BusineSSWEEK JULY 30, 2012
l1
e \,f.t l( ,al \'andy RelC15e5 COlnrnlUec 0 , Nigen. has releucd two new mliuo hybrtds thai ca, pn:Mde more villn"n A ID the dl!:1S or millions In the IXIWItT(" The hybrids whlcb were
~leuccI OD Jul ( "'. 2012, will Sinn the mL'nKe of vltamm A deficlctlcy 11 Ihe years ahead, espec~ly 1r1Oflg hildml, pregnant women .nd ItIOlhcn. ReleaKd " Ife matzchyb3 .nd Ife maczchyb4, tJ-cy ~ n:cognQCd IS lntemahonallnsuttlte for TropLcal Agri·.;ulture (\ITA) hybnds A0905-2B tmd A09OS-32,
Nigeria releases Vitamin Amaize to improve nutrition ily in fmming communities,R he said b Fannm wbo partiCipated III Ihc on·fmn triab incbcaled that they hked lhe vanetaa.. so ~ 15 .. hIgh pro5pcc;1 for quICk adopItOn IITA and IAR&.T, III pannenialP with private JCCd companies. DOW plan 10 multil,)ly theIc hybrids so they can begin dIStributing them
R:SpeCtiv.:ly_
Ac:oordm& to I mau.e breeder wlib UTA. Dr" ,A-bcbc McaIW, who led the de\ dopmen! of the DeW tnattt j ,ybnd -nLC hybnds lie • product or nearly a dI:cadc: of breeding for enhanced levels
10 fartnml by 2014, and 10 conun-
ue to develop blgher levels of vllamtn A in 1T1&l« by COIIvt:nhonal breeding. "We plllll to 18rgct 10 areu
ofpro-1"Ilarn"n A ," 11M:: hybrids 01 trerformed kK:a1 checks wllb yielJs. nutlPna fiom six 10 nine Il'ns 1'Cf ~ com" pared .....Ib t~'O IOns per hectan: ~CbI OIlOO5 t fannen' fields. They weft dco-e!oped by IITA. 11\ JIIIrtncrshiJl With the Institute of Agncuhuml RC5!1"Cb &: Training (IAft&:T), I5lrg convetlhonal bm.ld1qJ. In I p"'O eel fimdcd by the ~rluf a Challenge
where ma17.e consumption 1.5 high to help addra.s the ~Iem of vllamln A defICIency In Nlgena. Dr Samuel Olakojo, .. maize brttdcrwlth IAR&'T. who worked on the vanelies With Madar 5aId. M
The release of Vitamin A cassava in Nigc:na. lui year. should help pave the way ror broad Icceplance of the Vitamin A maize TI1esc new INIltt vancucs an: well SUIIed 10 the traplcallow. I.. nds of many West Afhcan COlID+
Prop.llme of th e CGlAR, 15 part of StlOll'.:&IU to addrcH tnc prcvulC!lCC (I f \11.1 lin A defiCiency. Other o..lbloOflJlin& panncr1' include U,e Inslitute fOT Agn cultunJ Research (IAR), Zana; UntnniH of Mltdugun, lotnnlllOD&i M.n::.c and Whelt Center (CIMMYT , UnLversityof Illinois. Ind th! Univmity of
29
Ino and are expected to sprad
• The Vtfomin A maize
cbildren below the Ige of five years, almost 20 per cent ofprcgnnni women. and 13 per cent of nurslllg mothers. Villmln A defiWisc:on~n. ciency lowers Immunily and lo NIp" ViIA.. un A <k:ficlen- ImlJllirs Vl51oo, winch QI1 Jc:ad 10 cy .micu '}oul ·0 per cenl of bhndness. and eveo death.
Rescan:hers say the two hybrids can ,"ppJy enhanced levels of Vllamln A In lbe diets _ MlIlZC IS COIl$UI11Cld by milltOllll of people throughoul Nigeria, wheU1Cf mast" ed lind caten off the cob Of IS a dish prepared from fennenled IIWtt
nour"
AeconI.tng to Menku-, mllZe ts the ~ frequently consumed Illpk In Nigeria With lboul 20 perttnt of hou$ebokb consuming II II differcnllimes withlll I W eck. "'These hybrids Will provide oot only 1nctea5cd amounl5 ofproVIIItrun A bul also tmprtI\'C producllv-
beyond Nigena's borders. In .. rel.ted dcvdopmenl. the Internauonal ~"'J:Ze and Wbe.1 Research CeIllei' (known by !heir Spanish lICIUoym CIMMYT) - ..
sisler COIAR Center of UTA has been breedmg mid-altitude vitaml", A-ncb vanclles (or Zambia 10 I proJClCt also funded by HlfVe:itPIw;, with rel_ antKapated biter thlS year.
WIAA trains fanners on maize, cassava production By ROSE E.IMBl. hfalo,nli
)'lCkIs and low cyawdc: ClQIIlal such 115 ThIS 9M:I 581 IIId TME 419. among otha-s. and pid only 5ICmI tbnJ look b!:aItbyanl wnhout bnuscs. AcaJIlbng to tum, cassava fmnI::n willie ptepanng thor land for pbw" ing should clear, stump and bum heavy thrasIa at 1SOIated JPOClI only v.hik: 1Mli1ablc: SUIXUknI ~ SwJuId &Iso be~ I Ie IIfiCd !he fimnr:n 10 lvOO lendcr top hi bottom bani. wood pur" IlonS of cassava su:ms and lBe sharp dean mPCbeIc as ~11
• obIIlIn SlW1
cuump 20-25cm Ions MIdmg thai. each cuttins nusl have • ka5t 5-1 ooda. SpeakmgonV.itcnloplamthcad-
lingS, Mr. Celestine advt!al the par-
ticipanlll 10 plant between Jme and August when mmfiill is wdl cstabluhed wtule IJ\iIlZI! sbould be pianu::d
..llf possible beflJl'e appIymg fertila:l:n. adding thal"m JLCnCftI.. blanltdllpllliatJon ofN45. P45 and K4S kg.'hI1S m:ommcndcd. "Apply fi::nilizcr at eighl wcdcs after planttng ClSSIlVll by bond applic:auon ptnland and COY'tf tile fctilt:la" after appUcaoOll and do noc ~
fen:iIizr::r,"Ceksbncseid.
Ami .... June- v.hen
~m-rm.ntaOOtokrlilt cassava VlII'icttcs and harvest
when cassava IS mature wiuch according to him IS 1dU&IIy between
~~=ft~ruUal1dJsSome of
partKlpants ",,-be
spoke 10 Daily Sun tndudmg Mrs. Nancy Harwa Iinm Nasarawa 5WC and Madam Esther Ahola &om Iknue c:ommc:ndcd WlAA ror OfPlinng the wod::shop, ~ Ihol It has helped them 10 get benet
::=~ ~tof=l= )'lC1ds.
Ekiti d istributes N208m agric inputs to cocoa farmers
n
Ekitl St.te COH'mmenl
has distribu ted agricultural
inp Ulll ,,'orth N208 million naln 10 cocoa farmers aeross the 16 loc:aI gonrnment.~ start510 stabilize.. of the stale at sub,idiKd rata. !he cassava CUllUIp sbould be At the presentation ceremony ~'-a\ on ~f·"· ~- •• ..--In lse-Ekiti, the state's r-·· u"; '''''6'...-mg of 80-1 aport. Inscn the CommiSSioner fOr Agriculture length of CUlling! twcHhlrd 11110 the and NlllllraJ Resources, Mr" sod leaVIng only IWO nodes 0UIStde BabaJldc Arowosafe, Slid the diSand ensure !bar all bills on the cu.- tribullon ~ pan of the GroWlh lings fiIcc ~- be ~ Enhancement Scheme of the stlltc Forthelirst90d;rys.CdesaneIOld go\'emmc:aL the cas5lW flllTT\O'llllJ) ~-.:ed .",11h boc Mr Arowosafe ClIplatncd that IOkccpthefiumfrec:ftoolw~aftcr the fcdcnli and Slale govern'u'"'' •••·"g ....... __ I L_,_ L _ . l - . . _n_ ,...... """"', ............. ..,- menu L_ move pat d 50 per ccnt 0 f P wroeh su~ wccdtng would the total cost of the farm inputs, ~ _ .L_ ~I, o f - whll, _ , ". 10 ;r:~' u.oo: .......... the ~.;~~; =~ pay "'Fur chcmk:al weed t.ontrol, 1hc tOtttmlSSioncr, who noted .......'lI}'3R11!dlhelabdmthcbcrbicide that eoc:oa fanners III the StilI!: bcfan: appIJcaooo. Apply p-c-cttJC2"_ wcrc nOI used to fungicid~ ,.,&CflCC habic:ldes one 10 thmc ~IICldcs and fenlllZCfS which Ilna- ~g bc:kire weeds and crop lItIS respolUible 1~lowemo:gc. be said. profil mlllID, expressed the On fcrtiliza- appJicatlon. he tcadmcu oftbc state govemmc:ot advised the won"II:rI to"""-ays lest the 10 WISt them have bountiful bar1;Jc:ty,'CICI
Ue SIIUd tbaJ: to concrol pea and dacasc., the women should use
111m
-'-0--
for
vcsu, heoccforth. He urged them not 10 use the tnpuu given to them on more than two hectares of COC~ plantation In order not 10 reduce the potency of !he ~1.-lcaIJ and ......Iizers -&----" -0"Mr. AlOl1o-osafe who called for understanding on why governmenl did not go through cocoa 155O(;latlon In reachmg OUI 10 them, Slid the Slale ,,'~I would prefer dealing dJn:ctly With rea,.I.}'I''''''' 10 avoid del.y and
l1I .....u cot prncuccs. Responding. the Chalnnan or Ihe Golden Cocoa F.rnlen AssocIlUOn, Chu:f Rufus Agada, WJcd cocoa fanners to cmbnlcc the Growth Enhancement scbemc ofthc...Go.vunmenl. Chief Agada 5Ohcu.ed for more suppon from the St.te Govcm~ent and ptcdge.d the cooperatron of-fanners - m tbe-
eli:tension.services to the vanous oocoa plantalJotatoavoldmlsapplicaltOD of the agrochczmcab and agrolizc:n Items distnoo led to each C'OCOa funnff"'incll\de :-fi\fe bagrbf ferstate. . lihzer, S c:ontaIDCBof agroliscn, lie urged the offiCials of 10 sachets of ndommt:. 10 Agncuitunr.1 Development ucbe15 of fungnr.h OH and 60 Progr.mme (ADP) to do more SlCbets of champ OP