… Releases Two New Maize Hybrids

The Federal Government has released two new maize hybrids that can provide more vitamin A in the diets of millions in the country.

It has also raised optimism about checking the menace of vitamin A deficiency in the years ahead, especially among children and pregnant women and mothers.

The hybrid which are the first generation vitamin A rich maize were released recently by the National Variety Release Committee of Nigeria as Ife Maize hyb 3 and Ife maizehyb 4 and recognised as IITA hybrids A0905-28 and AO905-32 respectively.

The maize breeder with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Dr. Abebe Menkir who led the development of the new maize hybrid said it was a product of nearly a decade of breeding for enhanced levels of pro-vitamin A.

He said the hybrids out performed local checks with yields ranging from 6 to 9 tonnes per hectre compared with 2 tonnes per hectre recorded on most farmers’ fields.

Dr. Menkir said the hybrid were developed by IITA in partnership with the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) using Conventional breeding in a project funded by the Harvest plus – a challenge programme of The CGIAR as part of strategies to address the prevalent vitamin A deficiency.

Other collaborating partners include the IAR, Zaira, university of Maiduguri International Maize and Wheat Centre (UMMYT) University of Lliois and University of win consin with the later two institutions based in the USA.

In Nigeria, Vitamin A deficiency afflicts about 30 per cent of children below five year of age and almost 20 per cent of pregnant women and 13 per cent of nursing mothers, and this lowers immunity and impairs vision, which could lead to blindness and even death.

Researchers said the two hybrids can supply enhanced levels of vitamin A in the diets. Maize is consumed by millions of people throughout Nigeria whether roasted and eaten off the cob maize floor.

According to Menkir, maize is the most frequently consumed staple in Nigeria with about 20 per cent of households consuming if at different times within a week, adding that, “these hybrids will provide not only increased amounts of provitamin A but also improve productivity in farming communities”.

Farmers who participated in the on-farm trials indicated that they like the varieties, so there was a high prospect for quick adoption.