News
GMOs:
Zambia to
Boost Maize Yields
Zambia is among 12 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa expected to bene t from the newly launched Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa( STMA) project that will develop improved maize varieties with resistance and tolerance to drought and diseases affecting maize production. �e varieties have been launched to help the region boost food security.
�e STMA project introduced by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre( CIMMYT) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture( IITA), will help increase maize productivity by about 30 to 50 percent and provide 5.5 million smallholder farmers with improved maize varieties.
According to the ProAgri latest report, other bene ciary countries are Benin, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. STMA project leader, Tsedeke Abate, said the four-year project will improve maize production for over ve million smallholder farmer households by the end of 2019 in the targeted bene ciary countries.
'' STMA will use modern breeding technologies that will confer the desired resistance to pest and diseases, and tolerant climate stresses like drought and heat to bene t farmers within their socio-economic capabilities, that o�en dictate their access to important farm inputs such as fertilizer and improved seed,'' he said.
�e project will apply conventional breeding techniques to develop maize varieties and hybrids capable of resisting environmental shocks, including drought, low soil fertility, heat, pests and disease.
'' �e project also seeks to increase commercialisation of improved multiple stress-tolerant maize varities with gender-preferred traits,'' he elaborated. STMA will also link up national and regional initiatives to develop strategies that bridge the yield gap and dramatically increase maize production at smallholder farm level.
Continued collaboration with partners will enhance sustainable maize research and development systems in target countries through sustained variety release deployment and adoption which has been insufficient in many sub-Saharan countries, Mr. Abate added.
STMA is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development( USAID).
Three agricultural crops under trial in Nigeria
�e director-general said the trials commenced in 2009 and 2013 respectively at the Institute of Agricultural Research, Zaria, Kaduna State and National Cereals Research Institute, Badeggi, Niger State.
�ree genetically modi ed agricultural crops are currently under con ned eld trials in Nigeria, Dr. Rufus Ebegba, the Director-General, National Bio-safety Management Agency, has said. Ebegba disclosed this when he featured at a News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja on �ursday. He said that the crops are cowpea, sorghum and rice.
�e director-general said the trials commenced in 2009 and 2013 respectively at the Institute of Agricultural Research, Zaria, Kaduna State and National Cereals Research Institute, Badeggi, Niger State. Ebegba said:“ Presently we have about three crops on con ned eld trails but before now, we have six, some of them have been completed.
“ Presently, we have the insect resistant beans known as cowpea at the Institute of Agricultural Research Zaria.“ We also have in Zaria, Africa Bio-forti ed Sorghum modi ed in a way that it can now produce iron, zinc and protein and also has the ability to produce vitamin A. �e essence is to increase the nutritional content.“ With the result we are getting from that so far, the beans now has the ability to produce up to four times its original productivity.
“ �e safety data is also being collected. Before that beans will be allowed, it will go through nutritional analysis to ensure that there are no toxins.
“ �e rice has been genetically modi ed to use less nitrogen fertilizer and less water.” According to him, when this is successful, it will reduce the cost of fertilizer that is being applied to the farm as well as reduce the monies
Ebegba assured Nigerians that consumption of GMO foods would be a choice, as they would be properly labelled. He said:“ Once we are able to con rm that the modi cation is efficacious and safety is ascertained, we have no reason not to advise Nigerians, those who are interested to consume it.“ Genetic engineering is not meant to turn all crops to GMO. It is the ones that the speci c problems cannot be solved through the conventional method that genetic engineering will be applied.”
By Popoola Babalola On R & D Health
www. farmersreviewafrica. com FARMERS [ 7 ]
November- December 2016
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