Ibadan, Nigeria – Farmers cultivating maize are making profits despite droughts experienced in northern Nigeria, thanks to tolerant maize developed and disseminated by IITA, other international agricultural research centers and national partners.
“The drought-tolerant maize varieties have mitigated the effects of drought on maize production and farmers are having better incomes,” says Mr. Olumide Ibikunle, Research and Development Manager, Premier Seeds. “The seed industry is also better off because dem and for maize has actually increased,” he added during an interview at the sidelines of the regional planning meeting of the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Project being at IITA’s Headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria.
Over the years IITA, CIMMYT and partners have released several drought-tolerant maize varieties including Samaz 16, ZM309 and ZM523, among others, in the sub-Saharan African region to cushion the effects of drought on the crop and, ultimately, on farmers and their households.
“Investment in drought-tolerant maize is a very good thing especially for Africa as drought remains one of the major limiting factors to profitable maize production in the continent,” Ibikunle adds.
“Northern Nigeria, where maize production dominates, is prone to drought,” stresses Stella Thomas, Managing Director of Kano-based Seed Project Company Limited. “To keep production profitable to resource-poor farmers, research on drought-tolerant maize is vital,” she emphasizes. Researchers and other stakeholders in the maize industry meeting in Ibadan say developing such varieties will boost maize production, enhancing not only incomes but more importantly food security.
Dr Abebe Menkir, IITA Maize Breeder, says the DTMA project will reduce the vulnerability of maize farmers to drought. “Rainfall has a perfect correlation with maize production. Once there is an absence of rainfall at the flowering stage, yield is affected. The solution is getting varieties that are tolerant to lack of rainfall,” Dr.Wilfred Mwangi, DTMA Project Leader and CIMMYT scientist, adds.
He also said that the varieties to be further developed under the project will create safety nets for farmers especially in times of inadequate rainfall. “What this means is that if there is no rainfall, the farmer should have some maize to harvest, and if there is rainfall let him harvest bountifully. So, it is a win-win situation.”
Mwangi says the project builds upon earlier research by IITA, CIMMYT and national partners on drought-tolerant maize. He likewise commended Nigeria’s seed companies for the interest shown in maize production, stressing that the success of the project depended on the level of private sector involvement. “This is one effective way through which the improved varieties will reach the farmers,” he concludes.
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For more information, please contact:
Dr Abebe Menkir, a.menkir@cgiar.org
Maize Breeder
IITA-Nigeria
Jeffrey T. Oliver, o.jeffrey@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (International)
Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (West Africa)
IITA – Headquarters
Ibadan, Nigeria
Related site:
Cereals and Legumes Systems overview
Other IITA projects on maize:
Doubling maize production in Nigeria in two years
IR Maize in Western Kenya
Promoting Sustainable Agriculture in Borno State (PROSAB)
About IITA
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 the CGIAR.
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