As the government continues to explore ways to increase food production, the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) has commenced a boot camp for 25 youth on Plant Variety Protection (PVP) for the development of agriculture.
This boot camp is expected to equip the youth with knowledge of PVP law and plant breeders’ rights which will broaden their knowledge of agriculture and food production.
The Acting Director General of NASC, Dr Ishiak Khalid in his welcome address at the Boot Camp held in Abuja, said the training marks a significant milestone in the collective journey toward ramping up awareness and advancing knowledge in the effective implementation of the PVP framework in Nigeria.
He said that the 2025 Boot Camp for Youths on Plant Variety Protection for the Development of Agriculture in Nigeria is organized by the Nigeria Plant Variety Protection Office (NPVPO), which is an integral part of the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC).
Khalid who was represented by the Director Seed Certification and Quality Control Department, Mallam Ubandoma Hudu, recalled that over the years, they have made steady progress in their efforts to establish protection for new plant varieties, ensuring the sustainability and competitiveness of Nigeria’s agricultural sector through increased investment in plant breeding and innovation.
While addressing the youth, Dr Khalid said “You have been carefully selected from a pool of over 77 applications from across the country, and you represent the next generation of champions for Plant Variety Protection in Nigeria.
“In reviewing your applications, we saw your passion, dedication, and potential — qualities that earned you a place in this Boot Camp. It is now your responsibility to carry forward the knowledge and skills you will gain here to support the growth of our agricultural landscape”.
He charged them to take the learnings seriously, engage actively, and ask questions whenever clarity is needed. This is an invaluable opportunity, and I urge you to make the most of it.
The Registrar of Nigeria Plant Variety Protection Office (NPVPO), Folarin Okelola while interacting with journalists, explained that the aim is to inform the youth on the importance and relevance of plant variety protection or what we call plant breeders’ right protection.
He further stated that this move will expose the youth to the potential of farming, thereby igniting their zeal to embrace agriculture and also influence others in that line.
“This a training of youths, especially women, young graduates, young lawyers, researchers in the field of agriculture to let them know the importance and relevance of plant variety protection or what we call plant breeders’ right protection.
“It is a form of intellectual property protection for the agricultural space. When you talk of the field of agriculture, the work of breeders is the development of new varieties of plants that give us better yield, superior quality and taste, which is not well recognized, that is why today, Nigeria ranks as one of the countries where you have lowest yield in terms of agricultural output.
“If we meet the food security agenda of the administration, Nigeria will be food secure. To meet the administration’s agenda to make Nigeria self-sufficient in food production, even to start exporting food and other agricultural commodities to other parts of the world, we have better varieties that will yield about 5 times more than what we are getting from our fields now.
“So, what we are doing is to catch the youth at a very young age, you will see with us fresh graduates that are just coming out of the university, some that have been out of university for years, we have brought them here to build their capacity, enhance their skills so that they themselves can be job creator and also be champions, and encourage other youth to come into agriculture, even to become plant breeders”, he explained.
The representative of AGRA who is a partner in the program, Dr Esther Ibrahim expressed delight at seeing young people participate in the training.
She therefore said the journey of food system transformation cannot be complete when there is no new set of generations coming in to take over.
Esther noted that as the farmers’ population is ageing, there is a need to have people with fresh innovations come on board and support the journey of agricultural system transformation in Africa.
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