Federal Government’s efforts at eliminating impediments crippling food security in the country received a major boost with the new maize technology released by the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State. 

Aside from sufficiency, the new technology bridges gap of about five million metric tonnes of maize shortage in Nigeria and drastically reduce huge foreign exchange being expended yearly on importation of the crop. 

It is estimated that Nigeria currently produces less than 15 million metric tonnes of maize per hectare as opposed to between 19 and 20 million metric tonnes per hectare the nation requires to meet its consumption and industrial needs. 

Addressing journalists during a field demonstration of the hybrid quality technology, tagged, ‘Seeing is Believing’ with farmers at Karaye town, Karaye Local Council, Kano State, the Principal Investigator of Tela Maize, Professor Rabiu Adamu, disclosed that the new technology is essentially modified to solve challenge of infestation on maize. 

Critical among the infestation, Professor Adamu said, include fall armyworm, a dangerous disease that destroys farmers’ production by no less 50 per cent marginal growths, while limiting farmers’ potential for bumper harvest. 

Adamu explained that the new technology is configured to resist fall armyworm infestation, thereby, reducing farmers cost on pesticides application, as well as nurtured for early maturity of less than 90 days production. 

“Fall armyworm is a major challenge to maize production in Nigeria and the new technology is designed to resist the infestation of the pest on the crop and rather grow well even with the presence of any pest. Growing this technology, farmers will save about 50 per cent cost of production and it also has the potential of maturing early, which will not take more than 90 days from the day of planting to harvest,” Adamu noted. 

The Tela maize principal investigator emphasised the essence of ‘Seeing is Believing’ field day was to showcase the result of the demonstration of the new technology to farmers in Karaye. 

According to him, “we have carried out the technology demonstration at 11 sites across the North, South and Eastern parts of the country. And across the centres, we have received amazing and warm reception of farmers who are only waiting for the final release of the seed for huge production.  With this hybrid, we have recorded an average yield of 6.9 tonnes per hectares meaning that farmers can get up to 69 or 70 bags of maize per hectare as opposed to maximum four to five tonnes with the conventional high breed. 

“With this technology, our local production is going to be enlarged beyond the current less than 15 million metric tonnes per annum, as opposed to 19 to 20 million metric tonnes needed per annum. It is hope that with this technology, the country will overcome the shortage of four to five million MT in the next three years,” he said. 

On his part, the Executive Director of the Institute, Prof. Ado Adamu Yusuf said besides the hybrid maize, the institute has released 69 varieties of technologies on various crops to improve food security. He, however, decried the attitude of farmers who had failed to embrace the use of the improved varieties. 

Yusuf reminded that improved variety are modified to reduce cost of production, improve high yield, resistance to fall army and drought tolerant, while increasing food production and food sufficiency in the overall.

He hinted that the institute has contributed significantly to agricultural research and development, especially in the areas of genetic improvement crops. “IAR has developed 69 varieties of maize. More than 50 varieties of sorghum, we have released 21 varieties of cowpea, groundnut about 29 varieties of groundnut, 17 varieties of cotton and four varieties of Sunflower. So the institute has been doing a lot,” he said.

According to him, “unfortunately, you move around the farmers’ field, you will realise that they continue to use the same variety that they have been using over the years. And they are not getting the best out of the variety.”

Some of the farmers at the occasion expressed satisfaction with the progressive outcome of the technology on the demonstration plots, while pledging commitment to adopt the hybrid when it is finally released to boost their productivity.