Potato farmers have expressed concern over the security challenges across the country.
This, the farmers said, has made it difficult for them to access their farms either for harvest or planting.
National President of Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN), Chief Daniel Okafor, stated this in Abuja during the Unveiling/Launching of Training Handbook on Sweet-potato (OFSP) Value Chain Development /Presentation of Logical Framework for 2022.
Okafor said he lost about five hectares of his potato farm to theft perpetrated by locals and rampaging herdsmen.
He said insecurity is the major cause of food scarcity in the country.
He said the document being launched is a guide and lead to successful potato value chain development in Nigeria which can also help other African countries and the world in general.
According to him, the successful implementation of the potato value chain development initiative in Nigeria will help the country to achieve a food secure nation at ease as potatoes can thrive well in all parts of this country.
Okafor, while noting that potatoes can be used in different ways to serve different purposes, said it has different value addition components as raw materials for different manufacturing industries both for baking and many other industrial uses.
“We compiled this handbook to help us know the direction to follow to produce globally acceptable sweet potato and OFSP in particular.
He said the book is all encompassing as it covers, health and economic benefits of OFSP and its recipes, sweetpotato production and production management, harvesting and post-harvesting management, pests and diseases of sweetpotato and its control, market and marketing.
Okafor further stated that the book contains the importance of Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) to farmers, organic and dry season farming practices.