"It has been an exciting and challenging journey. The excitement stems from the fact that we have been able to meet our targets and achieve our goals. The challenge lies in expanding our horizons in horticultural farming activities in Nigeria and fulfilling the expectations of our stakeholders, particularly the mandates set by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and our supervisory agency, the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria.
These opportunities have emerged to fulfill the Federal Government's objectives of ensuring food security, sufficiency, and affordability, especially concerning horticultural crops. Horticultural inputs are essential for various food items, such as tomatoes, vegetables, and spices used for nutritional and medicinal purposes.
With the support of the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the Agricultural Research Council, and our dedicated staff, we have made significant progress.
Regarding the opportunities we have identified, let's take mangoes as an example. Nigeria is among the top producers of mangoes globally, and we are fortunate that mangoes thrive abundantly across the country. Last year, an opportunity arose, and despite facing challenges due to COVID-19 and industrial action, we managed to overcome them. We enhanced security measures and reclaimed most of our mango orchards. Consequently, we had an abundant mango harvest this year. However, the market couldn't absorb the raw mangoes' quantity, prompting us to explore value addition. At NIHORT, we possess the technology to process mangoes into organic juice without the need for preservatives or additives. We successfully introduced this product to the market. This represents one of the opportunities we have identified. In the upcoming mango fruiting season, we plan to share this technology with farmers.
There are other examples of opportunities. The Federal Government has mandated us, through the Ministry of Agriculture, to focus on unemployed youths across the geopolitical zones. This project has been ongoing for three years or more. I proposed modeling it and replicating its success nationwide. Notably, we have outstations across the country in each of the six geopolitical zones, such as Baguada, Dadinkowa, Otukpa, Riyom, and Mbato.
Currently, we have over 40 participants in our horticultural academy for youths selected from various local governments in Oyo State. We conducted both lowland and upland farming, utilizing irrigation and rain-fed methods, respectively. The outcomes have been fantastic. We provided training, monitoring, mentoring, stipends, and inputs for these participants, enabling them to cultivate various crops such as vegetables, tomatoes, and pumpkins. We also have a marketing unit that connects them with off-takers for their products. Through a sharing formula, the participants earn income and pay taxes to the government.
Another opportunity worth mentioning is the successful revitalization of our power system, which enables us to collect germplasm from across the country. By storing this germplasm in our gene bank, we can preserve many endangered plant species. These opportunities align with our vision of establishing a comprehensive and inclusive system.
Moving on to the challenges, they are constant and ever-present. Funding is a significant challenge, and we strive to optimize the limited resources at our disposal. However, an uplift in resources would go a long way in addressing our problems. Another challenge involves achieving synergy within our system and overcoming bureaucracy and communication gaps. We are actively working on surmounting these obstacles.
One specific challenge relates to the multiplication of tomato seeds. We recently released three varieties of tomatoes that can adapt to all agricultural zones in Nigeria, including drought-resistant varieties. However, we require funds to multiply these seeds. We have communicated our needs to the Ministry, and we hope the necessary funds will be allocated soon.
Ensuring the reach of our initiatives to end users poses another challenge. For instance, when I arrived, we lacked project vehicles to access rural areas. Procuring vehicles became essential. However, we have managed to overcome many of these challenges. We are currently in the process of seed multiplication for the released tomato varieties, aiming to provide certified seeds to farmers.
Another challenge revolves around the purchasing power of farmers. We developed a breakthrough technology to combat the tuta absoluta disease, a tomato pest. We produced an organic and environmentally friendly solution, which is 100% locally made and even has a patent. However, many farmers cannot afford it at the current price. Thus, we are working with the ministry to subsidize this bio-pesticide, ensuring its affordability for farmers. We believe that with collective effort, we can overcome these challenges.
Regarding the transformation of NIHORT, it used to be referred to as 'NI-HOT' due to its history of facing consecutive crises. However, we have resolved those issues, and NIHORT is now 'NI-cool,' as evidenced by the present environment. I firmly believe that effective communication is the most powerful tool in the world. Even in conflicts like Ukraine and Russia, parties eventually sit down for dialogue. Therefore, when I assumed this role, I prioritized consultation. When you calmly engage with anyone, even someone seemingly irrational, they will listen to you. We emphasize effective communication, transparency, justice, equity, and fairness. When people observe these values, they remain calm and receptive. As a result, NIHORT has become a harmonious and progressive institution. Significant achievements have been made in this regard.
Looking ahead to the end of my tenure, my vision is to establish a perfect working system and environment where most of our operations are automated. For example, when I visit the field during the dry season, I should not need to request irrigation or inform the farm management to prepare the land. These tasks should be inherently known. Synergy will prevail across the board, ensuring seamless workflow. We are already implementing such practices in our research activities. I aspire to build a robust institution rather than relying solely on strong individuals.
As for the issue of providing land to farmers, it stems from a policy issued by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. In 2020, following the COVID-19 lockdown, all agencies and parastatals were instructed to open up lands for cultivation. NIHORT, being a government-owned institution, possesses land in various locations. We evaluated farmers and stakeholders involved in the agricultural value chain, ensuring their authenticity. We entered into Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with eligible individuals or representatives of farmer groups and allocated portions of our land to them. Through this initiative, we transfer technology and knowledge to the farmers, while also using the fields as demonstration plots. Our intention is to facilitate mentorship and model sustainable farming practices. However, we restrict them to cultivating crops aligned with our mandate. The agreements are periodically renewed, typically lasting two to three years, as the land belongs to the government and may be required for other purposes. Furthermore, this approach allows us to practice rotational or fallow cropping, ensuring optimal land utilization and organic farming. This initiative addresses the challenge of effectively disseminating research outcomes to end users by bridging the proximity gap.
