Participants from across Nigeria were trained on improved production techniques for maize and soybean seeds, and cassava planting materials in a 3-day workshop. The training provided up-to-date knowledge and enhanced skills on the production and marketing of quality seeds and planting materials.
Resource persons included Dr Baffour Asafo-Adjei, consultant with the IITA-AGRA foundation seeds project; IITA scientists in maize and cassava programs, IITA economist, Mr Joshua Femi Olonilua, NASC director for quality control; and others.
Dr Asafo-Adjei noted that “seed production is a serious business which needs proper planning to make good quality seeds available to farmers at affordable prices.”
Participants learned about the best environments in Nigeria for producing good quality seeds of maize and soybean and planting materials for cassava. They also learned about best practices for producing open-pollinated and hybrid maize seeds, soybean seeds, and cassava stem cuttings; innovative marketing strategies that satisfy the customers’ need for quality seeds and how to make reasonable profit; and procedures involved in seeds/planting materials certification in Nigeria.
According to Olonilua, the NASC must ensure that seeds meet all the set quality and purity st andards based on field inspections carried out before planting, at flowering, and at harvest. This is followed by physical quality tests and a purity test that are conducted after seeds have been processed. This include laboratory test for moisture content, seed purity, germination percentage, and absence of pests and diseases, he explained.
Participants were also taken through practical training in pollination techniques in maize, how to identify off-types in seed fields, uses of global positioning systems (GPS) equipment in agriculture especially in surveys and mapping, and the rapid multiplication of cassava stem cuttings. The workshop also provided a platform for the participants to share knowledge and experiences in the seed industry. Nine people from local seed companies, and seven Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members from the IITA youth entrepreneurship program participated in the workshop.
About IITA (www.iita.org)
Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and people’s lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award-winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization established in 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by CGIAR.
About CGIAR (www.cgiar.org)
CGIAR is a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Its science is carried out by the 15 research centers who are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations.
For more information, contact Andrea Gros at a.gros@cgiar.org or Godwin Atser at g.atser@cgiar.org.
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