The Executive Director of the National Cereals Research Institute Badeggi, Dr Aliyu Umar, has hinted that the institute is equipped with adequate human capital and innovative technologies required to continue to help farmers improve their productivity and profitability.
This, he said will also boost Nigeria’s food security especially as it concerns the institute’s mandate crops and other statutory national functions.
Dr Aliyu Umar stated this on Thursday, 7th October, 2021 at Bacita in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara state, while welcoming farmers and other stakeholders within the cropping value chain to the 2021 farmers field day organized by the Bacita Outstation of the institute.
The Executive Director, who was represented by the Head of the Bacita Station, Mr A.Y Mumeen, also expressed the resolve of the institute not to ever relent in ensuring that all technologies generated by various researches undertaken by the institute get to the field of every farmer through various extension methodologies and strategies.
One of such, according to him, is the hosting of farmers during field days, an event which he said continually feature on the institute’s calendar of activities especially across its ten outstations located in different states of the country.
In the same vein, stakeholders at the event testified to the impact of the institute, especially as it benefits rice and other crop farmers.
They also applauded the institute for always living up to expectations in terms of releasing newer seed varieties to meet various needs of farmers.
A notable farmer and the District Head of Mokwaggi community where the Bacita Outstation has its upland crops fields, Alh. Etsu Enpa commended NCRI for always rising up to the yearnings and aspirations of the farmers.
Enpa particularly noted the intervention of NCRI in the release of two rice varieties which are flood resistant.
He stated that, “if not for the availability of the flood resistant rice seed varieties, members of the neighboring communities who are around the flood planes would not have had any rice grain to consume at the end of the current cropping season,” a situation he said would have constituted a lot of pressure on members of his own community.
This year’s farmers field day of NCRI Bacita was well attended by many farmers and stakeholders including the representatives of the Emir of Tsaragi and several extension agents from the Kwara ADP.
Also, agricultural students from the station’s adopted school; Etsu Abdullahi Secondary School, Bacita, were amongst the participants who graced the occasion, during which farmers were conducted round the station’s sesame, castor and maize fields, shortly after presentations were made on the best agronomic practices and technologies for profitable cultivation of the institute’s mandate crops.
Join our twitter community :