IITA tackles food security challenges

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture has said its next agenda is to confront the factors against food security in tropical countries.A statement by the institute in Lagos on Monday said that the challenges included climate change and soil degradation.It quoted IITAs new Director-General, Dr. Nteranya Sanginga, as saying that the institute intended to concentrate on research quality, building partnerships and enhancing capacities to overcome the challenges.Sanginga said that quality research would enable the institute retain and maintain its position as the top agricultural research body-for-development organisation in Africa.The institute has, over the years, developed several improved varieties of cow pea, banana and plantain, cassava, yam, soybean, and maize.These varieties are transforming the lives of farmers, enhancing wealth and guaranteeing food security, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, Sanginga said.He said that currently about 60 per cent of the maize varieties grown in West and Central Africa came from IITA.Sanginga emphasised the importance of partnership and the need to build the capacity of partners at the farm level.He said that the growing interdependence with partners was crucial in carrying out the institutes mission and vision of eradicating hunger and poverty.Meanwhile, the Association of Small Scale Agro-Producers in Nigeria has said that the proposed fuel subsidy removal will have adverse effect on small scale farmers.The National Vice-President of the association, Mr. Joshua Mabinuori, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, on Monday.The vice-president said the removal of subsidy would make farming unprofitable for small scale farmers and urged the government to make farming attractive.We believe that the removal of fuel subsidy will have a very harsh effect on Nigerian farmers, particularly the small-scale farmers; even the big scale farmers as well, because transportation has always been a problem, he added.
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