The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has urged staff of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN]) Ibadan, Oyo State, to employ the transformative power of technology as a way of improving research to ensure food security in the country.
Kyari made the call on Monday while speaking at the 60th anniversary of CRIN with the theme: “Tree Crops Research For Sustainable Nigerian Economy’’.
Represented by the Zonal Director, South-West, Olayinka Akeredolu, the Minister said CRIN had grown steadily over the years, expanded to several departments, and has been a major player in contributing to the GDP growth of the nation.
His words, “As you are aware in the area of research, CRIN has done well. An institution that was established to conduct research to aid improvement in the production of disease-free or disease-resistant Cocoa but as a result of its achievement, CRIN today has the mandate to research five crops, namely; cocoa, kola, coffee, cashew, and tea, throughout the country.
“As the institute takes stock of 60 years of scientific research and looks to an even brighter future, we desire that the institute will harness the transformative power of technology to improve on research outcome delivery to the industries who rely on your great institute’s research outcome for sectoral growth and development’’.
In his remarks, the Executive Director of CRIN, Dr Patrick Adebola, said the institute’s mission was to harness science and technology to enhance productivity, improve crop quality, and promote value addition for the mandate crops while disseminating research findings through extension services and capacity building.
Adebola stated that for several years, there was no Cocoa-specific fertilizer in Nigeria until recently, and a reasonable number of Cocoa farmers do not use fertilizer, while the few that use fertilizers make a blanket application, which is inappropriate and thus causes a nutrient imbalance with associated problems.
In his lecture themed: “Tree Crops Research For Development: Key To Nigeria’s Economic Diversification And Sustainability”, the Vice Chancellor of Osun State University, Osogbo, Osun State, Prof. Odunayo Adebooye, said one of the major appeals of investing in tree crop research for development is its potential to diversify Nigeria’s economy.
Represented by Prof. Chike Nwoke, Adebooye said tree crops are high-value commodities with growing global demand, particularly in the case of cocoa, oil palm, and cashew nuts.
“Nigerian Cocoa, for instance, is highly valued in international markets, yet the country’s production lags due to outdated farming practices, poor-quality seedlings, pests and diseases, and limited access to markets’’, he said.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Budget, Oyeleke Adegbola, also congratulated the institute for the milestone.
