JICA donates N20m seed inspection kits to boost Nigerian rice production

The Nigeria office of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Thursday in Abuja donated N20 million field inspection kits to the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) to stimulate rice production in Nigeria.

The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that the articles donated by JICA include 37 Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, 85 PVC boots, 85 safety suits and 85 face shields.

Introducing the elements, Mr Nakagawa Takayuki, chief representative of the JICA office in Nigeria, said the support would strengthen the capacity of NASC to carry out better field inspections for increased and improved rice seed production.

“On behalf of the Government of Japan, I hereby hand over these 37 GPS devices, 85 PVC boots, 85 safety kits, 85 face shields for distribution to NASC seed inspection offices across the country.

“Using this opportunity, I am also handing over 33 sets of paddy quality assessment tools, although the tools are not here today, we expect them to be delivered to the board in early September.”, did he declare.

Takayuki expressed confidence that the support would allow the Seed Council to conduct better field inspections for seed companies to increase and improve their seeds.

He said: “It is important to strengthen the field inspection capacity by NASC to increase the production of quality paddy seed.

“This will help increase rice production so that the risk of food insecurity can be mitigated.

While recounting the consequences of COVID-19 accompanied by a sharp drop in oil and a decline in the value of the naira for food security in Nigeria, Takayuki stressed the need for the country to increase national food production.

According to him, the increase in national food production is significant and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has made it a high priority as an emergency action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Since one of the most important inputs for rice cultivation is seeds, there is a need to increase the supply of quality seeds to increase rice production.

“The NASC bears an important responsibility in rice production, as the NASC is the exclusive organization responsible for inspecting and certifying breeder, foundation and certified seed in Nigeria.

“As part of the seed certification, the NASC sends its inspection officers to the field where the seed companies grow rice seeds.

“Taking the opportunity to visit the fields, the field inspection offices provide seed growers with technical advice to cultivate the seeds appropriately,” Takayuki said.

Receiving the articles, NASC Director-General Dr Phillip Ojo commended JICA for demonstrating its commitment to help Nigeria become self-sufficient in rice production.

Ojo said that JICA’s support would help the council’s efforts to improve the quality of rice seeds in the country.

While assuring that the equipment would be immediately deployed to the field for use, Ojo also commended JICA for the planned initiative to establish an Africa Field Innovation Center for Agricultural Technology (AFICAT).

He said AFICAT would serve as a basis for promoting advanced technologies and agricultural mechanization to improve agricultural productivity and the quality of agricultural products in Nigeria. (NAN)RELATED TOPICS:FEATURED JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY (JICA)JICA NASC NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SEED COUNCIL (NASC)RICE PRODUCTION UP NEXTIMF okays new $650bn SDR allocation DON’T MISSFIRS appoints banks to recover N1.8trn from MultiChoiceCLICK TO COMMENT

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