Helping to breed better beans

Beans, also known as cowpea, are an important staple crop in sub-Saharan Africa, serving consumption needs as well as being a good source of quality fodder for livestock. Beans are the fourth most important source of protein in Nigeria and other parts of the world. However, cowpea farmers face a challenge with a traditionally low yield factor due to its susceptibility to many insect pests at different stages of its production lifecycle.To meet the challenge, scientists and research institutions are developing better beans to combat pests, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Dry beans are a vital staple in Nigeria and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, providing the main source of dietary protein for more than 70 million people. Nigeria is the largest cowpea/pulses producer in Africa and the fourth largest in the world after India, Canada and Burma.

Despite that it is grown all over the country, only six states – Borno, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kano, Gombe and Yobe – grow the crop  commercially. Their produce is not enough for consumption, a reason,  Nigeria imports cowpea from  Cameroon, Niger and Benin Republic to make up.

Growing beans, also known as cowpea, has many benefits. Its rich nutrient consists of vitamins, minerals and protein, making cowpeas an important food source for many who can’t afford meat. These include supplying 25 to 30 percent of the recommended levels of iron and meeting 25 percent of the daily requirement of magnesium and copper as well as 15 percent of the potassium and zinc requirement, scientists say.

There is a market for common beans in Nigeria. With good agricultural practices, including good soil preparation, using fertiliser, if required, using good seeds, and planting seed at 30-40 kg/acre, farmers can harvest over 800 kg/acre. In the last three years, farmers have been battling harmful pests.

But post-harvest storage loss of beans has been a major challenge among smallholder farmers. It has led to a huge loss of Nigeria’s export market for beans.

In January 2013, the European Union (EU) placed a temporary suspension on dried beans from Nigeria for one year over the excessive use of chemicals by  farmers to control a pest, Maruca Vitrata, from damaging crops on the field. Farmers were also found to be over using chemicals and pesticides in preservation of beans, without regards to human health.

However, again in mid-2015, the EU suspended the export of selected Nigerian agricultural produce into their member countries. The details were outlined in the EU regulation 2015/943 as amended by Regulation 2016/874.

The ban was extended by three years from the June 2016 deadline due to the observation of non-compliances to pesticides and other chemicals minimum acceptable residue level of 0.01 milligram/kilogram (mg/kg).It was discovered that Nigerian dried beans still contained high pesticide residues considered dangerous to human health.