Gilbert Ekugbe
Stakeholders from the public and private sector have brainstormed on the way forward to boost cassava production in Nigeria and transform the root crop into a cash cow for the nation.
According to the stakeholders, the national cassava seed development summit would listen to case studies of successful seed entrepreneurs, identify and engage on the policy reforms required to galvanise the cassava seed sector to raise productivity and drive industrial growth projections.
They said that the summit would also promote impactful and economically sustainable seed models and build the capacity of stakeholders for effective seed system coordination and competitiveness.
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture ((IITA) in a statement stated that Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava, yield per hectare, but has stagnated at below 10 tons per hectare, making growers in the country uncompetitive, especially in the export market.
But the IITA and the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, have developed varieties with yield potential of more than 30 tonnes per hectare.
“The task is to get the varieties to farmers in an economically sustainable manner and tackle the challenge of low yield, “the Director for Development and Delivery, Dr. Alfred Dixon, said.
Dixon noted that in the last two years, the Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Cassava Seed System, phase 2 (BASICS-II) has developed a seed system model for cassava that is driving the adoption of improved varieties and creating jobs and wealth for farmers.
He observed that beyond cassava roots, marketing of improved cassava stems is a new income earner that Nigerian farmers need to take advantage of.
The Executive Director of the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), Dr. Dara Akala, said that “in 2016, during the first National Summit on Cassava, which PIND and partners facilitated, we did share a vision for cassava becoming an engine of economic growth, targeting a gross value of $5 billion per annum, both in investments and income. Since then, cassava has been steadily gaining recognition and importance in Nigeria as an industrial crop.’’
The 2021 Summit would feature technical sessions to address seed quality and quantity issues regarding policy directions, industry demands, finance, production and marketing, capacity development, productivity enhancement technologies, and legislative frameworks.
The Project Manager of BASICS-II, Professor Lateef Sanni, said: “This summit is one of our many engagement platforms with public and private sector stakeholders to develop a sustainable cassava seed system. It is a system that would give farmers access to quality seeds of improved varieties to provide the best raw materials to food and processing industries and stimulate economic growth along the cassava value chain.”
