Popular Nigerian organisation HarvestPlus Nigeria has introduced new micronutrient standards for biofortified crops, specifically provitamin A maize and iron-rich pearl millet.
The launch took place on Thursday at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, drawing the attention of agricultural experts, farmers, researchers, and government officials.
Speaking at the event, Dr Yusuf Dollah, Country Manager of HarvestPlus Nigeria, explained that the new standards were introduced to ensure Nigerians have access to crops containing essential vitamins and minerals for healthy living.
He said the standards would also help curb the growing issue of counterfeit seeds in the market. According to him, some traders have been selling regular yellow maize as vitamin A maize due to its similar appearance.
The new standards, he said, will help farmers, breeders, and regulators differentiate between genuine biofortified crops and fake ones.
Dollah revealed that two standards were officially launched, one for vitamin A maize and the other for iron and zinc millet. He stated that the launch was strategic, and most crop varieties had been developed at IITA. He also noted that the Ibadan office serves as the country base for HarvestPlus.
He added that the firm would continue to partner with both public and private sectors to scale up the production and consumption of nutrient-rich crops while creating economic opportunities for farmers.
Notable attendees at the launch included HarvestPlus Policy Advisor, Aremu Fakunle John, National Chairman of the National Variety Release Committee, Prof. Olusoji Olufajo, and Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mallam Nuhu Kilishi.
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