Banana is one of the most important staple crops worldwide, following rice, wheat, and maize. In Africa, bananas and plantains are also an important source of income for 5.6 million households and are cultivated on 3.9 million hectares. The forecast is that the production of bananas and plantains over the next 30 years will become 60 million tons annually after cassava and vegetables and ahead of any cereal.
As a mandate crop in IITA, the institute has developed a large expertise in cooking banana and plantain over the past 40 years to improve yields via breeding for pest and disease resistance, seed systems, plant health, and production. The acceleration of the breeding cycle to develop new varieties faster and the release of new varieties has especially attracted more attention from China.
Therefore, Professors Jianghui Xie and Jingyang Li of the Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute (TCGRI), Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Hainan (CATAS) visited the IITA on 3 September. They visited the Genetic Resource Center and the plantain breeding program.
Their visit aimed to explore collaboration in banana resource innovation and extend opportunities for short-term positions for IITA banana experts at CATAS under China’s talent program.
IITA Banana and Plantain Breeding Program Head Rony Swennen welcomed the guests to the institute as he recapped IITA’s banana research activities. “This meeting is of great value to us because China is the largest banana producer worldwide after India, with 12 million tons produced annually. Nigeria produces half of that, and we need to augment that. On the other hand, IITA can provide guidance in banana breeding,” he said.
IITA Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery (DDG-P4D) Kenton Dashiell expressed delight at the knowledge sharing and collaboration, which made the meeting beneficial to both parties. Given that the visit was short, he welcomed further conversation to develop a plan for both teams to work together.
Contributed by Tolulope Akinola
Related story: https://www.iita.org/news-item/iita-signs-mou-with-catas-on-improved-crop-varieties-and-cultivation-techniques/
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