Tunis:The Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) has urged the adoption of advanced breeding technologies to enhance crop productivity, improve farmers’ livelihoods, and bolster agricultural resilience against climate change. Dr. Isona Gold, the Executive Director/Chief Executive of NIFOR, highlighted this need at a workshop in Benin focused on Genomic Selection in Crop Improvement.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Dr. Gold emphasized the necessity of modern breeding techniques to increase agricultural productivity amid challenges such as climate change, rising population, and urbanization, which strain available agricultural land. NIFOR, established in 1939, supports the value chains of oil palm, coconut palm, date palm, raffia palm, and shea trees, achieving significant advancements in developing improved planting materials and technologies.
NIFOR has reported palm oil yields of four tonnes per hectare annually on medium- and large-scale farms, and 3.5 tonnes per hectare on smallholder farms using half the recommended fertilizer dosage. Additionally, the institute achieved yields of 200 coconuts per tree, about 40,000 nuts per hectare at full maturity, and developed technologies enabling date farmers to produce over 30 tonnes of fruits per hectare annually. The raffia palm also shows economic potential with sap yields of about 1,000 liters per tree per year.
Dr. Gold cautioned that climate change, increasing temperatures, desertification, population growth, and urbanization challenge agricultural production. NIFOR aims to increase palm oil production from the current four tonnes per hectare annually to six tonnes, despite changing climatic conditions. He encouraged workshop attendees to learn from experienced experts in oil palm breeding.
The programme included a presentation by Dr. Claude Bakoume, Africa Regional Representative of the International Society for Oil Palm Breeders, who explained the importance of genetic variation in crop improvement. He noted that oil palm breeders primarily focus on increasing oil yield and enhancing disease resistance and environmental adaptation. Conventional breeding requires time to develop and select plants with superior performance across generations.
Prof. Dennis Vwioko, a participant, noted that genomic selection would make crop breeding more systematic, traceable, and efficient, though it would not yield immediate results. Dr. Rajinder Singh from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board highlighted the dual oil-producing capability of oil palm and its significance in meeting the growing global demand for vegetable oils.