Nigeria approves genetically modified insect-resistant and drought-tolerant maize varieties to resist Chilo suppressalis and Spodoptera frugiperda

The Federal Government of Nigeria, at its 33rd meeting at the NACGRAB in Ibadan on January 11, officially approved the commercialisation of a genetically modified insect-resistant and drought-tolerant maize variety, TELA, a measure that will help achieve food and nutrition security in the federal Government's agricultural transformation agenda.

SAMMAZ 72T, SAMMAZ 73T, SAMMAZ 74T and SAMMAZ 75T, the approved insect-resistant and drought-tolerant maize varieties, can effectively resist the infestation of the major maize pests Chilo suppressalis and Spodoptera frugiperda, and increase the maize yield to 10 tons per hectare. This is well above the current average yield of 6 t/ha of hybrid maize varieties in Nigeria. It is reported that Chilo suppressalis and Spodoptera frugiperda have seriously affected the production of several major African maize producers, and the Spodoptera frugiperda alone leads to the loss of up to 20 million tons of maize in Africa every year.

Both the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria and the National Biotechnology Development Agency said the approval of TELA maize is an important milestone in achieving national food and nutrition security and boosting farmers' incomes.

The development of TELA ,a maize varieties, is led by the TELA Maize Public-Private Partnership, coordinated by the Institute of Agricultural Research of Samaru (IAR), the University of Dubelo Ahmed-Zaria through the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), and is currently underway in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa.

Other partners in the TELA maize project include the National agricultural research institutes of Kenya, Mozambique, Ethiopia and South Africa, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and Bayer AG. Funding came from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).