By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono has called for more investors in the private sector to drive production of cassava value chain.
Nanono said that investing in the cassava value chain will help to meet with local consumption and export demands, as well as to achieve food and nutrition security and generate revenue for the country.
Nanono said that the ministry would create appropriate policy measures for successful production and distribution of cassava product to ensure availability of food and raw materials for industries.
The Minister said this when he received the project team of the Economically Sustainable and Integrated Cassava Seed System Phase 11 (BASICS 11), who came on a courtesy visit on Tuesday.
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In a statement released to journalists by the Ministry’s Chief Information officer, Ezeaja Ikemefuna, on Wednesday, the minister stated that the BASICS 11 would transform the cassava value chain sector by promoting the dissemination of improved varieties thereby creating a hub of seed entrepreneurs across the cassava valve chain in the Agric sector.
He assured that the agric ministry will continue to collaborate with the BASICS 11projects through facilitating capacity building of farmers in area of yield gaps , strengthening research and development in diseases and pest control to improve cassava productivity and among others.
While giving his remarks, the Team lead and Director for Development and Delivery, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr. Alfred Dixon, informed that the BASICS-II project intends to address the gap by creating a formal seed system for cassava that links breeder seeds with foundation seed producers and foundation seed producers to commercial seed entrepreneurs who will sell to the cassava root producers.
He said, ‘’Cassava root producers will subsequently process into various end products or sell surplus roots to processing industries in the Country.
“In this fashion, we will be creating jobs and income generation opportunities for young people that will serve as seed entrepreneurs and modern producers of cassava, Furthermore, the use of certified seeds will increase the national productivity of cassava’’.
Dr. Dixon further appealed for the support of the Federal Government towards the IITA GoSeeds and NRCRI Umudike Seed which he said would be imperative for sustainable production of Early Generation Seeds (EGS) that will feed the demand pool for commercial seed producers.
Dixon also solicited a greater collaboration with the Ministry, IITA and National partners including: National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) and National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI).
