PREFACE

Although the theme of the symposium, "The Resources of African Fruits and Vegetables" was of a general nature, this is perhaps understandable bearing in mind that the status of knowledge and development of horticultural research and production in Africa is still at its infancy.

It is hoped that in future, attention will be focussed on more specific areas.

The Symposium was attended by about sixty participants from eight countries, with the host Country having the largest number of participation. We are however, quite delighted by the presence of some scientists from other West African countries and Europe, but the non-participation of scientists from Central and North Africa was rather disappointing.

The lack of participation was partly due to non-availability of funds to support several financial requests from many scientists in different parts of the Continent and elsewhere.

About forty-three scientific papers were presented in major areas of the theme, including genetic conservation and utilization of germplasm, problems and prospects of fruits and vegetable production and extension services and some aspects of post harvest handling, such as packaging and processing.

The papers were lively discussed, thus enriching their academic contents. Furthermore, deliberations at the final session culminated in some concrete proposals. These include among others, the need for all African countries to intensify their activities on the conservation of all available genetic stocks of African fruits and vegetables and make these freely available to interested scientists, while keeping duplicate of these collections in designated National and International Gene Banks.

It also stressed the need for scientists to employ standardized descriptors to characterise the local fruits and vegetables, so as to reduce the present confusion in their nomenclature.

Both ISHS and the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) should assist in these areas.

I wish to express my sincere thanks to all the members of the Organising Committee for their selfless services and also to commend their efforts in making the symposium such a success, thus leaving a very happy memory of all the events.

I also wish to express sincere appreciation to Mr.S.A.O. Adeyemi, the Director of NIHORT for placing all essential facilities in the Institute at our disposal, thus making our arduous task more pleasant and success more easily achievable.

The contribution of the Council of HORTSON is duely acknowledged for providing the framework of planning activities at all stages.

My science appreciation also goes to the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology for the financial support and the Conference Vehicle Unit (CVU) of the President's Offiew for donating the beautiful symposium bags.

The contribution and support of National Oil and Chemical Company, Swiss Nigerian Chemical Company Ltd, BEWAC and the Chemical and Allied Products Ltd are greatl acknowledged.


M.O. Omidiji

Convener


OPENING ADDRESS AT THE VITH AFRICAN HORTICULTURAL SYMPOSIUM ON MONDAY, 20TH JULY, 1981, AT THE CONFERENCE CENTRE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, IBADAN.

Your Excellency, the Governor of Oyo State, Honourable Minister of Agriculture, The Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Members of the Horticultural Society of Nigeria, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to Nigeria on behalf of the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on this occasion of the VIth African Horticultural Smposium. I understand that the 3rd, 4th and 5th African Horticultural Symposium were held in Kenya, Ghana, and Sudan, respectively.

Nigeria welcomes this international exchange of ideas on common problems and is proud to host this VIth African Horticultural Symposium. I would like to command the International Society for Horticultural Science for including in the Society's overall programme of activities, a forum which focuses attention specifically on African Horticultural problems.

The theme of your Symposium: The Resources of African Fruits and Vegetables, is of great interest and importance to us. Nigeria, and indeed most African Nations attach high priority to agricultural programmes of which horticultural development constitutes a major part. To us in Nigeria, this symposium is very timely, coming in the first year of our Fourth National Development Plan which accords the highest priority to the Green Revolution Programme. It is my hope that your Symposium will generate information which would eventually contribute towards the achievement of some of the set targets of the Programme.

The African continent is rich in a wide range of indigenous fruits and vegetables. These have significant potentials as source of food and raw materials for Agro-allied industries. A considerable number of these clearly useful African horticultural plants are merely collected wild, and with this neglect are now faced with extinction. It is imperative, therefore, that all efforts towards the systematic and comprehensive study of these horticultural plants be intensified to ensure that those with promising nutritional and economic value are improved through research and development to attain their fullest potentials.

Experts have impressed on us the importance of fruits and vegetables in our nutrition and consequently in our health. African Nations are faced with the great challenge of not only developing our fruit and vegetable industries to meet the nutritional requirements of our ever increasing population, but also filling an important gap in world trade in tropical horticultural products.

The human, land and other essential resources are available and waiting to be harnessed. The world market can accomodate large horticultural contributions from African countries. We must, therfore, take full advantage of our natural resources and develop our fruits and vegetables not only to improve the nutrition and health of our people, but also to earn the much needed foreign exchange through export.

As Scientists, you know that developing the improved planting material alone is not enough. The horticultural skill and experience to manage the improved seed, seedling or cutting must also be developed and the package efficiently transferred to our farmers for adoption. Our farmers must be helped to be more productive. This can only be done through the development of new technologies, broadly defined, and the effective transfer of such technologies to the farmers.

The task before you is enormous. I am, however, pleased to note that your programme and the listed contributions cover a wide range of topics of horticultural interest, including the post-harvest handling of horticultural crops, most of which are highly perishable. There is no doubt that in the next few days you will have stimulating discussions which will offer you the opportunity to compare notes for the mutual benefit of all.

I am informed that short tours have been arranged for you. I realise that your time is very crowded and limited. For those of you who are in Nigeria for the first time, I say that this Nation is rich in a variety of features and cultures. You should, therefore, take advantage of your visit to get to some places outside Ibadan.

Once again, I welcome you to the Federal Republic on Nigeria and wish you a very successful Symposium, a pleasant stay in a Nigeria and a safe return to your respective stations.
Thank you.

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

Mr. Chairman,

It gives me considerable pleasure to address you to-day. My pleasure derives partly from the fact that this is the first time that the International Society for horticultural Science (ISHS) in arranging any symposium in Nigeria. Nigeria is a very active Country Member of the ISHS, a member of its Council. Nigeria pays its dues promptly and participates in its Council meetings and congresses and relevant symposia wherever they are held in the world. The Federal Government has vested in the Director of the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) the power to represent Nigeria on the Council of the ISHS. And the Horticultural Society of Nigeria (HORTSON) has taken up membership of the ISHS.

No doubt Professor Norman, the representative of the ISHS, who brings us a message from the Society will address us about the activities of the ISHS and its expectations from this symposium. Therfore, suffice it for me to state here that the ISHS fosters international effort to advance the development of the science of horticulture in all its ramifications. It has done this very successfully through its congresses, symposia, special workshops and study groups and publications. We too, members of the Horticultural Society of Nigeria, are proud to be associated with the ISHS. We believe that through it, we also can proudly contribute to the advancement of horticultural science.

This symposium is the beginning of our contribution. We hope that at some future date Nigeria will be able to host one of the ISHS International Congresses. None of these congresses has been held in Africa. The 1982 congress will be held in Germany; the one for 1986 will be in the USA, and this was determined in 1978 ! Since the venus for such congress are determined about eight years in advance, I suggest that the Horticultural Society of Nigeria should consult immediately with the Federal Government and other relevant bodies so that the next available congress, probably in 1990 or thereafter, mey be held in Nigeria.

HORTSON is very glad to join hands with the National Horticultural Research Institute to host this symposium because it focusses on African indigenous fruits and vegetables. Nigeria is naturally endowed with a large variety of fruits and vegetables, and as in other parts of Africa they are largely unknown and unimproved and unexploited beyond our traditional usages. We believe that this symposium will help to start a process of African co-operative effort to remedy the situation.

We have been assisted in organising this symposium by Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. We also received financial assistance from the President's Office for Budget. I take this opportunity, on behalf of HORTSON and NIHORT to thank all those who have sponsored or given us assistance.

I also take this opportunity to welcome all participants to this symposium, from Nigeria and abroad. We wish you an enjoyable and happy and fruitful stay here during this week.

I am making this address primarly in my capacity as the President of the Horticultural Society of Nigeria (HORTSON). Therefore, I should like to address myself as this is going to be my last address as the President of HORTSON. I hope that our guests and participants from outside world find it interesting to know.

My pleasure also derives partly from the fact that this symposium also conincides with, and replaces the 4th annual conference of the Horticultural Society of Nigeria (HORTSON), that is to say, that HORTSON is only four years old. HORTSON was inaugurated on 11th October, 1977. The objectives of the Society are to foster the advancement and development of the science and art of all branches of horticulture in Nigeria, through research, conferences and meetings and publications. Membership includes Ordinary, Student, Grower, Honorary, Corporate, Associate, Felow and Life members.

Although it has not been specifically mentioned, one of the primary objectives of HORTSON is to educate the masses on how to produce fruits, vegetables and ornamentals. In particular, HORTSON is pursing the objective of being in intimate collaboration with farmers and other amateur horticulturists who have developed fine artistry in horticulture through generations of membership of the Society, including GROWERS and STUDENTS. I know that some farmers are here today and I feel pleased to welcome them specially. But it is the continuing concern of HORTSON to organise Grower-Members throughout the 19 states of the Federation. HORTSON's strength would lie in them.

Through a combination of circumstances, I have been President of HORTSON since its inauguration in 1977. During this period, the Society has tried to do an in-depth study of the state of horticulture in Nigeria and indentified the good and bad points. The good points are many, such as, the fact that:

1. fruits and vegetables from an integral part of traditional Nigerian diet.
2. Nigeria is endowed with a large variety of fruits and vagetables and, while many grow wild or semi-wild many other fruits and vegetables are cultivated and consumed by Nigerians and the environment favours their production.
3. people like to grow shade trees and flowers in their compounds.

The bad points are also many and completely ouvershadow and good ones, such as the poor mental attitute that fruits and vegetables are easy to grow, so why should somebody learn to do it; even more, wh should government invest in their development ? this jaundiced mental attitute has been perpetuated till now, and is the basic cause of the ills of horticulture.

Through the years wwe have highlighted the poor state of horticulture in Nigeria and proposed well-considered remedial actions. During the past years we have watched with dismay the poor status of horticultural development in Nigeria, the absence of clear positive actions to remedy the situation and the rather unhappy prospects for the future. Let me try and provide examples.

Although it has been stated many times before, there is justification in repeating in here that the Nigerian diet is peculiarly tied to fruits and vegetables. Throughout Nigeria, vegetables are an integral part of the staple food. We all know that any local food if substance which we eat consists of two parts, namely, the solid carbohydrate part, such as, rice, eba, pounded yam, fufu, tuwo, and the liquid soup which is made from a mixture of peppers, tomatoes, onions, leafy greens and fish or meat. It is reasonable, therefore, to declare that national efforts should be co-ordinated to increase the production of the two parts of the Nigerian diet. Unfortunately, this is not so. There is intensive investment in increasing the production of yam, cassava, rice, millet and sorghum, nut next to nothing in fruits and vegetables. For instance, in the Third National Development Plan, only about 0.3 percent of the investment in agriculture was put in horticulture by the Federal and State governments. We have seen once more, that government investment in horticultural development will fare even worse in the Fourth National Development Plan 1981 – 1985, because many State Ministries of Agriculture are cutting down on their horticultural activities, and the Federal Government has no specific programme for horticultural development. I shall return to this shortly.

Attention has been drawn many times to this lop-sidedness in Nigeria's agricultural development and the bad consequences. Somehow, those in positions to take remedial actions have refused or failed to do so. Bur for some inexplicable reasones, they do not believe that the Nigerian situation is different from that of other countries where the Green Revolution programme concentrated on only one or two cereal crops. therefore, they beleive that the strategy that succeeded in India and Asia and the Far East where all efforts were concentrated on rice would succeed in Nigeria too. it cannot and it will not. For one thing, rice is the staple food in these regions of the world. In Nigeria, we have several alternatives, and the preferences vary from place to place. Once again, Nigeria's agricultural planners and implementors know this, that is why many crops are included in the National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFFP). Since they know this much, why have they refused to include horticultural crops in the NAFPP ?

Even the current priority programme of Green Revolution has perpetuated the same error. It has completed or commissioned studies on agricultural research, food production (especially rice production) and livestock production. It has done nothing yet on the production of fruits and vegetables. The question is "why"? Is it because fruits and vegetables are not important? We know that fruits and vegetables are very important in the Green Revolution Programme. That is why in 1980, the theme of the Third Annual HORTSON Conference was "The leading role of Horticulture in Green Revolution", and we trashed out a lot of proposals at that Conference. Unless the Federal and State Governments activate horticultural development immediately, the success of the current Green Revolution Programme will be extremely limited.

There is no doubt that the agricultural planners and implementors know their stuff. Therefore, why have they continued, to relegate horticultural development to the background? At the first national seminar on fruits and vegetables in 1975, the participants made well-considered recommendations to various authorities of Government. This Society has made similar recommedations. But nothing substantial has been done to realise them. Some of the recommendations are as follows:

Staff training in horticulture

There is an actute scarcity of horticultural staff of all cadres in Nigeria. There is urgent need to have such people trained. Training facilities are inadequate. The Schools of Agriculture teach general agriculture, including horticulture. They should broaden their curricula for horticulture.

Similarly, the facilities of agriculture in the Universities should create opportunities for final year major in horticulture, in order to produce appropriate graduates in this field. In the training of the various staff, socio-economic factors should be taught. For extension services, all efforts should be made to select candidated from villages with the view of sending them back to live with and demonstrate to their people.

Training Scholarships

The Federal and State Governments are urged stimulate interest and rapid development in horticulture by the creation of a Division of Horticulture at both the Federal and State Ministries of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Division should be headed by professional Chief Horticultural Officers. This should engender better organisation and funding of horticultural projects at Federal and State levels. The field of horticulture covers the vast areas of pomology, olericulture, and floriculture. This arrangement will make for faster development of the fruit and vegetable industries of this country and lead to the desired specialization in this field. The present unfortunate attachment of horticulture to general agricultural programmes has led to the complete loss of its identity and the emphasis it deserves.

The position of horticulture in Nigeria as enumerated above is most certainly similar to what exists in many African Countries. I therefore urge all our African governments to initiate national programmes in horticulture and train appropriate personel in all aspects pf horticulture, that will develop the full potential of these valuable resources to meet both our local needs and for export.