The Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) has called for the adoption of advanced breeding technologies to improve crop productivity, strengthen agricultural resilience and increase farmers’ incomes.
NIFOR Executive Director, Dr Isona Gold, made the call on Tuesday in Benin at a workshop on genomic selection in crop improvement.
Gold said modern breeding techniques were increasingly necessary to address climate change, population growth and urbanisation, which were putting pressure on agricultural production.
He said NIFOR had developed improved planting materials and technologies for oil palm, coconut palm, date palm, raffia palm and shea trees.
According to him, the institute has recorded palm oil yields of four tonnes per hectare annually on medium- and large-scale farms and 3.5 tonnes on smallholder farms using half the recommended fertiliser dosage.
He added that the institute was working to increase palm oil production to six tonnes per hectare annually despite changing climatic conditions.
Gold urged sustained investment in agricultural research and development to maximise the economic potential of the crops.
Dr Claude Bakoume, Africa Regional Representative of the International Society for Oil Palm Breeders, said genomic selection could improve breeding by helping researchers identify desirable genetic traits.
Prof. Dennis Vwioko said the technology could make breeding more systematic and efficient, although results would require time.
Dr Rajinder Singh of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board also highlighted oil palm’s importance in food and industrial production, stressing the need to improve productivity to meet growing global demand for vegetable oils.
