Agriculture
Maize, Cowpea Production: Institute Seeks Striga Elimination
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture’s (IITA) research to nourish Africa programme report has indicated that striga control interventions will generate an estimated 8.6 million dollars worth of maize and cowpea grain annually.
The report was made available to our correspondent on Tuesday in Abuja.
It said agricultural researchers in sub-Saharan Africa were making progress towards ridding the region of “striga’’, the deadly parasitic weed that infests cereals such as maize and cowpea farms.
Striga is a crop parasite that is considered to be one of the biggest constraints to agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa.
It is also known as the “violet vampire” because of the beautiful violet flowers it produces.
The striga weed mostly affects cereals such as maize, and legumes such as cowpea; it sucks and drains its host of water and vital nutrients to the point that the infested plant withers and dies.
Statistics show that farmers regularly lost between 40 per cent to 100 per cent of their crops, with total losses amounting to about 1.2 billion dollars every year and affecting the livelihoods of more than 25 million smallholder farmers.
According to the report, a private public partnership coordinated by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), launched a collaborative effort known as the Integrated Striga Management in Africa (ISMA) project, in June 2011.
The four-year project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in partnership with other organisations developed a package of striga control options for smallholder farmers in Kenya and Nigeria.
The report quoted the ISMA Project Manager, Mr Mel Oluoch as saying that about 250,000 farmers will directly benefit from the project.
He expressed optimism that the interventions would lead to 50 per cent more yields in maize and more than double the cowpea harvest in striga-infested areas.
The report further indicated that one year into the project, the initial outputs of the ISMA project had been encouraging.
“In Nigeria, the project worked with 100 communities in striga hotspots in Kano and Bauchi States and established 500 on-farm demonstrations of improved cowpea, maize, and soybean varieties along with striga management technologies.
“About 500 tonnes of certified seed of striga-resistant maize varieties were produced by participating seed companies and community-based seed producers and distributed to project beneficiaries. ’’
20 per cent to 50 per cent, and lessened striga incidences by 22 per cent to 88 per cent compared to the commonly grown farmers’ varieties and commercial hybrids.
“Partner seed companies and community seed producers have also produced some 142 tonnes of certified seeds of striga-resistant cowpea varieties, with almost 80 tonnes sold to farmers across 100 communities in the two states.
“The project has trained some 3,500 farmers on group dynamics, participatory approaches, modern crop management, and Striga control practices in Northern Nigeria.
“In addition, the project has also disseminated striga management technologies to about 38,000 Nigerian farmers through farmer-to-farmer knowledge transfer, on-farm demonstrations, field days, and radio,’’ the report stated.
It also indicated that researchers working under the ISMA project also conducted field evaluation of the effectiveness of bio control technology against the pest in maize farms of Northern Nigeria.
Their findings show that the bio control agent and resistant maize combination reduced striga incidence by 26 to 60 percent and also resulted in 68 per cent more yield compared to farms that grew farmer-preferred varieties alone.
The report added that the successful models in the two countries would be scaled out to other sub-Saharan African countries with similar ecologies where striga is also a major concern to maize and cowpea production systems.
Federal Government and the Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, distributed farm inputs to farmers as part of effort to address food security challenge.
The State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, during the flag-off ceremony of Inputs Redemption Under The National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), in Ogun State, disclosed that beneficiaries of the gesture were primarily rice, maize and cassava farmers across the State.
Ayo-Ajayi commended the Ogun State Government for partnering with the government at the centre for the effort in supporting farmers with inputs that would bring about yieldings for local consumption and likely exportation.
She noted that government is supporting rice, cassava and maize farmers with inputs worth N212,000; N189,000 and N186,000 respectively.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kehinde Jokotoye, who represented the Commissioner in the Ministry, Bolu Owotomo, stated that traditional farmers are critical in food production, hence the need to encourage and support them with inputs that would bring about desired results during harvesting.
Owotomo said: “Let us make good use of this opportunity, so that the success of this phase will make farmers benefit more from the state and federal governments of Nigeria.”
Earlier, State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Ayo-Ajayi, appreciated the present administration for partnering with the federal government for the initiative, adding that the programme is designed to support farmers at the grassroots level in cassava, rice and maize with inputs such as, seeds, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, to boost their production and enhance their livelihood.
The Niger State Government has mapped out 10,000 hectares of farmland in Gbapo Community of Katcha Local Government Area of the State for smallholder farmers to benefit from the state government’s agricultural intervention programme.
Two thousand out of the 10,000 holders of the farmlands have already received inputs.
At a flag-off ceremony in Yinti Village, the facilitator of the programme, Shinkafan Nupe, Malam Idris Usman Makanta, assured the farmers of increased distributions to the mapped-out ten thousand (10,000) farmlands if farmers respond positively.
He explained that the commencement of the two thousand is to measure the positive response of farmers before obtaining full-scale support.
Malam Makanta stated that this initiative aligns with the farmers’ initial commitment through Niger Foods, whose mission is primarily geared towards establishing efficient and profitable agricultural businesses to support the present administration of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s quest to boost agricultural productivity in the state.
He also commended Niger Foods for their steadfastness and resilience in the effective implementation of the input financing scheme.
Makanta reiterated the commitment of the State Governor in making judicious use of the arable land in the state.
Shinkafan Nupe, therefore, urged the farmers to support the Governor by using the inputs wisely so that the dream can be actualised.
The Gombe State Government has empowered a total of 573,429 farmers and entrepreneurs under the 4th phase of the GO-CARES programme.
The programme was officially flagged off by Governor Inuwa Yahaya in another major step towards alleviating poverty and supporting the state’s vulnerable populations.
The Governor, while inaugurating the disbursement in Akko Community of Akko Local Government Area, restated his administration’s commitment to the welfare of vulnerable citizens in the state.
He was represented by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Salihu Baba Alkali, who is also the Chairman of the Steering Committee on GO- CARES implementation.
“The 4th phase of GO-CARES will directly and indirectly impact a total of 573,429 citizens across the state. Of these, 152,429 individuals will benefit directly through cash transfers, livelihood grants, agricultural inputs, and operational grants to small businesses”, he stated.
The Governor added that, “421,000 people will be indirect beneficiaries through infrastructural projects such as classroom blocks, healthcare facilities, WASH services, and rural infrastructure projects like culverts and drainages”.
Yahaya, reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the state’s most vulnerable citizens are not left behind in the state’s development.
According to him, “Earlier this year, on June 25, 2024, we flagged off the distribution of improved seedlings, fertilizers, and herbicides to less privileged farmers in Malam Sidi, Kwami Local Government Area, signaling the commencement of the 4th phase implementation of GO-CARES under Result Area 2”.
The Governor reiterated that these initiatives have had a significant impact on the livelihoods of beneficiaries and the overall agricultural sector.
He explained that, “Today’s ceremony marked the simultaneous launch of activities under all three GO-CARES Result Areas for the 4th phase. These areas include: State Cash Transfer Grants: 2,500 direct beneficiaries; Labour Intensive Public Works: 2,700 direct beneficiaries; Livelihood Grants: 10,000 direct beneficiaries; and Basic Services: 405,000 indirect beneficiaries”.
