Group calls for increase in production, consumption of vitamin A maize in Nigeria

By Amaechi Agbo

The need for increase in production and consumption of Vitamin A maize to boost efficient and sufficient health nutrient among Nigerians have been emphasised.

Country manager, HarvestPlus, a non-profit research organisation that leads the global effort to improve nutrition and public health by developing staple food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals; Yusuf Dollar, made the call while addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday.

Mr Dollar while explaining that the vision of the organisation is to create a world free of hidden hunger, said they have produced and distributed over 9000Mt of vitamin A maize across the country.

“Our vision is a world free of hidden hunger. We believe that hidden hunger can be solved by actively increasing the level of micronutrients in the diets of those who are deficient.

“With our partners, we develop new, more nitrous varieties of staple food crops that provide higher amounts of vitamin A, iron or zinc – the three micronutrients identified by the World Health Organisations (WHO) as most lacking in nutrients globally.

“At the beginning of 2021 wet season, over 9000MT of vitamin A maize seed was produced and distributed throughout the country by over 20 seed companies.

“HarvestPlus carried out activities along the seed system to strengthen access to these seed varieties so that farmers can have access. A vitamin A maize varieties which matures within 80 days of planting to harvest is at the moment being harvested from various agro regions of the country.

“This, no doubt, calls for multifaceted efforts to increase production and consumption of vitamin A maize with a view to improving our nutritional value,” he said.

In his speech, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, (FMARD), Mr Ileke Andulrazaq, who is the Head of Nutrition and Food Security in the ministry, commended HarvestPlus for coming out with their Research output on having Nigerian maize fortified.

“HarvestPlus is complementing the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria in our strife to attain food and nutrional security through the promotion of nutrional safety agriculture.

“We commend HarvestPlus on the initiative of bringing research to bear so that we have our staple crops fortified with essential micronutrients.

“We have major staples that Nigerians can take for granted that we have in sufficient quantity but this may not be essentially sufficient if we do not have the complement of micronutrients.

“Without having these micronutrients, you will be suffering from hidden hunger. We are pleased with HarvestPlus for coming out with a research on having our maize fortified with vitamin A,” he concluded.