Genetically Modified crops commercialisation and road to food sufficiency, industrialisation

Farmers in Nigeria are keenly waiting for the newly released Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) Cowpea (beans) to land on their hands for cultivation.

PBR cowpea was developed by scientists at the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), led by Professor Mohammed Ishyaku to primarily address a beans insect, Pod Borer on the farm, and increase yield.

Beans farmers over the years have abandoned their farms due to the ravaging effects of Maruca Vitrata (Pod Borer) which destroys over 80 per cent of beans while on the farm.

Ishyaku who is also the Executive Director of IAR, said the improvement on the new cowpea variety was to resist the devastating effect of Pod Borer insect on the farm.

“The improvement in this regard is to enable the cowpea to resist the attack of a very difficult insect called Maruca (Pod Borer).

“The improvement along that line has been  accomplished, and it is one of the most difficult constrain of cowpea production.

“Earlier, we have improved cowpea in the area of shortening its maturity period, we have also developed cowpea varieties that are tolerant to drought, we have equally expanded into the development of cowpea variety that will answer the consumption pattern of different consumers of cowpea.

“We are continually improving as long as consumers, processors come up with problem, we will get back to our research and be able to take the problem”.

Recently, the Director General of National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) Professor Abdullahi Mustapha said that Nigerian farmers would be planting the newly released PBR Cowpea this farming season.

He said a National Stewardship Committee has been inaugurated to monitor the multiplication and distribution of the new beans variety.

“The recently released PBR cowpea will be getting to farmers this planting season, this stage of commercialization requires active involvement of the media to ensure that farmers get value for their money”, he noted.

The process of commercialization of crops is always followed by seed multiplication by seed companies to ensure that farmers get the crops in their hands.

Dr Rose Gidado, the Country Coordinator of Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) said currently, Seed multiplication is ongoing for PBR beans.

She said sister research institutes are also involved in the seed multiplication in an attempt to support the seed companies in order to get enough seeds for farmers.

“We are at the stage of seed multiplication, because without having enough seed it means we’re still not there. So Presently seeds are being multiplied by farmers, some by Sister research institutes so that there will be enough seeds this year to give to farmers and then the commercialization would actually be driven by the local seed companies.

“I think three seed companies have been have been chosen. I’m sure by the time memorandum of understanding is being signed and all the processes being laid out, it is the seed companies that will now take over seed multiplication and distribution, yet the Institute for Agricultural Research seed unit will keep on with the seed multiplication because beans is planted by all states in Nigeria and it is eaten by all household”, she noted.

She said cowpea is a big business and to have enough seed is actually going to be a major challenge because it can grow anywhere in the country.

“We are good to go now, getting set to garner enough seeds for distribution. I think there is also another contingency plan in place because the seeds last year were only for demonstration.

She said as a build up to the commercialization, demonstration plots were set up in about nine states which was meant to actually achieve seed production.

“So the demonstration plots that were setup on farmer’s field was actually for the farmers to experience the beneficial aspects of the crop for possible adoption, to also experience the efficaciousness of the genes and experience and confirm that this gene is actually working and I think they did that.

She said the potential harvest for PBR beans is actually 2.9 tons per hectare compared to the local variety that will give maybe 250 kg per hectare.

On Bt Cotton, Dr Gidado said full commercialisation started last year but suffered a setback due to Covid-19 pandemic restriction.

She said the Bt cotton variety resists the attack from Pink Ball Worm which is a major pest that destroys cotton on the farm.

“What is happening in Bt Cotton now is full commercialization, the real commercialization of cotton started last year with only five states participating because of COVID-19 restrictions.

“So they did very well, many farmers that ran away from cotton cultivation because of Pink ball worm.

“The Pink ball worm can make a farmer lose all he has cultivated. Cotton is susceptible to so many insects attack, but amongst them, the most ravaging of them all is the pink ball worm.

So this variety of cotton was developed to resist that pink ball worm, it is also drought tolerant as well, once you take away the challenge of being attacked by the insect, many benefits come alongside with it.

“And those benefits are the quality of the lints. It It gives you good fiber. It gives you superior quality lints. So it gives you good lints that you can export without being rejected by other countries”, she noted.

Dr Gidado said commercialisation continued this year as the demand for the Bt cotton seed is increasing. She said the seed company handling the cotton variety trained farmers on seed multiplication.

“This year, commercialisation continues, so we are going to have more farmers because the demand is getting very high and it’s difficult to meet the demand even though there’s a contingency arrangement by the company who are training farmers in most of the states that actually do very well in Cotton.

“They selected about 200 farmers for them to learn how to do seed hybrid production, so that by 2025 Nigeria can start producing our own seeds.

“So their capacities are actually being built presently and that will make the seeds cheaper and then in-country production would really make Farmers to be able to access the seeds more and maybe get seeds at the right time and the right quantity because it’s very important to have the seeds planted at the right time.

“So I think this year, planting will start by June  or July depending on the duration of rain in your place, because when it starts maturing the balls are formed and the balls begin to open that’s when it does not need rain.

“So you have to calculate very well, it has gestation period of four months, and that four months should end in dry season, that’s when you will have the best of it

“So maybe in somewhere like the South South you can actually plant in August or September because three months of rain is okay, the last few days it doesn’t need rain again”, she explained.

On the economic importance of Bt cotton, the OFAB Country Coordinator said “we are going to have more yield, and when we have more yield, it means more money, Nigeria will make more money from it, it will contribute to GDP, the farmers’ livelihood will be enhanced. The yield in cotton is 4.2 tons per hectare and that is a lot of money, one ton is sold for N280,000.

“Nigeria can export textile, revamp its textile industry, labour will be created which could go up to 1 million jobs that would be created”, she added.

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