Better yield: PBR cowpea, Tela maize farmers call for seed subsidy

Despite the controversies generated by those who opposed the genetically modified Pod Borer Resistant cowpea, Bt. Cotton and the Tela maize, farmers who cultivated and consumed the crops in the last few years said their yield got doubled within the same farm sizes. Since 2020, farmers across the country have been growing the PBR resistant […]

Despite the controversies generated by those who opposed the genetically modified Pod Borer Resistant cowpea, Bt. Cotton and the Tela maize, farmers who cultivated and consumed the crops in the last few years said their yield got doubled within the same farm sizes.

Since 2020, farmers across the country have been growing the PBR resistant cowpea (beans) variety Sampea 20T. 

In Nigeria insect pests have an impact on cowpea production, particularly the legume pod borer, Maruca vitratar, which results in the greatest pre-harvest losses, lowering grain quality and reducing grain yield by as much as 80%. 

Nigerian scientists discovered PBR cowpea (Bt. cowpea), which has built-in protection against Maruca damage, as a remedy for Maruca damage for the benefit of African farmers.

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TELA maize was commercially launched in 2024 after Nigerian scientists at the Ahmadu Bello University did research that provided a variety engineered to decrease drought risk, fall army worm, and stem borer disease, which went through safety checks and field trials.

Speaking during the Farmers’ field day in Kuje and Kwali area councils of the federal capital last week organized by the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA), in collaboration with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), farmers said it has been a wonderful experience growing these crops and called on government to subsidized the seeds to enable farmers double their yields.

As climate change affects farmers’ harvests, they have urged the federal government to help farmers by providing subsidised seed and further research that could result in the development of high-yielding varieties.

Judith Okpanachi, a 52-year-old mother of three who grows genetically modified beans in Kwali Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory, said that in her more than three years of farming GM beans, she has not noticed any degradation of the land on her farm.

 “I have been planting this GM beans for over 3 years, and I have never regretted it, naturally, I don’t eat beans because it gives me heartburn, but when I was introduced to this bean, I had a doubt, but I gave it a trial by planting in a small portion of land.

“When I planted, I harvested, cooked it and ate it without getting heartburn. Another thing I noticed was that the beans gave me a bountiful harvest with just a small portion of land”.

On the environmental hazards the Anti-GMO have been promoting, Okpanachi explained that with the conventional variety of beans, she used to spray up to 12 times chemicals to control the Maruca Vitrata (Pod Borer insect), but with the GM beans, she sprays just three times to tame other pests.

 “The former beans I was planting were not giving me good harvest and planting it was very stressful because I had to be spraying chemicals to control pests, but this GM variety, I sprayed only three times, it was less stressful to plant and harvest.

“When I ate it, the taste was the same as the conventional variety, there is no health implication because I have been eating it for three years now. My relatives enjoy eating it because at the time I harvest, I send to them’, she added.

Damaye Yohanna, a farmer in Kuje, said that PBR cowpea generated noticeably higher yields and needed fewer pesticides than ordinary beans. 

“I farmed five hectares and got many bags, compared to just three bags from the same land using conventional bean varieties,” he said.

A farmer from Keffi, Nasarawa State, Cyprain Ede who attended the field day noted the suitability of TELA maize for making local foods like semo and its preference among food vendors due to its superior texture.

On harvest, Ede noted that he got a total of 42 bags of TELA during harvest in 10 plots of land which is a hectare of land, while he usually gets 25 to 35 bags with conventional varieties of maize. 

“In 10 plots which is a hectare of land, I get 42 bags compared to the conventional varieties which I used to get 25, 32 or 35 bags”.

Pastor Olaseinde Idowu Mustapha, the Deputy Director FCT Agricultural Development Project (ADP), explained that apart from insect resistant traits, why he prefers the TELA maize variety to the conventional varieties is because it is climate resilient.

“TheTELA maize variety doesn’t lodge, when there is wild wind, this TELA maize do not lodge, it may bend, but within that day, it will stand again, unlike the other maize varieties, when they bend, their roots will go with them and they will die. Pest does not attack it”.

He also explained that in his farm in Gwagwalada, he planted TELA maize alongside other crops, hence the information that TELA maize exists alone in the farm is totally false.

“People say you cannot plant other crops along GM crops, that is false, I planted other crops along the TELA maize, the crops grew together and did well on the farm.

“As far as I know, this TELA maize should be spread to other African countries. There is nothing wrong with GMO, I have been eating it.

“There is a need for a rigorous campaign for TELA maize, they should engage extension workers through the ADPs because they are closer to the rural farmers. Many farmers do not know TELA maize”, he further explained.