NBRDA, BOA Join Forces to Combat Ginger Blight and Revive Nigeria’s Ginger Industry
The Director General of the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA), Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, has affirmed the Agency’s commitment to deploying biotechnology-driven solutions to address the devastating ginger blight outbreak and restore Nigeria’s position as one of the world’s leading ginger producers.
Prof. Mustapha made this known while receiving the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Mr. Ayo Sotinrin, and his team during a courtesy visit to the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
Discussions during the meeting centred on strengthening collaboration between NBRDA and BOA to develop and implement sustainable interventions aimed at tackling the ginger blight epidemic, supporting affected farmers and revitalising ginger production across the country.
The NBRDA Director General underscored the urgent need for coordinated action to address the disease, which has significantly reduced ginger production and threatened the livelihoods of thousands of farmers.
He highlighted ongoing research efforts by the Agency to combat the outbreak through biotechnology-based solutions, including the development of environmentally friendly biofungicides, improved disease management strategies and other innovative interventions designed to reduce disease incidence and enhance ginger productivity.
He added that NBRDA is also conducting field trials and validation studies to assess the effectiveness of these technologies under local conditions, with the goal of making proven solutions readily available to farmers.
Prof. Mustapha noted that collaboration with the Bank of Agriculture would help bridge the gap between research and on-farm application through improved access to financing, capacity building and extension support.
Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Mr. Sotinrin expressed the Bank’s readiness to collaborate with NBRDA in translating research breakthroughs into solutions that benefit farmers and agribusinesses.
He commended the proactive efforts of NBRDA in responding to the ginger crisis and other agricultural challenges facing the country.
The M.D. reiterated the Bank’s commitment to supporting initiatives that enhance agricultural productivity, create jobs and strengthen agricultural value chains across the country.
As part of resolutions reached during the meeting, both organisations agreed to establish a joint technical committee comprising representatives from NBRDA and BOA. The committee will develop a framework for collaboration, identify priority intervention areas and facilitate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise the partnership.
