Breeders identify cost management remedy for RTCs challenges

Plant breeders, bio -statisticians and breeding information managers crossed Africa (DR Congo, Kenya, Niger and Nigeria) person identified effectual outgo absorption successful breeding programmes arsenic antidotes to achieving targeted familial gains successful Root and Tuber Crops (RTCs).

The experts, who precocious converged astatine the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Abia State, to brainstorm connected RTCs Breeding Operations Costing, utilizing the Queensland University Breeding Costing Tool, said deficiency of consciousness astir due costing methods tin hinder close tracking that whitethorn pb to assets misallocation, and yet dilatory down genetics gains.

The store was a collaboration betwixt the Accelerated Breeding Initiative (ABI) of the Consulting Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the NRCRI, which has Professor Chiedozie Egesi, arsenic the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (ED/CEO).

ABI-Transform Lead, Dr Vishnuvardhan Reddy Banda, said successful bid to code the challenge, it is collaborating with the NRCRI to big the store with absorption connected outgo absorption for root, tuber, and banana breeding programmes, noting that effectual outgo absorption successful breeding programmes is straight linked to achieving targeted familial gains.

Participants were drawn from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; National Cereals Research Institute Badegj; International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Nairobi, Kenya, Niger and DR Congo with sponsorship from the ABI of the Consulting Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

The workshop, which featured presentations connected Cassava, Yam, Sweet Potato, Taro, Irish Potato, Maize, Soybean and Cowpea had Olivia Odiyo and Samuel Mutiga of CIMMYT, Nairobi Kenya, and Dr Joseph Onyeka of NRCRI, among others.

While flagging disconnected the workshop, the main host, Prof. Egesi, said the works breeders from DR Congo, Kenya, Niger, and Nigeria are gathered astatine NRCRI to make breeding metrics/schemes and fiscal models to instrumentality them thereafter.

“At NRCRI, we question to usage cutting borderline technologies to summation cultivation productivity arsenic a means to achieving Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Food Security and pivot to an agricultural-driven economy, which is simply a beardown objection of an effectual Consulting Group for International Agricultural Research – National Agricultural Research (CGIAR-NARS) concern successful Africa.”

At the extremity of the workshop, helium encouraged the participants to guarantee they show each they garnered successful their assorted institutions by filling up each spread to get on the paths of perfection and by truthful doing “make excellence a civilization that volition beryllium adjuvant to america successful projecting our images arsenic the close nationalist programme to beryllium utilized arsenic an illustration for the CGIAR-NARS network.”