To improve their yields and income, cassava farmers need access to high-quality planting materials. Access to such cassava stems, however, is often a problem. But some cassava seed firms have emerged to multiply and sell cassava stems, using a business model, DANIEL ESSIET reports.
Cassava is a staple crop and a source of income. But while many farmers appreciate the benefits of planting improved breeds, some do not have enough cuttings at the beginning of the planting season.
However, making these stem cuttings available has become a source of wealth for a few farmers.
A big time cassava farmer told The Nation that he made N17 million from stems’sale. He started small, and grew big. Today, he is ranked as one of the leading cassava seeds multiplier. Farming has given him a life he had never imagined.
As a model farmer, the community turns to him for advice on cassava production, in processing and farming. Village Seed Entrepreneurs (VSEs) in Benue State, established as a part of the Building a Sustainable, Integrated Seed System for Cassava (BASICS) project, is helping farmers make money selling stems.
BASICS is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is being led by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas.
As a key component of BASICS, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is creating demand for the new varieties and supporting business development by the VSEs. The Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JPDC) works with the Agricultural Development Programme (ADPs) to support the VSEs.
John, a VSE in Benue State, who receives support from the local ADP, planted his one-hectare field with TME 419, one of the most popular improved varieties. He bought stems to plant the field from a foundation seed producer. He planted at a density of 1m x 0.5m, using about 100-120 bundles which is double the usual density, as he specialises in stem production. He sold 344 bundles, and then he ratooned the field and sold more. One farmer bought 100 bundles at about $2 per bundle. He processed the roots from this field and produced garri for sale. John said:
“If you harvest from double density planting at 12 months, there are few roots, but at 15 to 16 months, yields are very appreciable”.
CRS records show that he made a profit of about $ 1,900 over two years. Specialised stem producers need a few innovations such as dense planting and ratooning, which they have learned from BASICS.
People are making money from stems; much of the business is around acquiring new varieties, especially TME 419, but also TMS 98/0581, and TMS 98/0505. Some farmers also buy stems from VSEs as they harvested their roots during the dry season to benefit from high market prices and so their own stems had dried out. The straight stem and tall plant make TME 419 stand out and be distinguished from other varieties. Straight stems are easier to make into bundles and transport.
VSEs run a mixed operation of stem sales supplemented by root production, typically processed at home. Under BASICS,150 cassava seed enterprises were created in Benue, Abia, Akwa Ibom, and Imo states to multiply and sell cassava stems, following a business model that is profitable and beneficial to its clients. A sister project in Tanzania nurtured a similar network of cassava seed entrepreneurs. Government agencies certify the stems to ensure quality.
In June, the programme benefited from a new investment of $14.3 million by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to consolidate and expand this work in both Nigeria and Tanzania under the project name of BASICS-II.
The goal of the project is to provide farmers with access to affordable, quality-assured seeds of the cassava varieties in demand by food and processor markets through the establishment of a commercially viable seed value chain operating across breeder, foundation, and commercial seed levels.
BASICS-II will create a more efficient dissemination and trigger the adoption of new varieties to improve productivity; raise incomes of cassava growers and seed entrepreneurs; enhance gender equity and contribute to inclusive agricultural transformation in Nigeria and Tanzania.
The coming on board of the new cassava seed entrepreneurs is expected to drive the adoption and marketing of the recently branded six released varieties and four yet-to-be-released varieties. The released varieties are: IBA961632 (Farmer’s Pride), IBA980581 (Dixon), CR36-5 (Ayaya), IBA070593 (Sunshine), IBA980505 (Fine face) and TME 419. The yet-to-be-released (pre-release) varieties and their new names are TMS13F1160P0004 (Game Changer), TMS13F1343P0022 (Obasanjo-2), NR130124 (Hope) and TMEB693 (Poundable).
Under good agronomic practices, these varieties yield more than 20 tonnes per hectare (ha) as opposed to the national average of nine tonnes per ha.
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