ibironkeeniola 
Bayer Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, Germany, has set out to improve maize production in Nigeria through its Bayer ‘Much More Maize’ toolkit.
The toolkit includes Dekalb which is a quality hybrid maize seed, Lagon which is a selective pre-emergence herbicide specifically designed for maize and cassava, a protective herbicide option known as Decis and Belt Expert which is a highly effective crop protection product.
Speaking at the just-concluded third edition of the Nigeria Maize Conference which held virtually in Abuja, the President, Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN), Alhaji Bello Abubakar Annur, stated that the challenges facing maize production and the inadequate supply of certified seeds in Nigeria acted as catalysts that spurred the birth of the Nigeria Maize Conference by Bayer Nigeria.
He highlighted some of the achievements of MAAN which included the facilitation of access to mechanisation, capacity building of its members on good agronomic practises and the empowerment of more than one million farmers through the CBN Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP).
According to him, “Nigeria needs to aim higher in maize production and we expect more investment in agriculture and with such investment, we don’t expect anything less than higher produce, and increase in maize production to bridge the gap in both industrial and local consumption.”
Present at the event was the Market Development Regional Manager, Bayer Crop Science in sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. David Wangila, who introduced Bayer’s integrated maize portfolio and hybrid seeds as solutions while adding that the hybrid seeds have the yield potential of up to 10.9 tonnes per hectare and are tolerant to striga, leaf diseases, Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) and the maize streak virus.
For his part, Mr. Joseph Kibaki, the Agronomic Operations Manager (East, West and Central Africa) Field Solutions for Bayer, said while their seeds are tolerant to some of these viruses, it is also important to ensure proper seed treatment to protect the potential of valuable seeds.
Kibaki stated that with proper implementation of the Much More Maize portfolio and good agronomic practices, farmers could see results in as little as four weeks with appreciable growth of their maize crops along with increase in profitability.
Bayer is an innovation company with a more than 150-year history. Its scientific successes are intended to help improve people’s lives. It is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture.
SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA