Executive director, Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria (RRIN), Dr Lelia Nkechinyere-Dongo, has charged government at all levels and the citizens to redirect their investment to rubber cultivation to increase the nation’s gross domestic products (GDP).
She said by doing so, the nation stands the chance of turning around its fortunes to bring back the lost glory.
Dongo made the remarks yesterday while answering questions from journalists in Calabar.
She spoke shortly after the end of the 46th National Council on Agriculture and Food Security in Calabar adding that the country does not need to import all necessary irrigation facilities required for all-year farming if attention is given to the rubber sector.
She expressed displeasure over the neglect of rubber and called on policymakers in the agriculture sector to support research on the development of rubber to attract more investors to the industry and enhance foreign exchange earnings for the country.
“We’ve presented a memorandum on the development of early maturing rubber which is a major challenge to the sustainability of the rubber sector to the nation. The paper has been approved by the council,” she said.
Dongo stated that the long gestation period of rubber, which is about seven years, has deterred many farmers from cultivating it.
She stressed that reducing rubber gestation period to three years could encourage more farmers to go into its cultivation which she said could turnaround the fortunes of the nation.
Dongo stated that failure to heed to the clarion call would impact negatively on the present administration’s efforts to increase rubber cultivation at a growth rate of 5.7 per cent annually.
Dongo averred that the advocacy she made is achievable through molecular breeding as it was done in cocoa cash crop.
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