Farmers score variety high, can address nation’s food security, hunger
By Bashir Bello – Kano
The Executive Director, Institute for Agricultural Research, (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU), Professor Mohammad F. Ishyaku has said that Nigeria stands to make profit of N46 billion annually as a result of the yield margin from the Pod Bore Resistant, PBR Cowpea variety.
This was even as he said the Nigerian farmers were also to save N16 billion spent on the spray of insecticides annually against the Maruca insect which often destroys farm produce of the farmers.
Prof. Ishyaku who doubles as the Principal Investigator of the variety stated this during a press briefing to commemorate one year of the release of PBR Cowpea to farmers in Kano.
He said unlike in the past when farmers spray their farms eight times against the insect, with the new Cowpea variety, farmers are now to spray their farms only twice.
According to him, “Three years ago, we have…
Source: Vanguard Newspaper
