The Workshop on Gene Bank and Management of Fertilizer Production was held in Abuja, Nigeria from 15th- 17th May, 2012. The meeting, hosted by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, was attended by 87 participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Turkey and Nigeria, which also included representatives from such stakeholders as private sector seed and fertilizer industries, and local and international NGOs. 

 

The Workshop was chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, who is the D-8 Commissioner for Nigeria as well as the out-going Chair of the D-8 Commission. The meeting reviewed the activities of the D-8 member countries with respect to seed and fertilizer which had been agreed in the previous meetings in February 2009 (Malaysia) and April 2010 (Egypt), especially with regard to the establishment of a data base and reports on the level of compliance of member countries with the time frame for the implementation of the agreed activities.  The meeting also discussed, in particular, two priority areas; development and management of Seed Bank and the production and supply of quality fertilizers.

 

The Workshop’s final communiqué urged D-8 member countries to harmonize their policies in this area.  It also recommended the development of legal and policy framework for promoting and strengthening intra-D-8 Germplasm (seed) Exchange Program, collaborative research and technological transfer on germplasm access, collection and benefit sharing, preservation and use. In view of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Nigerian Government, the participants at the Workshop also urged Nigeria to participate in Seed Banking of other crops, such as rice, maize, wheat and potato.

 

The full report of the meeting can be downloaded from this website(Document & resources menu).

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 Nanngronline