Post by Trade facilitator on Feb 5, 2023 17:44:49 GMT 1
African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) Gets Grant To Monitor Pod-Borer Resistant Cowpea In Nigeria - The Success Story Of The Pod Bore - Resistant (PBR) Cowpea Variety
The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research has awarded AATF a grant of 250,000 Australian dollars for the dissemination and monitoring of the pod-borer resistant (PBR) cowpea variety in Nigeria.
Nigeria is the largest producer of cowpea in the world, accounting for about 44% of the global harvest. In 2018, the country had about 2.9 million hectares of cowpea, mostly grown by millions of smallholder farmers, making it the most important legume.
We of this forum sincerely believe that this is what has been lacking in the Nigerian agricultural system where things have in the past been done without follow up and eventually the programme will die naturally.
We are grateful to the AATF for granting this sum for the monitoring and dissemination of the pod-borer resistant (PBR) cowpea variety in Nigeria.
It is important to note that this grant will enable the officers executing the project to monitor live how the crop is performing practically and not sitting in the office dishing out information supplied by equally unserious farm assistants.
The variety, Sampea 20-T, was developed and released to overcome a major yield limitation in cowpea in Nigeria, Ghana and Burkina Faso.
Its release is the culmination of a breeding initiative that began in 2003, overseen by Dr. TJ Higgins of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia.
The New Grant Is Expected To Help Address Five Research Questions:
(1) What are the field-based biological consequences of PBR cowpea, compared with conventional cowpeas in Nigeria?
(2) Is adequate genetically pure PBR cowpea seed being supplied to farmers in Nigeria?
(3) Are farmers adhering to the recommended field practices when introducing the PBR cowpea?
(4) How do adopters compare with non-adopters after introduction, with respect to practices and results?
(5) What are the expectations from farmers in Ghana and Burkina Faso about the PBR cowpea’s future deployment?
Dr. Francis Onyekachi, AATF Stewardship Manager, said the grant was timely and would enable the Foundation to comprehensively monitor the crop in the fields.
″The PBR cowpea was commercially grown for the first time by smallholder farmers in Nigeria in the 2021 cropping season. As such, this is a critical time to strengthen post-release stewardship of the product and monitor its effects at the farmers’ level.
″Good stewardship and monitoring, and successful release of PBR cowpea will aid development and release of subsequent GM crops. The purpose of this Small Research Activity (RSA) is to record and analyze early data on the effectiveness and impact of the PBR cowpea for the Nigerian farmers growing this new crop in 2022. The SRA is building on the partnership between AATF, CSIRO and Nigerian researchers, ″ he said.
Cowpea Success Story
Below is the success story of the Pod Bore - Resistant, (PBR) Cowpea variety.
The Executive Director, Institute for Agricultural Research, (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU); Professor Mohammad F. Ishyaku has said that Nigeria stands to make profit of N46 billion annually as a result of the yield margin from the Pod Bore-Resistant, PBR Cowpea variety.
This was even as he said the Nigerian farmers were also to save N16 billion spent on the spray of insecticides annually against the Maruca insect which often destroys farm produce of the farmers.
Prof. Ishyaku who doubles as the Principal Investigator of the variety stated this during a press briefing to commemorate one year of the release of PBR Cowpea to farmers in Kano.
He said unlike in the past when farmers spray their farms eight times against the insect, with the new Cowpea variety, farmers are now to spray their farms only twice.
According to him, “Three years ago, we have estimated that for every one hectare of this variety of cowpea planted, our farmers are bound to save not less than N5, 400 from spraying in terms of cost of insecticides. By the time you add that to the cost of labour of spraying and health challenges from handling hazardous chemicals, the amount will be high.
We estimated not less than N16 billion annually will be benefitted by our farmers from the cost of spraying chemicals or insecticides, if only one million hectares of this variety were planted. Then the cost of insecticides was about N1,000 but about N2,000 now. So, they will even save more.
“Equally, in terms of the yield margin, Nigeria can make close to N46 billion annually as a result of increase in yield margin of about 25 per cent of other varieties. We shall get more cowpeas, more benefits and even for export,” Prof. Ishyaku said.
On the growing demand for the variety, the executive director said it has set up a stewardship committee to guarantee the integrity of the new variety against the nefarious invasion of adulterators.
“For the purpose of ensuring integrity and purity of the seeds, we have a stewardship committee in place to ensure that the quality of the variety is guaranteed.
“From the testimonies you have heard from the farmers here, it means that our annual cowpea demand deficit which is around half a million tonnes, with increased production this variety will reduce the gap. We will institute another study in the next two or more years to ascertain how this variety has reduced the level of importations.
Stay with us for more.
Addendum:
Our company is one of the best companies in Agro-Export Business in Nigeria today. We train individuals and corporate organizations on how to do Export Business the right way; if you are interested, please contact the admin of this forum now for further details.
The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research has awarded AATF a grant of 250,000 Australian dollars for the dissemination and monitoring of the pod-borer resistant (PBR) cowpea variety in Nigeria.
Nigeria is the largest producer of cowpea in the world, accounting for about 44% of the global harvest. In 2018, the country had about 2.9 million hectares of cowpea, mostly grown by millions of smallholder farmers, making it the most important legume.
We of this forum sincerely believe that this is what has been lacking in the Nigerian agricultural system where things have in the past been done without follow up and eventually the programme will die naturally.
We are grateful to the AATF for granting this sum for the monitoring and dissemination of the pod-borer resistant (PBR) cowpea variety in Nigeria.
It is important to note that this grant will enable the officers executing the project to monitor live how the crop is performing practically and not sitting in the office dishing out information supplied by equally unserious farm assistants.
The variety, Sampea 20-T, was developed and released to overcome a major yield limitation in cowpea in Nigeria, Ghana and Burkina Faso.
Its release is the culmination of a breeding initiative that began in 2003, overseen by Dr. TJ Higgins of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia.
The New Grant Is Expected To Help Address Five Research Questions:
(1) What are the field-based biological consequences of PBR cowpea, compared with conventional cowpeas in Nigeria?
(2) Is adequate genetically pure PBR cowpea seed being supplied to farmers in Nigeria?
(3) Are farmers adhering to the recommended field practices when introducing the PBR cowpea?
(4) How do adopters compare with non-adopters after introduction, with respect to practices and results?
(5) What are the expectations from farmers in Ghana and Burkina Faso about the PBR cowpea’s future deployment?
Dr. Francis Onyekachi, AATF Stewardship Manager, said the grant was timely and would enable the Foundation to comprehensively monitor the crop in the fields.
″The PBR cowpea was commercially grown for the first time by smallholder farmers in Nigeria in the 2021 cropping season. As such, this is a critical time to strengthen post-release stewardship of the product and monitor its effects at the farmers’ level.
″Good stewardship and monitoring, and successful release of PBR cowpea will aid development and release of subsequent GM crops. The purpose of this Small Research Activity (RSA) is to record and analyze early data on the effectiveness and impact of the PBR cowpea for the Nigerian farmers growing this new crop in 2022. The SRA is building on the partnership between AATF, CSIRO and Nigerian researchers, ″ he said.
Cowpea Success Story
Below is the success story of the Pod Bore - Resistant, (PBR) Cowpea variety.
The Executive Director, Institute for Agricultural Research, (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU); Professor Mohammad F. Ishyaku has said that Nigeria stands to make profit of N46 billion annually as a result of the yield margin from the Pod Bore-Resistant, PBR Cowpea variety.
This was even as he said the Nigerian farmers were also to save N16 billion spent on the spray of insecticides annually against the Maruca insect which often destroys farm produce of the farmers.
Prof. Ishyaku who doubles as the Principal Investigator of the variety stated this during a press briefing to commemorate one year of the release of PBR Cowpea to farmers in Kano.
He said unlike in the past when farmers spray their farms eight times against the insect, with the new Cowpea variety, farmers are now to spray their farms only twice.
According to him, “Three years ago, we have estimated that for every one hectare of this variety of cowpea planted, our farmers are bound to save not less than N5, 400 from spraying in terms of cost of insecticides. By the time you add that to the cost of labour of spraying and health challenges from handling hazardous chemicals, the amount will be high.
We estimated not less than N16 billion annually will be benefitted by our farmers from the cost of spraying chemicals or insecticides, if only one million hectares of this variety were planted. Then the cost of insecticides was about N1,000 but about N2,000 now. So, they will even save more.
“Equally, in terms of the yield margin, Nigeria can make close to N46 billion annually as a result of increase in yield margin of about 25 per cent of other varieties. We shall get more cowpeas, more benefits and even for export,” Prof. Ishyaku said.
On the growing demand for the variety, the executive director said it has set up a stewardship committee to guarantee the integrity of the new variety against the nefarious invasion of adulterators.
“For the purpose of ensuring integrity and purity of the seeds, we have a stewardship committee in place to ensure that the quality of the variety is guaranteed.
“From the testimonies you have heard from the farmers here, it means that our annual cowpea demand deficit which is around half a million tonnes, with increased production this variety will reduce the gap. We will institute another study in the next two or more years to ascertain how this variety has reduced the level of importations.
Stay with us for more.
Addendum:
Our company is one of the best companies in Agro-Export Business in Nigeria today. We train individuals and corporate organizations on how to do Export Business the right way; if you are interested, please contact the admin of this forum now for further details.
