Benue farmers select new varieties as cowpea harvest begins

Cowpea farmers in Benue State have expressed interest in selecting new varieties based on size, colour and taste as the harvest period signals the end of this year’s cropping season. For Yusuf Dindah, a cowpea farmer, the size and colour of a new variety will determine his preference for planting next season. “I want a […]

Cowpea farmers in Benue State have expressed interest in selecting new varieties based on size, colour and taste as the harvest period signals the end of this year’s cropping season.

For Yusuf Dindah, a cowpea farmer, the size and colour of a new variety will determine his preference for planting next season.

“I want a big white variety. I am already checking the number of pods on one peduncle, the seeds per pod, seed size, colour quality and biomass. These will influence my choice,” Dindah said.

Akepra Nadoo, who has cultivated both large and small cowpea varieties that cook quickly, said her preferred choice would be guided by past experiences.

“We (my family and I) farm both small and large cowpea varieties obtained from the right sources. Over the years, we found that they cook fast and taste delicious. They also have many seeds per pod and give us high yield, so we like them.

“I am going to select my preferred choice based on those qualities so that experts can develop more of such varieties for us to plant next year,” she added.

Like Nadoo and Dindah, many other farmers, at the weekend expressed their preferences for new varieties when the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in collaboration with Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (JOSTUM) (formerly Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM)), held a Farmers’ Field Day.

The event showcased the potential of climate-resilient cowpea varieties to increase productivity and wealth creation at the Cowpea Village along the JOSTUM–Gbajimba Road in Makurdi Local Government Area.

Our correspondent reports that the farmers walked line by line to examine the breeding lines at the university’s Cowpea Village as they applauded the scientists for previous breakthroughs in cowpea development, including the recently released Alkam Super variety.

Farmers such as Praise Asen, Ikyaahemba John and Elizabeth Edward, who both commended the developments, said they selected the big brown and small white cowpea varieties because the ones they tasted in the past were delicious.

Nguemen Iorshi, however, opted for the small white variety, which she has planted for the past four years and found its yield impressive.

Speaking at the event, a breeder at JOSTUM, Godspower Ekeruo, said the new breeding lines were still in the pipeline, just as he explained that the objective of the exercise was to showcase their potential so that farmers could select what they prefer for further development.

“These new breeding lines are promising varieties tested for striga and other diseases. Based on the farmers’ choices, we will increase the pod size and follow all the necessary procedures. We are here for them to observe the seeds, how they form, the number on a peduncle, then let us know their preferred choices so we can advance the lines.

“These plots contain different identities and varieties,” he said.

An agronomist and seed systems specialist at JOSTUM, Dr Teryima Iorlarmen, advised farmers to take advantage of the improved varieties being developed at the university to enhance their yields.

He explained that JOSTUM has been collaborating with IITA and Kirk House Trust to develop different cowpea types, noting that the event was organised to showcase technological advancements and demonstrate how the improved seeds perform in the field, allowing farmers to choose what suits them.

The agronomist said the invited farmers had selected varieties based on desirable traits, such as vigour, yield, seed size and colour.

Iorlarmen added that the team would analyse the farmers’ selections to determine which varieties received the highest preference and conduct further research on those with deficiencies.

“We at JOSTUM have made a lot of improvements in cowpea, which in the past was rarely planted in Benue. Today, Benue is giving Nigeria the highest yield, followed by Niger. We have developed FUAMPEA 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. We are developing varieties suited for the Middle Belt. Ten years ago, it was impossible to grow cowpea in Benue.

“We are not stopping at FUAMPEA 5; we will catch up with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) and develop FUAMPEA 20+. Whichever line the farmers choose today, we will push it through for further development,” he said.

The university’s head of the Department of Crop Production, Dr Bosede Akinyemi, urged the seed specialists to sustain the tempo, noting that the activities of the College of Agronomy have continued to put the institution in a positive spotlight.

She encouraged the experts to engage in more research to enhance food production in the country.

Also, the technical adviser on agriculture to the Benue State governor, Ochanya Okoh, applauded the experts at JOSTUM as she commended the project, saying it would go a long way towards ensuring food security in the country and Benue in particular.

“It is laudable to see that we are achieving food security in the state for Nigeria. From the inception, farmers are part of the process, so it is great that no one is imposing this (variety) on them. We are sure that Benue is in safe hands,” she said.

Vitalis Tarnongu, who is the chairman of the Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN) in Benue, said he had followed the progress of the Agronomy College from the inception of FUAMPEA 1, and thanked Professor Lucky Omoigui and Dr Iorlamen as the brains behind its impressive performance.

On his part, the state chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Pastor Ernest Atoji, hailed the university for justifying its mandate.

Atoji said, “With what this university is doing, we can be sure that we are close to achieving the food security the federal government is talking about. This is commendable. With so many varieties already developed and acclimatised to our weather condition, it has helped to answer the university’s mandate.”