By Correspondent in Ibadan.
A Don, Prof. Stella Odebode, has emphasised the importance of seeds, saying that without them the country would not achieve its aims and objectives in ensuring food security.
Odenode,who is the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ibadan (UI),stated this at the University of Ibadan on Monday at a weeek long training organised by National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) for its members of staff, in conjunction with the Department of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology, (CPEB) University of Ibadan (UI).
Our Correspondent reports that the exercise, which centred on seed production, is geared towards enhancing quality seeds production in Nigeria.
“It is with the seed multiplication that we can produce adequate food for the populace and export. This training is apt because it will impact positively on farmers and agriculture sector in general,” she said.
The training, held at CPEB department, University of Ibadan, focused on seed research methodology, data analysis and reporting.
The Director of Research Management Office, UI, Prof. Ayodele Jegede, stessed the need for critical analysis of research results to attain food suffiency and food security, saying that any nation that did not focus on research, report and effective use of its data would be far away from development.
According to Jegede, it is unethical for one to collect data without analysing and reporting it, to disseminate the information.
“When your data is of no quality, it will automatically affect the quality of data you are going to produce, so the basis of your report should depend on the quality of your data analysis.
“Researchers need to always check their data and do literature review which is very critical in carrying effective research,” he said.
Contributing, NASC Director-General, Dr Olusegun Ojo, said that the training was to ensure production of improved quality seeds which is one of the mandates of the agency.
Ojo, represented by the NASC Director of Seed Coordination and Management Services, Dr Jimmy Zidafamor, added that the training was to strengthen collaboration with other agencies to provide quality seeds to farmers.
“We want to equip the staff more as well as deepen their knowledge on seed research, methodology and data analysis so that they can go back to do the needful on the field.
“We are responsible for the regulation and coordination of seed industry. We have the seed components and take research on seeds very seriously because without seeds there will be no crop to protect.
“We have a crop of staff, green hands, to be trained and we have been able to set up our research works with the trainings,” he said.
Earlier, Prof. Rasheed Awodoyin, the Head of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology, UI, said the training was the third of its kind since 2017.
“The first one was held in 2017, second one in 2019 and this is the third, I’m optimistic that the success we will record in this one will supercede others.
“Crop protection starts from production, provision of quality seeds, our department will continue to support the NASC in its mandate,” he said.
The workshop facilitator, Dr Morufat Balogun, said that “Nigeria is at the fore front in terms of seed production, research and improvement.”
Balogun commended the NASC for always being in motion, especially in the aspect of training its staff.
“The workshop is loaded with worthy resource persons to handle the training. There will also be feedback from participants at the end, of which we will work with later,” she stressed.
