Why indigenous plant breeding rescue agenda should be activated

Professor Victor Olawale Adetimirin of Plant Breeding and Crop Production, University of Ibadan, Oyo State has recommended the setting up of a Plant Breeding Rescue Agenda 2050 for Nigeria. 

This, he said, would address the development of improved varieties of food, feed, and fibre crops in a holistic manner that is One-Health oriented. He made the recommendation while delivering the 541st Inaugural Lecture of the university on behalf of the Faculty of Agriculture.

Professor Adetimirin said the conception, implementation, and delivery of the agenda must have a strong Agricultural Extension component from the beginning to the end.

He stressed that the agenda must be a Nigeria-for-Nigeria agenda, driven by Nigeria and fully funded by Nigeria, a demonstration that the country is ready to change her narrative positively among the comity of nations. 

Professor Adetimirin argued that Nigeria’s Plant Breeding Rescue Agenda 2050 cannot be funded by countries that Nigeria is struggling to liberate herself from.  He said the agenda must not be the usual Nigerian thing! It must be free from politics, shenanigans, and corrupt practices.

Professor Adetimirin said the agenda must have a zero budget for international trips as the expertise required to deliver it is within the shores of Nigeria. He said beyond addressing One-Health issue holistically, Agenda 2050 is proposed as an economic emancipation agenda that will not only ensure that Nigeria relocates all jobs associated with seed production of all crops to Nigeria, but also ensure that the billions of naira realised from the sale of seeds remain in Nigeria.

The inaugural lecturer also called on the government to support relevant researchers and research institutions in Nigeria to develop improved varieties of all vegetable crops comparable in agronomic and consumer-preferred traits to arrest the importation of seeds of vegetable crops into Nigeria.

He submitted further that no nation can be food secure without being seed secure. To this end, Professor Adetimirin said seed companies in Nigeria need to be given incentives to go into vegetable seed production of developed improved varieties to stop the uncontrolled influx of imported vegetable seeds into Nigeria.