Plant Breeders Seek Stronger Funding, Infrastructure for Food Sufficiency

Nigerian plant breeders and other stakeholders in the Agriculture sector have called for stronger funding, investment in infrastructure, research and breeding innovations to effectively combat food security challenges.

They made the call at the 4th International Conference of the Nigerian Plant Breeders’ Association (NPBA) held from Sept. 23 to 24, 2026 at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja, with the theme, “Leveraging Breeding Innovations and Strategic Partnerships for Agribusiness Investment, Stable Supply Chain and National Food Security in a Changing Climate”.

The two-day conference brought together researchers, seed companies, farmers, scholars, representatives of financial institutions, development partners, investors and government representatives.

Speaking in a discussion panel, the stakeholders harped on aggressive funding for the agricultural innovation ecosystem and deeper private-sector integration, stressing that plant breeding is fundamental to building climate-resilient, disease-resistant crops.

The panel, moderated by Prof. Sunday Makinde focused on “Breeding for Resilience and Securing the Future of Nigeria’s Food System: Imperatives for Genetic Resources Safeguard and Use”.

Dr Solomon Afuape, Director and Research Coordinator, Sweet Potato Programme, said inadequate infrastructure was discouraging investment in agriculture.

Afuape said investors could lose substantial resources when critical infrastructure and support systems required for agricultural production were not adequately addressed.

“After everything, the return on investment is nothing to write home about. There is no one that can make them put their money into it,” he said.

He said some major agro-companies had invested billions of naira but failed within five years, adding that inadequate power and transportation could weaken agricultural enterprises.

“If there is a weak link and you don’t address it, then the whole thing will collapse,” Afuape said.

He called for increased government funding for agricultural research, saying the number of funding agencies was less important than the resources available for research.

Afuape also stressed the need for Nigeria to increase agricultural productivity rather than continually expanding cultivated land, as agricultural land competes with other uses.

“We have limited land, so we must increase productivity. No matter how good and smart you are as a breeder, if you don’t have money, you’re going nowhere,” he said.

Also speaking, Prof. Muhyideen Oyekunle, a maize breeder at the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, urged researchers to partner with institutions whose mandates aligned with their innovations.

Oyekunle said such partnerships could help researchers develop stronger proposals and access funding locally and internationally.

Prof. Richard Akinwale of the Department of Crop Production and Protection, Obafemi Awolowo University, said environmental factors accounted for the largest variation in plant performance.

Akinwale urged plant breeders to collaborate with agro-climatologists and soil scientists to reduce environmental effects and develop crops capable of coping with multiple stresses.

“My definition of a crop that is resilient is a crop that is able to handle multiple stress.When we focus on one trait in developing a crop is over,” he said.

He also identified short-term funding and political cycles as challenges to agricultural research, which often requires longer periods to generate and apply results.

Dr Kayode Sanni, Global Lead, Biotech, Maize Seed System, African Agricultural Technology Foundation, highlighted the yield gap created by differences in crop management and input use.

Sanni said Nigeria recorded about three tons of maize per hectare, compared with significantly higher yields achieved in South Africa using similar genetics.

He urged breeders to move towards market-led breeding by aligning breeding objectives with commercial needs from the beginning of research and development.

Sanni said such an approach would help ensure that innovations developed through breeding responded to identifiable market requirements.

In another panel, stakeholders in the financial sector, including banks and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) called for new financing models to support crop variety development and strengthen Nigeria’s seed industry.

Speaking on the topic, “Innovating Financial Models for Advanced Crop Varieties and Seed Industry Development: Roles of Banks and DFIs in Food System Security and Agro-industrialisation,” moderated by Dr Fidelis Ekom, the stakeholders underscored the need for collaboration among financial institutions, government, development partners, research institutions and seed companies.

Dr Joshua Zira, Head, Agric (North), Strategy Partnership, and Solid Mineral Corporate and Investment Banking, said borrowers must understand loan conditions before accessing intervention funds.

Zira said applicants should identify themselves and their activities and carefully study the terms and conditions attached to financing before accepting such loans.

He said failure to understand loan conditions could lead to unexpected deductions when borrowers defaulted on repayment obligations.

“Any condition that says you should sign or keep, understand that condition or else you may regret what you sign,” Zira said.

He explained that some intervention loans operated under a Global Standing Instruction (GSI), allowing lenders to recover outstanding obligations from eligible funds within the financial system.

On development finance institutions, Zira said each DFI had models designed to achieve specific outcomes in line with its mandate.

He said such models could focus on addressing identified gaps across agricultural value chains, adding that unsustainable models would require review.

Dr Olushola Obikanye, Group Head, Agriculture and Solid Mineral Finance, said no single institution could address all financing needs within the agricultural sector.

“One entity in that sector cannot do it all. In other words, you cannot have a one-size-fits-all for any of the entities,” Obikanye said.

He said research and development required dedicated funding because commercial banks often lacked the type of financing needed for long-term agricultural innovation.

Obikanye, however, said commercial banks could collaborate with development finance institutions to support research, development, seed multiplication and primary production.

He said Nigeria could also develop stronger partnerships between seed companies and banks, similar to financing collaborations established in some other countries.

According to him, blended finance could help reduce the cost of funding and make improved seeds more affordable to farmers.

Also speaking , Samuel Ogbonnaya, Sustainability Head, said blended financing could enable seed multipliers to access affordable funds.

Ogbonnaya, who was represented by Sunday Giwa, an agronomist, said collaboration with development finance institutions and guarantee providers could help reduce the cost of financing for seed multipliers.

Engr. Baba Robert, Head of Agricultural Value Chain Production, Integration & Services and a Senior Manager at NIRSAL Plc, said the seed industry needed to address availability, quality, affordability, adoption, multiplication, distribution and farmer confidence simultaneously.

In his remarks, the Director-General, Dawn commission, Seye Oyeleye, said stronger synergy among stakeholders was necessary to expand agricultural financing.

Seye Oyeleye, who was represented by Tolulope Fadoju, said stronger synergy among stakeholders was necessary to expand agricultural financing.

The stakeholders also emphasised that financing models need to reflect the different timelines, risks and capital requirements associated with breeding, multiplication, distribution and adoption of improved crop varieties.