivation enabled it to provide effective intervention, saying, “Through our research, we can identify practical measures and resistant varieties to  protect farmers from future outbreaks"

Speaking to Food Farm News, the Executive Director ( ED) NRCRI, Prof. Chiedozie Egesi emphasised the uncompromising ginger mandate of his institute, just as he agreed on research collaboration without conflicts for a better research result to farmers who are mostly concerned about solutions to higher production.

Prof. Egesi stated he was aware of the effort of the IAR and Kaduna state government towards taking over this crop's mandate, but pointed out the need to both exploit the available substation of the institute at Mora, Southern Kaduna, for better research results, with funding availability to ginger development.

The NRCRI ED said that " I am not aware that my institute is sharing mandate with anyone. That is not an official position of the FG, and I have no such communication. As far as NRCRI is concerned, there is no shared mandate"

"I am aware that the IAR has made some efforts in the past to have the mandate for ginger transferred to them. Also, the Kaduna State government has made such an effort recently. 

The important thing to note is that NRCRI has a sub-station dedicated to research on ginger at Maro, southern Kaduna. It has not been well-funded. What we expected was for the Kaduna State government to collaborate with our station to provide the needed services. This will help the ginger farmers in that environment"