Delay in the Commercial release of Nigeria's first genetically modified grains

The release of Nigeria’s first genetically modified (GM) food crop, Pod Borer Resistant (PBR), cowpea which has been approved by the Federal Government for commercial release is experiencing delay due to the impact of COVID-19.
Before the Coronavirus outbreak, farmers were at the verge of getting the newly released Bt cowpea known as the Pod Borer Resistant (PBR), cowpea for the 2020 farming season.
While farmers have been waiting to try the new crop on their farms after battling pod borer (Maruca) infestations for years, the COVID-19 pandemic may has interfered with the proposed planting of Bt cowpea, which is one of Nigeria’s most important staple crops.