By Nneka Nwogwugwu
National President of the Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN), Chief Daniel Okafor has urged the federal government to extend the various opportunities the Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) is offering to the economy to enhance grassroots development.
Okafor said this in an interview on Friday in Abuja.
He hailed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for organizing a one-day stakeholders meeting on adoption and utilization of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato which was held on Wednesday in Yola, Adamawa state.
He urged that the meeting should be held continuously, involving more stakeholders especially potato farmers, adding that people at the grassroots should also be involved.
The president explained that involving people at the grassroots will create room for improved food security in Nigeria due to the wealth potentials of processing OFSP into various products like flour, bread and among others.
Okafor also called on the government to address the state of insecurity in the nation especially in the North East region.
He urged for grants, empowerment and more trainings for farmers in order to boost their production capacity.
Speaking during the meeting, the director of the Federal Department of Agriculture , Mrs Karima Babaginda said that the primary objective of organising the meeting is to create a forum for the stakeholders in the sweet potato value chain to chart a way forward for the realization of the fullest potentials locked up in potato production, processing and marketing.
Addressing the challenges identified in the potato value chain, she said, ‘’ There is no formal seed system for sweet potato, lack of access to clean vines, low adoption by farmers, unavailability of off-takers, inadequate processors and organized markets, these have been major drawback in the development of sweet potato value chain.
‘’In tackling these challenges, the Ministry is willing to contribute to the development of sweet potato value chain through its various agencies and research institutes with mandates in rendering technical services and enabling environment for agricultural businesses to thrive.
‘’The ministry also has a quite number of support services for farmers and processors to benefit from. Farm inputs such as agro chemicals, farm equipment and machinery are available at subsidized rates at the ministry.
The director further urged various potato commodity associations to embrace new innovations to build their capacity in production, processing and marketing of products, which can be achieved using the Farmers Business School, Cooperative Business School, Good Agricultural Practices and among others.
In his remarks, the State Director of the Ministry, Dr. Obadiah Noah, noted that OFSP is a variety of potato that is fortified with beta carotene that has enough nutritional values to supply Vitamin A requirement for children (6 months-5 years), support pregnant and lactating mothers and boost immune system.
Among participants that attended the meeting were: Abdul Jibrin from Federal College of Agriculture, Kano, Kesmen Samson from NIRSAL, Yola and Ahmed Chiroma from Nigerian Export Promotion Council.