The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has earmarked $400 million to boost maize production in Africa, acording to the Director of the Institute of Agricultural Research at Nigeria's Ahmadu Bello University, Professor Ado Gark.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the project was aimed at increasing food production and reducing hunger in Africa. The initiative, Garki added, was also aimed at capacity building, training of African farmers and extension workers on the production of drought tolerant maize.
He said the institute and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) would participate in the project. Garki said the project was aimed at increasing maize production by small holder farmers in Africa by between 20 and 30 per cent.
He promised that the institute would collaborate with national and international organisations to achieve the aim of providing improved maize varieties to farmers in Nigeria.
Punch