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A professor of molecular genetics and plant breeding in the department of crop production, College of Agriculture, Kwara State University (KWASU), Olawale Aliyu, had said that agricultural production must increase by 80 per cent to meet world population of 7.7 billion to 10 billion by 2020.

Delivering sixth inaugural lecture of the university, titled, Decoding the secret of life: Plant, sex and sustainable food production, Professor Aliyu said that innovative breeding technologies for improving existing crops for better adaptation, among other measures, should be embarked upon to achieve the task ahead.

The KWASU don, who charged the federal government to give urgent priority to research by providing resources for functional laboratories, said that such labs should be equipped with modern technologies.

Theres the urgent need for the federal government to give priority to research by providing resources for functional laboratories, equipped with modern technologies and training of manpower that will carry out advanced research in agricultural production for sustainable food security.

The government should also strengthen the capacity of Nigerian scientists to embark on genetic engineering of our major food crops in addition to the conventional system being used.

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The government should put in place monitoring mechanism to prevent the influx of GMO crops into the country because of its effect on the biodiversity of our plant and animal resources. Our national breeding programmes on cereals and grain legumes should consider integrating the use of apomixis technology for hybrid seed development because of its potential to revolutionize agriculture, he said.

Professor Aliyu, who said that advances in genetic research are moving at jet speed, added that there is an urgent need to review training curriculum in plant breeding and genetics for students in Nigerian universities to reflect current realities.

The KWASU don also said that cashew has the potential to transform the economy of Kwara state, adding that the sector should be properly organized and the industry is supported.

There is an urgent need for the Kwara state government to develop a 10-year strategic plan for the transformation of an agricultural commodity, especially cashew, where it has a competitive advantage. I am aware that the state government initiated a farmer-ownership cashew project that targeted 5,000 hectares per local government area with processing plants in each senatorial district in 2005, but this project was aborted before takeoff. The current administration can revisit this as part of the effort to lay a solid foundation for a sustainable economy of our dear state. The state government should partner with the federal government to stop the illegal shipment of nuts across porous borders to neighbouring countries, he said.

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KWASU advocates increased agric production to meet global population by 2020 - NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

This entry was posted on November 15, 2019 at 8:44 pm and is filed under Molecular Genetics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |