The Federal Government, through the National Bio-safety Management Agency (NBMA) has revealed that its approval of Biotech (BT) cowpea seed last year was intended to help local farmers reduce the cost of production and close the gap of over 500,000 metric tonnes of production deficit in the country.
Speaking on the development, the Executive Director at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Prof Ibrahim Umar Abubakar, explained that government plans to use the new biotech cowpea seed resistance discovery to enhance beans production nationwide.
On October 7 last year, Nigeria reached a significant milestone when it became the first country in the world to approve Biotech (BT) cowpea, ushering in the commercial release of the insect-resistant crop following more than two decades of research, field trials, and risk assessment by several organisations.
With the new revolution in biotech, cowpea farmers can now enhance their productivity through the technology to prevent loss of their crops to the pod borer (Maruca vitrata) pest. The approval was an indication that there are shreds of evidence that the Nigerian agriculture sector is experiencing an upsurge in its quest to ensure food security. This however places Nigeria on the path to becoming the first country ever to add a new crop to the global biotech basket from Africa. Abubakar noted that the NBMA’s approval allows the IAR to commercially release Pod Borer-Resistant Cowpea (PBR Cowpea)-event AAT709A, genetically improved to resist Maruca vitrata.
According to him, this permit is valid until the end of 2022, adding that the release provides a relief to millions of Nigerian farmers, who depend on cowpea for food and income, as well as the consumers of cowpea.
He stated that cowpea is an important staple crop in sub-Saharan Africa, serving human consumption needs as well as being a good source of quality fodder for livestock. However, the IAR’s executive director observed that cowpea farmers face a challenge with a traditionally low yield factor due to its susceptibility to many insect pests at different stages of its production lifecycle.
“As a result, if farmers want to get a good yield they need to apply multiple insecticide sprays during the course of the production in the fields.