Nigeria to release guidelines on biofortified maize to combat malnutrition

By Sonia Odigie Government officials and experts in agricultural sector have stressed the urgent need for a standardised policy on the release of biofortified provitamin A maize to enhance nutrition and combat malnutrition in Nigeria. This was the focus of a validation workshop organised by HarvestPlus in Abuja on Wednesday. The event brought together key […]

By Sonia Odigie

Government officials and experts in agricultural sector have stressed the urgent need for a standardised policy on the release of biofortified provitamin A maize to enhance nutrition and combat malnutrition in Nigeria.
This was the focus of a validation workshop organised by HarvestPlus in Abuja on Wednesday.

The event brought together key players, including the Variety Release Committee, the Seed Council, the Maize Association of Nigeria, the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, and academic experts, to validate draft standards ensuring that only maize varieties with the required beta-carotene levels are classified as provitamin A maize.

Dr. Yusuff Fou’ad, the Country Manager of HarvestPlus, said biofortification—achieved through conventional breeding—enhances staple crops with essential micronutrients and vitamins.

However, he warned that the absence of standardised guidelines means that ordinary yellow maize could be falsely marketed as vitamin A maize, misleading consumers and undermining efforts to tackle vitamin A deficiency.

“One of the constraints in Nigeria is the lack of a standard for releasing vitamin A maize. This means anyone can sell ordinary yellow maize as vitamin A maize. We are working with government agencies to set clear guidelines, ensuring that only varieties with a specific level of beta-carotene are recognised as vitamin A maize,” Fou’ad explained.

He noted that the workshop’s outcome would lead to a policy document defining micronutrient standards for the release of biofortified maize in Nigeria.
The policy document is scheduled to be officially launched on March 25, 2025.
The Director of the Nutrition and Food Safety Department at Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Nuhu Kilishi, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reducing malnutrition through biofortification.

Kilishi emphasised the need to expand biofortification beyond maize to include cereals, tubers, and vegetables.
He also said the government is working on cooperative farming clusters to enable large-scale cultivation and processing of biofortified crops, ensuring wider access to nutritious food across Nigeria.

Prof Olusoji Olufajo, the Chairman of the National Variety Release Committee, stressed the importance of updating standards for provitamin A maize to keep up with advancements in agricultural research.

“With new maize varieties containing higher levels of provitamin A, our standards must be revised accordingly. This validation process ensures that only high-yielding, nutritionally superior varieties reach farmers, boosting both productivity and income,” he said.
Olufajo noted that establishing a beta-carotene threshold will provide clear guidelines for maize variety classification and allow researchers to track progress in biofortification efforts.

Dr Mustapha Popoola, Special Adviser on Nutrition to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, said nutrition security is now a government priority alongside food security.

Once adopted, these guidelines will ensure that only nutritionally certified maize varieties are released to farmers, improving public health and strengthening the country’s food system.