The Nigerian Plant Breeders Association (NPBA) has urged increased investment in agricultural research and scientific innovation to improve productivity, strengthen food security and reposition the country’s agriculture sector.
Victor Adetimirin, President of the association, made the call on Saturday in Abuja at a news conference to announce plans for the 2026 NPBA Annual Conference, scheduled for September 23 and 24 in the Federal Capital Territory.
Adetimirin said addressing Nigeria’s food insecurity would require greater investment in research and innovative agricultural practices, particularly as the country struggles to feed its expanding population amid worsening production challenges.
He identified climate change, emerging pests and diseases, declining soil fertility, pressure on available farmland, disruptions in agricultural supply chains and increasing production costs as some of the factors threatening sustainable food production.
“Meeting these challenges requires more than expanding the area under cultivation. Nigeria must also improve the productivity, resilience and profitability of its agricultural systems.
“Plant breeding is central to this process,” he said.
The NPBA president explained that investment in plant breeding was critical to producing improved crop varieties capable of delivering higher yields and withstanding pests, diseases, drought, heat and other environmental pressures.
He said plant breeders contributed significantly to sustainable agriculture by developing improved crop varieties through both conventional and modern breeding approaches.
“Investment in plant breeding and crop improvement is not only an investment in science; it is an investment in agricultural productivity, business development, supply-chain stability and national food security,” he said.
“Through conventional breeding, genetics, biotechnology, genomics and other modern tools, we develop improved crop varieties that produce higher yields and resist important pests and diseases,” he said.
Adetimirin stressed the need for closer cooperation among universities, research organisations, government institutions, seed companies, farmers, financial institutions, agribusinesses and development partners to ensure research findings translate into practical agricultural solutions.
He said the 2026 NPBA Annual Conference would be held under the theme, “Leveraging Breeding Innovations and Strategic Partnerships for Agribusiness Investment, Stable Supply Chain and National Food Security in a Changing Climate”.
According to him, the two-day conference would serve as a national forum for showcasing scientific breakthroughs, sharing knowledge, forging partnerships and examining ways to convert research innovations into commercially viable agricultural products and solutions.
“This is not just a scientific theme. It is a national development agenda that speaks to the question of how Nigeria can use science, innovation, partnerships and investment to build an agricultural sector that is more productive.
“A sector that is more resilient, more competitive and ultimately capable of feeding our growing population and also earning revenue through export,” he said.
Adetimirin said the conference would also bring together key players across the sector to examine how scientific discoveries could be transformed into products, businesses, investments and measurable outcomes.
“As we gather in Abuja on 23 and 24 September, our objective is not simply to celebrate advances in plant breeding.
“It is to address how those advances can be mobilised to create real opportunities for farmers, businesses, investors and the Nigerian people,” he said.
Also speaking, Peter Aikpokpodion, Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, said advances in plant breeding had improved the yield potential of crops available to farmers compared with traditional varieties.
He identified inadequate funding as a major constraint to plant breeding research and called for stronger partnerships between the public and private sectors to finance research programmes and strengthen seed systems.
Aikpokpodion said the conference would attract participants from across the agricultural value chain, including researchers, government agencies, private-sector players, banks, investors, seed companies, farmer associations, commodity organisations and academics.
“We are expecting bankers at this conference. Investors will be there, farmers will be there, commodity groups will be there, seed companies will be there and researchers themselves will be there,” Mr Aikpokpodion said.
He said the gathering was structured as a broad stakeholder platform rather than an event limited to academia, with participation expected from public and private institutions, research organisations and international bodies.
Aikpokpodion added that representatives of the African Development Bank, alongside delegates from the Republic of Benin, South Africa and other African countries, were expected to attend.
He said discussions at the conference would examine ways to use breeding innovations and strategic partnerships to move agricultural technologies from research centres to farmers, processors, markets and other end users.
Ijeoma Akaogu, Treasurer of NPBA, said advances in modern breeding technologies could reduce the time needed to develop improved crop varieties, while such varieties would still be subjected to established safety and regulatory procedures.
“We cannot just wait for 15 or 20 years before we get an improved variety, so we use improved technologies to speed up the process,” Ms Akaogu said.
She explained that technologies including genetic modification and genome editing were subjected to extensive laboratory, field, food-safety and environmental assessments before they could receive approval for commercial use.
Akaogu said the adoption of improved crop varieties could help farmers raise productivity while lowering their production expenses.
In his remarks, Charles Amadi, Team Lead of the Media and Publicity Sub-Committee of the Conference Planning Committee, said the event would provide an avenue for informed discussions on the role of plant breeding in agricultural development.
The Nigerian Plant Breeders Association is a professional organisation comprising plant breeders and other specialists working in crop improvement, genetics, biotechnology, seed science and related fields in Nigeria.
The association promotes scientific exchange, professional development, collaboration and advocacy, while advancing plant breeding as an important driver of agricultural development and national food security.
NPBA is an official affiliate of the African Plant Breeders Association, which represents plant breeders across the African continent.
