Pulse.ng : Food Security: TELA Maize to Increase Farmers Yeild By 43 Per Cent

Agency Report

By Stella Kabruk

A non governmental organization, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) on Thursday said TELA maize would boast farmers yeild in Nigeria by 43 per cent.

The Coordinator of TELA maize project across, Nigeria, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzanian, South Africa and Uganda, Dr. Sylvester Oikeh made the disclosure in Kaduna during a town hall meeting on TELA Maize Nigeria with Maize Farmers/Processors and Marketers in Kaduna State.

"We have seen from our trials over Africa that farmers growing this technology get more yeild. If our farmers adopt this technology, they can easily increase their yeild as much as 43 per cent.

"This means that, if you are growing the TELA maize, you will have more yeild, if you don't do that, you have to spray your crops against this pest minimum of 3 times per a season using 3 different chemicals. it reduces extra cost of chemicals and spraying".

According to him, TELA maize is developed to be resistence to drought, it would also address some of the problems faced by farmers.

"However, we have seen that people say, it is not safe but we know why they are saying that, it is political, we know it's safe. We have demonstrated it safety even before it's approval. Environmental Management Agency have done all the evaluation to show that farmers and consumers are protected, they have cleared the issue of safety, it is safe".

"Currently Nigeria plant 6 to 6.5 million hectares but our yield is still at the level of average, 1.6 tons per a hectare.

"In countries where they have adopted this technology like in South Africa, their yeild is 5.6 tons per a hectare. with the current issue of climate change, drought are becoming more frequent, more pest are coming in.

"We have pest called Fall Army worm which is ravaging maize, it came into Africa in 2016 and it's ravaging maize in trillions of naira but with a technology like TELA maize it gives protection and also drought tolerance which helps farmers who may have loose their crops to have something".

Also speaking, Dr Rose Gidado, a Director Agricultural Department, National Biotechnology Agency Abuja, said that Tela is a genetically modified seedling of maize that is meant to resist attacks from fall Army and Stem Bora worms, which have ravaged maize and caused financial losses to farmers.

She added that the Tela Maize is also resistant to drought, adding that when planted and rain doesn’t fall as expected, the seedling would still thrive.

“Tela Maize gives higher. yields than the conventional maize .While the ordinary maize gives about 1.4 tonnes, the Tela gives about 5.6 tonnes.

“Since, it yields more tonnes, it means more money for Nigerians farmers.

“Farmers that have access to the Tela Maize would smile because they only need to do chemical spray two times, instead of the normal four times, thereby cutting down costs,” she explained.

She also said that Nigerian farmers have accepted the two varieties of Tela Maize that were introduced to them.

The director also refuted fears that genetically modified seedlings are unsafe adding that such seedlings have undergone all the necessary safety checks before being handed out to farmers.

Another agricultural expert, Prof Rabiu Adamu, Principal Investigator Tela Maize, Institute of Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, added that if the Tela Maize is fully adopted by Nigerians farmers, it would go a long way in solving the maize shortage that the nation currently suffers.

“If adopted, the Nigerians farmers would harvest about seven tonnes of maize per hectare, instead of the two to three tonnes, which which would go a long way. In addressing the food insecurity in maize production in the country.

The university don also reiterated what Dr. Gidado said earlier about the safety of the Tela Maize.

“Tela Maize has gone through the necessary regulatory requirements to ensure the. Safety of the product. The product was cleared by the agencies of Federal Government before it was sold out to the farmers.

“We have the certification from the necessary regulatory agencies,” he said (NAN)