Agriculture students from Hensard University, Toru-Orua, Sagbama visited the Bioresource Development Centre (BIODEC) in Odi, Bayelsa State, last Thursday.
The trip proved a valuable experience for the undergraduates, providing a practical insight into bioresource development in the Niger Delta region.
The delegation, led by Vice-Chancellor Professor Sudhakar Kota and including Director of Academic Planning Dr V Uppin and Professor Ibrahim Abbas Sodangi, received a warm welcome at the centre.
Students expressed their enthusiasm, describing the visit as “a great experience” and a memorable one.
BIODEC Odi is one of 39 bioresource centres established nationwide by the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA), operating under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Its core mandate is to harness indigenous bioresources – local plants, animals and microbes – for the benefit of agriculture, nutrition, health and industry within the Niger Delta.
The centre aims to transform Bayelsa’s rich biodiversity into sustainable employment and food security.
Currently directed by Dr Wood Timipanipiri, BIODEC Odi focuses on “bio-enterprises” and the application of biotechnology to empower local communities.
Key programmes currently underway include on-site cultivation of mushrooms, grasscutter (cane rat) farming, aquaculture, snail rearing and poultry production.
Furthermore, the centre is actively involved in crop and food security projects, notably a Lowland Rice Project and the distribution of improved cassava stems to farmers and entrepreneurs.
BIODEC also develops innovative food products from local crops, including brands such as Tomita, Odi-pap, GMark, G-Nut, BSG-Pap and 3-Star.
The centre also provides training and empowerment opportunities, alongside conducting advanced research utilising its well-equipped bioresources laboratories – previously recognised as amongst the best in Nigeria and Africa.
The educational visit was formally requested by Professor Sodangi, Head of the Department of Agronomy, who highlighted the importance of such excursions in the practical training of Hensard University’s agricultural students.
