The National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Ibadan, has announced a partnership with an Indian-based not-for-profit organisation, the Foundation for Advanced Training in Plant Breeding (ATPBR) Maharashtra to boost mass production of okra in the country.
This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary of, the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Professor Garba Sharubutu, at the second edition of the Global Okra Round Table (GORT II).
The Conference, themed “Breeding for Resilience,” was held in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
The Executive Director of NIHORT, Professor Muhammad Lawal Attanda, emphasized the institute’s critical role in improving Nigeria’s horticultural productivity through innovative technologies.
He said, “NIHORT has developed numerous technologies in the horticultural value chain and is continually coming up with more technologies that will launch the country into self-sufficiency in horticulture.
“NIHORT has initiated comprehensive research into emerging diseases threatening this vital crop. Our scientists are actively investigating various pathogens and pests affecting okra, including the recent epidemic of leafhoppers and viral infections that have been ravaging okra farms across the country.
“NIHORT’s mission extends beyond mere research, it encompasses technology dissemination and collaboration with farmers and stakeholders throughout the agricultural value chain.
The Executive Secretary of ARCN, Professor Garba Sharubutu, emphasized that okra needs to be harnessed amongst other food crops.
Speaking at the roundtable he said the focus on food crop production will benefit farmers and support the government’s efforts to achieve food sufficiency and diversify the economy.
He said, “We need to also support and look at other staple food items, and most importantly, Okro which can grow anywhere and any season.
“What we are doing is to promote the production of Okro. Okro is our delicacy and having taken into consideration, the promotion of agricultural productivity and especially the declaration of emergency in food security by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“I think it is something we have come to celebrate especially that we are making good as a research institute the intention of Mr President by inviting foreign partners to come and collaborate with us for the development of agricultural productivity.
”Nigeria is the second largest in terms of okro production but we are not yet there. We are not yet there because there are a lot of potentials we have to undergo. As we said, Mr President has insisted that no Nigerian must go to bed on an empty stomach.
“It is not about you getting the quantity of food, it is talking about you getting the quality of food.
“We cannot just concentrate on cash crops, we are also supposed to look at other staple crops. Most importantly, okro can grow three to five times in a year, it can grow in the desert and anywhere. So, what we are doing is to promote okro in such a way that you have two or three cycles.
“And these two or three cycles will make agriculture more sustainable. Sustainable in the sense that in between the cultivation of yam, you will have okro maybe once or twice”.
Highlighting the challenges and opportunities in the okra sector, the National President of the Okra Farmers, Processors, and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Uba Mohammed, said, “Erratic weather variability, drought, and flooding significantly impact okra production and yield, resulting in high losses for stakeholders.”
