NAN-H-5
Pest
By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko
Ibadan, Sept. 9, 2016 (NAN) An agricultural expert, Dr Folake Akinbode, on Friday advised the Federal Government to reactivate all its pest control agencies to stem the menace of farm wastage.
Akinbode, Head of the Maize Improvement Programme at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.
She said that such agencies would help monitor the outbreak of pests and diseases in the country.
She also advised the government to establish an insurance policy that would be farmers’ friendly.
Akinbode said that for the country to obtain effective economy diversification through agriculture, the farmers must be given special attention.
“We have issues of climate change, making cropping system not safe, nobody can predict when to plant; one of the effects of the change is the insurgence of army-worm.
“Farmers have lost a lot of things, they rarely make profits from their farms these days, and pests consume a large proportion of the produce.
“So, the insurance will help the farmers to be insured in times as this,” she said.
The researcher advised government to always carry along stakeholders in agriculture in policy decision makings.
“The government should always fund research institutes because it is the outcome of research activities that farmers will need,’’ she said.
She also advised farmers to carry out good agronomic practices as and when do.
“For example, before they plant maize, they should leave the land for two weeks so that pest will not attack the maize seeds.
“They need to always plant improved seeds, not the preserved ones from previous harvest.
“The preserved seeds could have lost some features along the line of cultivation,’’ she said.
She said that the IAR&T was working on low Nitrogen tolerant varieties of maize, which could adapt to South-Western agro-ecologies.
“We are working on the yellow and white colours.
“The variety is also high in carotene and very soon, we will release them to the farmers,’’ she assured. (NAN)
CC/AIB/PAD
Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/controlled by Peter Dada]
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