NASC BULLETIN February 2021 Edition FINAL

NASC BULLETIN A MONTHLY BULLETIN OF THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SEEDS COUNCIL VOL. 1 No. 3 February 2021 Edition NASC bulletin is primarily aimed as a communication tool on emerging matters in NASC. The bulletin series intends to address various topics, presentations, projects, Council activities and staff events as well as identify gaps and priority research needs. Our objective is to contribute to the wider dissemination of information on recent activities as it concerns the Council. This will allow for effective communication on a variety of information to every staff, as the bulletin will help provide brief report especially on matters of interest issued for immediate broadcast to update or summarize current news I IN THIS ISSUE YOU WILL FIND  WORKING VISIT OF THE NEWLY APPOINTED PERMANENT SECRETARY FMARD (MR. ERNEST AFOLABI UMAKHIHE) TO NASC  DIRECTOR GENERAL (NASC) WORKING VISIT TO SOUTH EAST REGION  FIRST PHYSICAL MEETING AND INAUGURATION OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE IMAGE PROJECT IN NIGERIA  ASSESSMENT OF NASC DEMONSTRATION PLOTS, FIELD DAY/SEED FAIR ON FARMERS ADOPTION OF IMPROVED SEEDS TO IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY  NIGERIAN EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL WORKSHOP IN COLLABORATION WITH NASC TOWARDS REPOSITIONING IRISH POTATOES IN PLATEAU STATE FOR INCREASED YIELD AND EXPORT  NASC MEETING WITH INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS  SENSITIZATION OF SEED INSPECTORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY (SOUTH – EAST, SOUTH – WEST AND NORTH- CENTRAL)  STRATEGIC SURVEILLANCE AND COMPLIANCE INSPECTION VISIT TO SEED PRODUCING AGENCIES IN THE SOUTH – EAST AND SOUTH – WEST REGION  FIELD VISIT OF CONFINEMENT TRANSGENIC HYBRID MAIZE SEED TRIALS AT IAR RESEARCH FIELDS  ONGOING CONSTRUCTION/BUILDING PROJECT OF NASC NORTH-EAST REGIONAL OFFICE BCJ, AKKO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, GOMBE STATE 1

WORKING VISIT OF THE NEWLY APPOINTED PERMANENT SECRETARY FMARD (MR. ERNEST AFOLABI UMAKHIHE) TO NASC The Newly Appointed Permanent Secretary Mr. Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe made a working visit to NASC, Headquarters, Sheda, Abuja, on January 25th 2021, Mr. Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe. The newly appointed Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was received by Dr. Phillip Olusegun Ojo, DG NASC and other Directors of the Council, after which he was briefed on NASC activities. He commended DG NASC showing the Perm. Sec. FMARD around NASC for its efforts in ensuring production of quality seeds in Nigeria and reiterated the support of the Ministry at all times Chief Liberian (NASC) taking the Perm. Sec. FMARD through the NASC E-library DG NASC presenting a souvenir to the Perm. Sec FMARD Group photograph of the Perm. Sec. FMARD with NASC staff TA-DG NASC briefing the Perm. Sec. FMARD on the SEEDCODEX TECHNOLOGY 2

DIRECTOR GENERAL (NASC) WORKING VISIT TO SOUTH EAST REGION On the 28th of January 2021, the Director General (NASC) Dr. Philip Olusegun Ojo paid a working visit to NASC South-East Regional office Umudike. He was received by the Regional Director NASC Umudike Mr. Kalu Ukwa and his Staff. The DG also visited/ paid courtesy call on some seed company and Agricultural stakeholders in South East, such as; the Executive Director, NRCRI Umudike DG NASC on a courtesy call to the ED NRCRI Prof. Ukpabi Joseph Ukpabi, Basic-II project team in NRCRI Umudike, Nwabudo Agro seeds amongst other stakeholders DG NASC in a group photograph with ED NRCRI and staff Regional Director NASC South-East region receiving the DG NASC DG NASC with the Basic-II project team in NRCRI Umudike DG NASC in a group photograph with NASC South-East regional staff DG NASC with the CEO Nwabudo Agro Seeds 3

FIRST PHYSICAL MEETING AND ASSESSMENT SURVEY OF NASC INAUGURATION OF THE NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION PLOTS, FIELD EXECUTIVE STEERING COMMITTEE OF DAY/SEED FAIR TO EVALUATE FARMERS THE IMAGE PROJECT IN NIGERIA ADOPTION OF IMPROVED SEEDS As part of its project activities, the The NASC through the SIDM&CB National Agricultural Seeds Council department recently developed and (NASC) in collaboration with Context introduced a software tool/ application Global Development (CGD) convened the christened NEST (NASC Electronic first physical meeting of the IMAGE Software Tool). The software tool is a data project in Nigeria on the 26th of January, capturing mobile application and an 2021 at Denis Hotel, plot 910 Ndjamena analytic web based application which crescent, Wuse 2 Abuja, Nigeria. This assists in data collection and analysis of meeting was a hybrid meeting as activities in the seed industry. In order to participants who could not join physically test run the effectiveness of the were able to join the Meeting via the video technology, a survey exercise was conferencing platform, Zoom. The conducted to assess the various preferred Meeting had 87 participants in attendance. varieties and adoption rate of improved seeds by farmers. This exercise took place in Kwali and Abaji Area Council of the FCT (Abuja) on Tuesday 26th January, 2021 Group photograph of participants with the DG NASC Cross section of NASC staff and farmers Cross section of participants at the meeting Cross section of NASC staff and farmers 4

THE NIGERIAN EXPORT PROMOTION NASC MEETING WITH INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS COUNCIL WORKSHOP IN A meeting between NASC and COLLABORATION WITH NASC TOWARDS International committee of the Red Cross was held on the 22nd of January, 2021 in REPOSITIONING IRISH POTATOES IN Ibrahim Taiwo now D.B Zang, way, Jos Plateau state. Issues discussed were on PLATEAU STATE FOR INCREASE YIELD revalidation test conducted before distributing seeds to farmers. This was to AND EXPORT ascertain the parameters and quality of the seeds. A meeting between NASC and Nigerian SENSITIZATION OF SEED INSPECTORS Export promotion Council North Central A Sensitization programme was organized was held on the 28th of January 2021 at the for all NASC Seed Inspectors from South- West, South-East, North-West, North – NASC North Central Regional office Jos- East and North-central region, from 18th to 21st of January 2021. The Inspectors Bukuru bye pass Plateau state. The were sufficiently capacitated on how to effectively carry out their duties as well as objective of the meeting was to strengthen Strategic Seed market surveillance and enforcement of Seed standards, Intelligent NASC relationship with its stakeholders. gathering, and knowing the relevant sections in the NASC Seed Act No 21 0f In the meeting, NASC was called upon to 2019 as it relate to Seed Inspectorate Activities, amongst others. support in the area of capacity building towards repositioning Irish Potatoes in Plateau state for increase yield and Export The Hon. Commissioner for Commerce, Mr. Joseph A Aku, 2nd from the left, & Regional Coordinator Mr. Oluwole Monehin next to him Group photograph of participant at the workshop Group photograph of participant at the sensitization programme 5

Group photograph of participant with the Director Seed Director Seed Inspectorate department and Regional Director Inspectorate department and Regional Director South-West Region South-West Region on IAT&T seed field STRATEGIC SURVEILLANCE AND FIELD VISIT OF CONFINEMENT COMPLIANCE INSPECTION VISIT TO SEED PRODUCING AGENCIES IN THE TRANSGENIC HYBRID MAIZE SEED SOUTH – EAST AND SOUTH – WEST REGION TRIALS AT IAR RESEARCH FIELDS Strategic surveillance and Compliance The Institute of Agricultural Research inspection visit to Seed Producing Agencies was carried out in the South – (IAR) Zaria organized a field visit of East and South – West Region between confinement transgenic hybrid maize seed 11th – 15th January 2021, Strategic Surveillance and compliance Inspection trials at IAR research fields on Wednesday activity is an exercise carried out with the 20th January, 2021. The principal overall objective of accessing the level of compliance of seed producers and seed investigator of the project, Prof. Rabiwu dealers in the area of Seed sorting, Adamu said the essence of the project was processing, packaging, tagging and to have hybrid maize varieties that are storage and to National Agricultural seeds Act No 21 of 2019 and other statutory tolerant to pest like stemborer, fall army documents. worm and draught tolerant. The project is Director Seed Inspectorate department on compliance visit inspection founded by AATF in Nigeria and some other Africa countries. These field trials are the third, after which will be presented to NABDA for environmental friendly approval of the products, two other trials will also be carried out before it shall be presented to National varietal release committee for the final approval of the varieties. Presently the crops are at the vegetative stages, according to the head of field research of the project Dr. Oyekunle Muyideen, the BT trials were given same dosage with the conventional varieties in which the conventional varieties are susceptible to stemborer and fall army worm attack, unlike the BT maize that showed tolerance to the pest attack as 6

seen in the attached pictures. The ONGOING CONSTRUCTION/BUILDING Executive Director IAR in person of Prof. PROJECT OF NASC NORTH-EAST Ishak Mohammed applauded the efforts of REGIONAL OFFICE BCJ, AKKO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, GOMBE STATE the scientists on the project, that when The ongoing construction/ building finally released farmers will have a succor, project of the North – East Regional office as the insects infestation on maize account which commenced in February, 2018 at for about 80% loss. Mr. Idi Mohammed the moment is about 95% completion. The 3ha office complex when completed will (Regional Certification Officer) boost of 6no office block, 1no. Seed testing represented the Regional Director, laboratory of ISTA standard, 1no Seeds store, 1no. Standard conference Hall and a (North/ West NASC) at the program, the 1.5ha of virgin land for Grow- Out test seed companies in attendance were; Techni (GOT) and other demo purposes. The seeds Ltd. Premier seeds Ltd, Maslaha State-of-the-art office complex/permanent site project undertaken by DG NASC (Dr. seeds Ltd, Nagari seeds Ltd. Also in P.O Ojo) is expected to be ready for attendance were Media teams and NABDA commissioning/use in 2021. officials. Mr. Idi Mohammed at the maize seed trials at IAR research Ongoing construction of NASC office complex at NASC North- fields East Regional Office Ongoing construction of NASC office complex at NASC North- Confinement transgenic hybrid maize seed trials at IAR research East Regional Office fields 7