Agric & Biotech

Director-General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof. Alex Akpa, says Nigeria needs to start harnessing its indigenous bioresources for economic sustainability and development. Prof. Felix Akpa He spoke at the “South-West Stakeholders Dialogue on the Nigerian Microbial Resources Heritage” on Thursday, July 18, 2019 in Ile-Ife, Osun State. Akpa said bioresources were the bedrock of biotechnology which must ...

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) says cassava remains one of the most consumed food crops in Africa and that the potential market for cassava product is huge. Dr Adebayo Abass, Cassava Compact Leader, IITA Dr Adebayo Abass, the Cassava Compact Leader, IITA, said this at the Cassava Investment Forum on Thursday, July 18, 2019 in Abuja. He said ...

Kenya will channel investments towards climate-resilient farming in arid and semi-arid lands in order to achieve food security, an official said on Thursday, July 18, 2019. Hamadi Boga Hamadi Boga, principal secretary for agricultural research at Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation, said this at a forum on promoting the contribution of arid lands to Kenya’s development blueprint ...

A new initiative by the African Development Bank (AfDB) appears to be unleashing the potential and power of cassava across the African continent, creating wealth and improving the livelihoods of farmers, and taking cassava to a new frontier. Cassava farming The initiative, known as Technologies for African Agriculture Transformation (TAAT), is part of the bank’s Feed Africa strategy that is ...

A sizeable team of civil society organisations has put the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to task, saying the body’s recent report on genetic engineering failed the objectivity test. Genetic engineering Genetic engineering is regarded as the direct manipulation of an organism’s genes using biotechnology. The IUCN on May 9, 2019 published the Genetic Frontiers for Conservation report on ...

Vice Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi State, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba, has canvassed adjustment of the course content of agriculture related courses in Nigerian universities to meet the needs of present times and be in line with global standard. ADAssociation of Deans of Agriculture in Nigerian Universities (ADAN) Excos and VC representative, Prof. Dr. Johnny Ogunji (fifth ...

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has banned the use of methyl bromide as fumigant in Nigeria. Methyl Bromide The agency announced this in a statement signed on behalf of the Director General, Mrs Mojisola Adeyeye, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, July 5, 2019 in Abuja. ...

A set of four high-yielding hybrid rice varieties with appreciable grain quality have elicited interest from key stakeholders, especially seed companies and farmers. The rice varieties The rice varieties were showcased during field days held recently at AfricaRice research station in M’bé, Côte d’Ivoire. The field days to showcase the performance of the hybrids were organized by the Rice Compact ...

Coffee consumption in Nigeria increased by more than 20% between 2010 and 2015 and it is expected that Nigerians will consume more than 1,000 tons of coffee in 2020. Despite the upward trend in coffee consumption, production in the country remains low. Removing barriers to coffee production is key to sustainable farming and production that will not only create decent livelihoods, but also generate ...

Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) appeared before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 in a case in which one of the defendants sought to challenge a High Court ruling on the court’s jurisdiction to hear a petition brought before it by FSG and three others. Front row L-R: Ras Zewu, Edwin Baffour, George Tetteh Wayoe, Samia Yaba Nkrumah, and ...