The National Biotechnology Development Agency (NBDA) says a trial phase for the new TELA Maize is ongoing in some states to understudy the variety among farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Rose Gidado, the Deputy Director, NBDA, disclosed in Lagos that farmers would start planting the crop this year\u2019s planting season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tela Maize is a Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) crop variety designed to resist insect pests like fall armyworm and stem-borers and to tolerate moderate drought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Federal Government through the NBDA in 2021 granted environmental approval for evaluation and open cultivation of new maize variety crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The crop was developed by the Institute for Agricultural Research, (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in collaboration with African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Kenya and National Biotechnology Development Agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gidado noted that the IAR in ABU which have the mandate for maize improvement had started distributing the seeds to farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said that the maize would undergo two trial cycles in 2022 and 2023 before it would be recommended for commercialisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to her, investigation trials on the new Tela Maize is now ongoing in some states such as Adamawa, Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe planting season is just beginning and they are just distributing the seeds to farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe farmers will plant the maize alongside other varieties, and then at the end of the harvest, the farmers will know which seed is better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor now, we cannot determine the level of acceptability because it needs to undergo two trial cycles before it can be recommended for possible commercialisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe want the farmers to speak for themselves, we don\u2019t want to put words in their mouth and the trials will do justice to it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gidado noted that Tela maize was a hybrid crop, drought tolerant and resistant to pest like fall armyworm, stem borers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said that the maize has yield advantage, insect protection advantage and water usage advantage unlike other varieties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gidado said that Nigeria and six other African countries namely Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Mozambique and South Africa had adopted the Tela Maize to improve farmer\u2019s production in the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTela Maize will revolutionise the agricultural sector when it is commercialised because it will have impact on farmer\u2019s production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe farmers will see the benefit, nobody will tell them because they will experience it themselves. The maize is drought tolerant and that means it is climate smart already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaize is a rain fed crop but because of the climate change, you cannot predict the weather, it may be too much rain or too little rain but this seed is different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhatever happens, the Tela Maize can withstand any condition because it is resilient and that is what the global community is looking for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeeds that are resilient and can withstand any condition, weather and climate are what we really need,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking on the commercialisation process, Gidado said that once the cycles were completed and confirmed that the farmers accepted it, the process would begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said that the National Variety Release Committee in charge of approval would then approve it for commercialisation.<\/p>\n\n\n
The National Biotechnology Development Agency (NBDA) says a trial phase for the new TELA Maize is ongoing in some states to understudy the variety among farmers. Dr Rose Gidado, the Deputy Director, NBDA, disclosed in Lagos that farmers would start planting the crop this year\u2019s planting season. Tela Maize is a Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[701],"tags":[370],"class_list":["post-43218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture","tag-maize","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"yoast_head":"\n