The National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), Badeggi, Niger, and an agro-chemical company, unveiled a new herbicide (Patriarc) on Monday to effectively control weeds and boost rice production.
The company’s Country Manager, Nigeria and Ghana, Dr Emmanuel Akor, inaugurated a one-day “Green-Field Day’’ for rice farmers in Niger at Badeggi, Bida Local Government Area to showcase the herbicide.
“I am sure that this year’s harvest will be bountiful, especially for rice because of the effective nature of `Patriarc’ in the control of weeds.
“This new weed control will help farmers to meet sufficiency in the production of rice as their major challenge has been weeds’ incursion.’’ he said.
“Patriarc is a novel against grass, sedges and broad leaves weeds with wide application and flexibility in rice production,’’ he added.
Demonstrating the efficacy of the herbicide to farmers, Mr Audu Dogo, Lead Agronomist at the NCRI said it kills weeds between four days and five days after application, with no negative effect on rice.
