Nigeria: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual
Nigeria approves in January 2019, the commercial release of Pod-Borer Resistant Cowpea (PBRCowpea) event AAT709A. It also approves Bt. Cotton for commercialization; a pilot group of one thousand farmers now has access to biotech cottonseeds through the MAHYCO Seed Company Nigeria. On July, 27 2018, the National Center for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) commercialized two varieties of Bollgard II hybrid developed by MAHYCO (India) and Monsanto (now Bayer): MRC 7377 BGII (MAHYCO C 567 BGII) and MRC 7361 BGII (MAHYCO C 571 BGII). Africa Bio-fortified Sorghum and Nitrogen-and Water-use Efficient and Salt Tolerant (NEWEST) rice are at different stages of field and confined field trials.
