Since the release of the PBR Cowpea for commercialize use in January 2020, Nigerian farmers have found succor to the problem of pest which affects bounty harvest. In this report, correspondent, PHILIP CLEMENT examines how the crop variety is aiding Nigeria’s food sufficiency efforts.
Nigeria’s agricultural sector is seen as one of the viable sectors of the economy with huge Gross Domestic Product contributions as well as a large employer of labour.
Latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics showing the fourth quarter GDP report of Nigeria’s exit from recession mentioned the agric sector as one of the key contributors to the positive growth of 0.11% which the country recorded in last quarter of 2020 with specific reference to crop production.
This underscores the relevance of the agricultural value chain and its huge contributions especially in crop production, an aspect which the Pod Borer-Resistant Cowpea is making waves.
Since its approval for environmental and commercial use in January 2020 by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) as the first genetically modified crop in the country, the crop has gone further to prove that Nigeria has a huge export potential especially if it is properly harnessed.
The Cowpea variety is genetically modified by the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to resist the insect pest (Maruca vitrata). Since its release last year, it has provided succor to millions of Nigerian farmers who sell and consume cowpea crop.
According to the Institute for Agricultural Research at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, “Results from the research have shown that Bt cowpea reduces the use of pesticides from eight sprays per season to about two targeted sprays and increase yield by up to 20%.
This means that Nigeria will record a revenue increase of more than ₦48 billion (US$132 million) annually from cowpea.
Extensive safety studies have shown that the Bt. Cowpea is safe for both human and livestock consumption,”
Remedy for farmers at last
Cowpea is the most important food grain legume in Nigeria. However, one of the major challenges of farming the crop in Nigeria is due to many constraints particularly pod boring insects which cause up to 90 per cent yield loss in severe infestation cases.
This however, is in the past as the development of the PBR cowpea has completely changed the permutation and thereby making farming seem less for farmers.
According to the Executive director of the IAR, Prof. Mohammed Ishiyaku stated that “The improvement in this regard is to enable the cowpea to resist the attack of a very difficult insect called Maruca (Pod Borer).
We have improved cowpea in the area of shortening its maturity period, we have also developed cowpea varieties that are tolerant to drought, we have equally expanded into the development of cowpea variety that will answer the consumption pattern of different consumers of cowpea.
“We are continually improving as long as consumers, processors come up with problem, we will get back to our research and be able to take the problem”.
Also in a recent interview with journalists, the Director General of National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) Professor Abdullahi Mustapha has assured Nigerian farmers that they would get the PBR Cowpea for the 2021 planting season early.
“The recently released PBR cowpea will be getting to farmers this planting season, this stage of commercialization requires active involvement of the media to ensure that farmers get value for their money”, he said
According to Prof. Mustapha, a National Stewardship Committee has been inaugurated to monitor the multiplication and distribution of the new beans variety.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Times, the Country Director of Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), Dr. Rose Gidado while highlighting the economic benefits of GM Beans stated that it “Includes reduction of insecticide spray requirement from 6-8 liters per hectare to just 2-3 liters per hectare”.
She said economic studies on the GM Beans show that GM Beans could drastically reduce the use of pesticide and increase yield up to 20% which translates to N48 billion annually at the rate of N120,000 per tonne.
“If just 1 million of the 3 million hectares of cowpea are planted with the PBR variety, the savings in the cost of insecticide will be N16.2 billion annually, while economic benefits of a 20% yield increase per hectare translates to N48 billion annually. That’s Smart Farming!”
In the area of funding to boost research, Dr. Gidado stated that although more funding is always needed to expand the scope of biotech research, Nigeria is already blessed with high intellectuals that are capable of boosting biotech research.
She continued by saying “As a matter of fact, Nigerian Scientists across the globe are pace setters in biotech research. We have them in Brazil, Australia, USA, Japan, Canada, everywhere.
So, Nigeria is richly blessed with intellectual manpower that are capable of doing exploits in biotech research.
Let me also emphatically state here that the PBR Cowpea, which is the first of its kind in the world, was developed by a team of Nigerian Scientists lead by Prof Ishiyaku Faguji, the Executive Director, IAR,”
Asked about the number of states that have adopted the PBR cowpea for planting, the OFAB Country Director further explained that the commercial planting takes off in this year’s planting season which is around August and maybe September in regions that have longer periods of rain.
She said that it will be done by all the States in the country depending on availability and access to seeds adding that last year, demonstration plots were established on farmers’ fields across 9 States for the farmers possible adoption and acceptance.
She added that many farmers were excited with what they saw in terms of both the efficacy of the gene and yield as well as earliness in maturation. It took 75 days only, and then the resilience of the seeds to weather condition was another unintended benefit.
Excited farmers speaking
A BPR cowpea farmer, Gumnijir Tambaya from Purokayo village in Guyuk local government of Adamawa State who spoke to Daily Times via a telephone interview in Hausa language stated that the cowpea variety has a unique difference and has the capacity to reproduce three times more than the cowpea beans and has resistance all sorts of pest.
“One of our major challenges farming the normal cowpea beans has been the fact that army worms and pest destroy the leaves of the beans and even before it germinates. However since these variety of beans came to us in Purokayo, it has been bountiful yield all the way.
“When I harvested mine last year, some of my friends who were farmers who saw my harvest were surprised asking what kind of beans is that.
“We have finally found the solution to the problems of pest. For instance, we usually spray the normal cowpea about seven to eight times before harvest, however, this new variety of beans is only sprayed twice and that’s all.
“Although I planted mine late, I was able to get some few bags in just a little plot of land. But this year we are hoping to get the seeds early because I intend to have a bigger plat of land for this year,” Mr. Tambaya said without holding back his excitement.
Another farmer, Mohammed Adamu from Jada local government of Adamawa State who also spoke to this reporter in Hausa language revealed that he has never harvested cowpea the way he did last year when he planted the PBR cowpea variety.
According to him, “If farmers can be getting this kind of beans everywhere in Adamawa state and Nigeria as a whole then hunger will be gone,”
Speaking on his experience with the PBR cowpea beans, he stated that “Nothing penetrates the leaves and you can spray it with pesticides once or twice, unlike the normal cowpea beans that you spray virtually every two days and the harvest was bountiful.
“In fact, on the day of the harvest, we gathered the people my community to testify to the quality of the beans which was in November last year.
“Even though I got it late August, the yield was rich because it only takes latest 40 days for its fruits to yield,” he said.
Mr. Adamu appealed to the relevant authorities to ensure that the seeds reach farmers by late July or Early August to ensure more harvest is gotten.
He further called for more sensitization of the farmers in Adamawa state and the country to adopt the PBR cowpea, while adding that he nurses the ambition of exporting the crop one day to other countries.
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