BY SUCCESS KANAYO UCHIME
The agricultural giants, Swiss Biostadt and Syngenta, are set to partner in order to seek fresh options that will boost farmers’ productivity, improve incomes and guarantee food security.
This indication is contained in a communiqué at the end of the training meeting between the two organizations held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria where the two firms made a survey of the Nigerian agro-ecological zones with a view to understanding emerging challenges faced by farmers.
African farmer working
Speaking during the meeting, the Head North and West Africa of Syngenta, Patrick Mirbey, said: “It became clear to us during the visits to farmers’ fields that pest and diseases are still a major challenge. Another is weeds and low on-farm productivity.”
He noted that across Africa, farmers suffer low productivity due to a plethora of problems that include inadequate availability of inputs such as pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and poor extension services among others.
Poor Knowledge Frustrates Yields
According to him, in some cases where inputs are available, which is usually not the case, misapplication due to poor knowledge frustrates yields and place farmers in poverty adding that over the years, Swiss Biostadt and Syngenta have been providing crop improvement solutions by way of improved seeds, pesticides, and the training of farmers on improved agronomic practices.
“No doubt, this strategy has yielded result and we are reviewing how best farmers can access and adopt our new innovations and services,” Mirbey added.
He maintained that the training, which was attended by delivery specialists, agronomists and other company experts reviewed bottlenecks in the agricultural value chain and also marshaled out plans for a way forward.
The High Rate of Postharvest Losses
In his own contribution, Managing Director, Swiss Biostadt Nigeria, Mr. Emmanuel Ajayi said: “Again what we observed during the survey was the high rate of postharvest losses especially in vegetables.”
He emphasized that available data in Africa show that postharvest losses have remained a big constraint with estimate ranging from 50 percent and above depending on countries and crops. With a porous infrastructure, postharvest losses have been recorded even in famine-prone regions of the continent.
He noted that solutions on the table include the training of farmers on better use and application of pesticides, herbicides, and improved seeds. “What we are looking at, in postharvest for instance, is to offer farmers seed varieties with longer shelf life such that even without preservation facilities, their crops will not perish on time.
According to him, the two companies would continue to offer farmers genuine products and services stressing that the aim was to make the farmer happier by making agriculture more attractive, improving incomes and livelihoods. “At the end of the day, we want to make the life of the farmer better.”
About IITA
IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization since 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the CGIAR.
It develops agricultural solutions with its partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Its award winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa.
The organization works with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture.
For more articles from this writer, click here: http://www.allvoices.com/users/success4u
The agricultural giants, Swiss Biostadt and Syngenta, are set to partner in order to seek fresh options that will boost farmers’ productivity, improve incomes and guarantee food security.
This indication is contained in a communiqué at the end of the training meeting between the two organizations held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria where the two firms made a survey of the Nigerian agro-ecological zones with a view to understanding emerging challenges faced by farmers.
African farmer working
Speaking during the meeting, the Head North and West Africa of Syngenta, Patrick Mirbey, said: “It became clear to us during the visits to farmers’ fields that pest and diseases are still a major challenge. Another is weeds and low on-farm productivity.”
He noted that across Africa, farmers suffer low productivity due to a plethora of problems that include inadequate availability of inputs such as pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and poor extension services among others.
Poor Knowledge Frustrates Yields
According to him, in some cases where inputs are available, which is usually not the case, misapplication due to poor knowledge frustrates yields and place farmers in poverty adding that over the years, Swiss Biostadt and Syngenta have been providing crop improvement solutions by way of improved seeds, pesticides, and the training of farmers on improved agronomic practices.
“No doubt, this strategy has yielded result and we are reviewing how best farmers can access and adopt our new innovations and services,” Mirbey added.
He maintained that the training, which was attended by delivery specialists, agronomists and other company experts reviewed bottlenecks in the agricultural value chain and also marshaled out plans for a way forward.
The High Rate of Postharvest Losses
In his own contribution, Managing Director, Swiss Biostadt Nigeria, Mr. Emmanuel Ajayi said: “Again what we observed during the survey was the high rate of postharvest losses especially in vegetables.”
He emphasized that available data in Africa show that postharvest losses have remained a big constraint with estimate ranging from 50 percent and above depending on countries and crops. With a porous infrastructure, postharvest losses have been recorded even in famine-prone regions of the continent.
He noted that solutions on the table include the training of farmers on better use and application of pesticides, herbicides, and improved seeds. “What we are looking at, in postharvest for instance, is to offer farmers seed varieties with longer shelf life such that even without preservation facilities, their crops will not perish on time.
According to him, the two companies would continue to offer farmers genuine products and services stressing that the aim was to make the farmer happier by making agriculture more attractive, improving incomes and livelihoods. “At the end of the day, we want to make the life of the farmer better.”
About IITA
IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization since 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the CGIAR.
It develops agricultural solutions with its partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Its award winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa.
The organization works with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture.
For more articles from this writer, click here: http://www.allvoices.com/users/success4u
No comments:
Post a Comment