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How breakthrough seed varieties boost Benue farmers' hope
Farmers in Benue State are optimistic about boosting their crop production to become sought-after in the agricultural world as they draw renewed strength from the introduction of high-yielding seeds for commercial farming.
Our correspondent reports that the farmers expressed even greater enthusiasm upon learning that they could increase their profits through the acquisition of newer crop varieties showcased at a seed and input fair held in Makurdi.
At the event, they were introduced to improved high-yield seed varieties and environmentally friendly agricultural inputs that could transform them from small-scale farming to commercial production.
One of the participants, Ada Oche, a maize and cowpea farmer in the state said, 'I can't wait to plant some of these high-yielding seeds. I am particularly thrilled about the cowpea variety that cooks in less than 35 minutes. I will plant it after the looming drought and see the results for myself.'
Like Oche, other stakeholders in the rice, cowpea, soybean and maize value chains who attended the recent fair organised by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in collaboration with the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (JOSTUM), commended the initiative for exposing them to innovative agricultural practices.
The event, tagged IITA-JOSTUM Implementation of the Legume Seed Systems Project (AGRA), left many farmers excited as they discovered how to improve their productivity, increase earnings and even access export opportunities for produce previously rejected in international markets.
Vitalis Tarnongu, a large-scale farmer who showcased some of his produce at the fair, encouraged aspiring farmers to embrace agriculture, emphasising its profitability when best agronomic practices are followed.
'JOSTUM has impacted me positively, such that I now treat farming as a business. I produce four major crops: cowpea, rice, soybean and maize. The institution is a great opportunity for farmers in Benue; and I urge others to take advantage of this knowledge hub to improve their livelihoods,' he said.
Other farmers who spoke at the event applauded the IITA-JOSTUM partnership, saying the seed and input fair not only introduced them to seed varieties that could be cultivated multiple times in a year but also linked them to stakeholders further up the agricultural value chain.
Dr Teryima Iorlamen, the project team lead, explained that the goal of the fair was to expose farmers to the extensive research outputs of the university, many of which were previously unknown to them.
'Most of these farmers still plant grains instead of certified seeds,' he noted, stressing the need for continued awareness and education.
Iorlamen, a seed systems principal investigator at the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, in giving an overview of the project, maintained that the university had done a lot of work that farmers were not aware of.
'There are lots of works we have done that farmers are not aware of. There are some breakthroughs that scientists have made in what we already have in Benue; for example, the strigga resistant cowpea variety with early maturity in 60 days, and maize material maturing in two months.
'Today, on the breeding team, we now have socio-economicists and women representatives because they are critical stakeholders and have input on the making of the varieties. For instance, we have cowpea that cooks for 35 minutes or less, and when mixed with rice, it cooks faster than the rice,' he said.
Iorlamen hailed the new varieties of cowpea, saying they perform well in the Middle Belt, yielding higher than those planted in the core North, as according to him, they thrive better in states like Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Taraba, Benue and Abuja.
He warned that drought was imminent as predicted by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), and emphasised that once the dry season sets in, it would be too late to plant the regular cowpea variety. This, he said, highlighted the importance of adopting the newer, drought-resistant cowpea.
'There are sorghum varieties that can be harvested in three months. We are partnering with other organisations and the university to test these seeds. It is our responsibility to educate farmers on what to do as the drought approaches,' Iorlamen said.
Recall that the latest breakthrough being the Alkam super cowpea variety developed in the molecular biology laboratory JOSTUM by a team of breeders led by Professor Lucky Omoigui is an improvement of what they have been doing.
The Omoigui headed team began with FUMPEA 1, which farmers complained the seeds were too small, then the improvement gave birth to FUMPEA 2, 3 and 4 before the latest Alkam super, which is milk in colour and believed to have performed excellently in Benúe, Abuja and Zaria on field trials.
There were other varieties of soybean, sorghum, maize and rice on display during the fair.
The chief host of the seed fair and dean of the College of Agronomy, Professor Phillip Agber, in his welcome address, said the purpose of the fair was to showcase the resources and innovations the college had developed to support farmers.
'We carry out this assignment in collaboration with the IITA,' he said.
Also, the head of Crop Department at JOSTUM, Mrs Bose Akinyemi, stressed the need for farmers to always acquire good seed because the seed itself is the foundation of agriculture, saying, 'The varieties help to get good yield.'
Similarly, the director of the Seed Centre at JOSTUM, Professor Ngozi Odiaka, who was represented by Dr Alfred Jimin, said the IITA had repeatedly partnered with the university on legume seed development, and that all available seed varieties had been thoroughly tested.
He said, 'In Nigeria, when we want to test any crop for striga resistance, we take it to Jigawa State because the state has the highest striga infestation. So we test the seed in Jigawa's soil, and if it performs well there, it can thrive anywhere.
'In breeding these seed varieties, we consider the interests of farmers, marketers, and consumers all of which are reflected in the seed types we have developed,' he said.
On his part, the deputy chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Benue State, Chief Abel Owiocho, who represented the chairman, Chief Pius Oketa, noted that all the members of AFAN were actively engaged in farming.
Also, the state coordinator of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Friday Ogiri, said the council was always interested in seed and crop quality to ensure that agricultural products meet export standards.
Ogiri, who was represented by Mrs Dina Mike-Angoua, the head of the Product Department at NEPC in the state, remarked, 'We are seeing results in export because of the work this university (JOSTUM) is doing.'
For the acting director-general of the Benue Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (BNARDA), Doshima Zaki, emphasis must be made on the fact that seeds form the foundation of all farming activities.
She encouraged more information to be made available to farmers, especially about good legume seeds so that the farmers could acquire them and boost productivity while making income on the sidelines.
'We have not paid enough attention to legumes, whose importance in daily life cannot be overstated. Recently, some Arab buyers requested a large supply of soybean, so I am encouraging greater commitment to legume production,' Zaki posited.
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