The Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has said the newly released TELA maize variety would save the country N268 million it spent annually in the purchase of chemical insecticides used to spray maize.
The TELA maize variety is genetically modified to tolerate mild drought and to self-protect against certain insect pests especially stem borer and fall armyworm (FAW).
Executive Director of IAR, Professor Mohammed Ishyaku who stated this during a press briefing on Monday in Abuja said the new variety will expand farmers options to either grow the genetically modified variety or conventional drought TEGO varieties or their local open-pollinated varieties just like farmers in other parts of the world.
Ishiyaku said the technology is a responsibility left to farmers who are smart and know what is good for them once they see it.
Commending the Federal government for approving release of the variety to farmers, Prof Ishiyaku confirmed that the TELA Bt maize has been under cultivation in South Africa by smallholder farmers since 2016.
‘’Farmers are already benefiting from the varieties in protecting against the target pests, especially FAW. It is safe and hence Nigerian farmers should also benefit,” he said.
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He said that with the recent approval given by the National Biosafety Management Agency, TELA maize varieties will be evaluated by farmers across the maize growing regions in the country for them to select varieties that they prefer for cultivation. “The choice should be the responsibility of farmers, so they can benefit from Genetically Modified technology as South African farmers are doing.”
According to him, farmers in the country who spend up to N50,000 or more per acre to buy chemicals and spray against these target pests will get some relief and appreciate the TELA technology more in terms of higher yield and the savings from the purchase of chemicals for spraying their crop.
While noting that Africa is known as a drought prone continent because three out of the four global drought events in the last two decades have occurred in the continent occasioned by climate-change, he said incidences of insect-pests especially the recent out breakout of the invasive FAW are big threats to maize production in Africa with an estimated annual yield loss worth $2.48 to $6.19 billion in 12 countries including Nigeria.
“FAW poses significant risk to 12.5 million hectares of maize farms in Nigeria. What could be a better technological intervention that is safe for the environment, human health, and the local economy, to curb these major threats to maize production in Nigeria than the opportunity presented by TELA Maize varieties?’’ He asked.
The Executive Director further indicated that the TELA maize varieties when adopted by just 10 percent of Nigerian farmers will give an additional cost benefit of fifty-eight billion naira annually to the country because of the yield advantage of 19 percent compared with conventional maize varieties currently grown by farmers.
Also speaking, Prof. Garuba Sharubutu, Executive Secretary, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) said that all agricultural research in the country is tailored towards achieving the federal government policies and programmes on food security and sufficiency.
Prof. Sharabutu said Nigerians have no reasons to fear any product from any of the government funded research institutes as all necessary measures are taken to ensure they followed approved regulations guiding such research.