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Tag: CASSAVA

  • Transforming cassava leaves into livestock feed

    Transforming cassava leaves into livestock feed

    Efforts are being made to transform cassava leaves and waste into livestock feeds. This will be a big business for farmers, writes Daniel Essiet.

    Cassava is a staple food, which plays a major role in the food system. Its tubers are rich in carbohydrates, calcium and ascorbic acid.

    Today, cassava has multiple uses and markets, ranging from consumption as food to processing into wet and dry starch. It is also processed into higher value food and industrial products, such as noodles, glucose, and maltose to textile starch, pharmaceuticals, cardboard, and glue. Starch extracted from it is used by a wide variety of industries—food, pharmaceutical, paper, adhesive, textile, mining and others.

    In the past four years, the government has tried to ensure cassava flour is substituted for wheat flour in baked products to reduce wheat import.

    Altogether, the market demand for cassava and value-added products are so strong that many Nigerians are  encouraged to grow it as a cash crop. Besides, the  multi-purpose cassava has attracted many projects and programmes working on its value chain. Several organisations are involved in processing to help drive industrial development while delivering higher incomes to smallholder farmers.But its use as a livestock feed has also been investigated. It  can be used as a substitute for feed grains as its leaf meal contains at least 20-percent protein.

    Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) is at the forefront of getting farmers and processors to explore income opportunities from using cassava leaves for livestock feeds.

    Consequently, ARMTI is exploring ways of processing cassava leaves to provide a sustainable source of animal feeds, increase incomes for farmers and boost food security.

    Its Acting Executive Director, Dr Olufemi Oladunni, sees the potential for further scaling-up improved livestock feeds with cassava leaves as huge.

    He believes use of cassava leaves as animal feed can reduce the high cost of feed, increase livestock production and create job opportunities.

    Addressing a seminar on “Unlocking the potentials of cassava leaves as livestock feed” in Abuja, Oladunni said the mission of  ARMTI was  to identify and analyse problems and needs and develop appropriate interventions.

    As such, generating a new feed resource from cassava leaves will lead to a reduction in the spate of conflict between crop farmers and herdsmen.

    One of the projects Oladunni has in the mind to boost this campaign is a feed mill where livestock feed made from cassava leaves could be packaged and sold in markets.

    Right now, there are few or none of such special feed mills across the country.

    Where they exist, they should produce poultry, pig, fish and dog feeds, using  cassava leaves. Promoting the establishments of such mills, Oladunni believes would not only enrich the farmers financially, but will also help other poultry or livestock farmers in accessing feeds at their door step.  ARMTI will be ready to assist  would be investors with training, technical services and advice.

    But the institute  is not alone in this project. The Federal Government is showing support, believing it can help to curb farmers-herdsmen clashes. It has huge potential once there is a functional   cassava leaves value chain geared towards processing such leaves into livestock feeds.

    Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world with a production figure of 50 million metric tonnes. “Cassava is a major food crop in Nigeria. “It is strategically valued for its role in food security, poverty alleviation and a source of raw materials for agro-allied industries in Nigeria with huge potential for export market. “It provides livelihood for over 30 million farmers,’’ the minister said.

    Represented by Dr Egejuru Eze, the Director, Animal Production and Husbandry Services in the ministry, during  the seminar in Abuja, Ogbeh said  the livestock industry had been bedevilled by some practices hence, the clashes.

    He said livestock could increase productivity, including milk yield and body weight, when fed with cassava leaves.

    According to him, cassava leaves have been found to be a good source of crude protein when made into silage.

    Lufarmco Investment Managing Director, Prof. Dolapo Lufadeju  and a consultant to the institute on the project  said Nigeria had not been able to move from pastoralism to domesticating cattle due to lack of feed.

    He said pastoralism had practised all over the world, especially in the United Kingdom, United States, and Russia, adding that it was after such countries had developed their livestock industry into a business that they began to domesticate cattle.

    He said they succeeded because they had all the feed their cattle needed. “Here we don’t have anything on which our cattle are based upon and development is fast catching up with the system of pastoralism. That is the reason for the conflict between farmers and herdsmen. What we are looking at is a major cattle industry that needs to be developed as a business. Crop production has advanced, but nothing has happened in terms of development of livestock in this country,’’ he added.

    Lufadeju maintained that cassava leaves could be used  for livestock feeding. His  words: ‘’Cassava hay or cassava leaf meal  have been used as a protein supplement in goats, sheep or cattle fed on poor quality diets have positive effects on animal performance.’’

    The Lufarmco Investment chief explained that one important constraint of cassava leaves for livestock is the  abandonment of the leaves on farmlands after harvest.

    He attributed it to the logistics involved during the collection of the product to obtain sufficient quantities.

    He said the aggregation of cassava leaves from scattered small farms is of  importance. To consolidate the use of cassava leaves, he  urged  the government to put  in place a system to harness all available cassava leaves for value addition.

    He  added: “ This way, cassava leaves would be efficiently integrated into the cassava value chain as livestock feed resource. This is, particularly, important at this juncture. If cassava leaves must be part of the livestock feeding strategy, it must be made available all year round.’’

    Lufadeju added that there was the  constraint of lack of technical knowledge on how to use cassava leaves in livestock feed. He said: “There is also the constraint of lack of knowledge and technical know how required particularly on; frequency of leaf harvest, quantity to be harvested without compromising root yields, the optimal period for harvesting, and the quantity to be fed to cattle , sheep or goat, either as supplement or as complete feed. While information is available in parts of the World especially Southeast Asia ( Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia), there is dearth of emperical research in Nigeria on feeding cassava foliage to ruminant livestock.”

    Meanwhile, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Ibadan has developed a technology to process fresh cassava peels into high-quality cassava peels with better shelf life and nutrient profiles.

    This is the outcome of a multi-centre Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research( CGIAR) collaboration, which involved ILRI, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Potato Centre (CIP).

    The cassava peel processing technology began in late 2014. Through it about 50 million tonnes of peels that are being wasted yearly and treated as environmental nuisance will become  livestock feed commodity. It can add about 15 million tonnes of quality feed, creating $2 billion yearly in Africa, and  helping the livestock sector besides other multiple benefits, such as creating employment and incomes for processors, mostly women in the unorganised sector.

    The main factors contributing to the rapid development of this technology are that the processes involved are quite simple, using machinery and techniques that cassava processors are already aware of, and wide dissemination through multiple media and visits of the potential entrepreneurs to the ILRI pilot processing plant at Ibadan.

  • Enhancing cassava output to boost economic growth

    Enhancing cassava output to boost economic growth

    A national drive to increase cassava production is gathering strength. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Nigerian Incentive Risk-based System of Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) are to roll out initiatives to support cassava farmers to boost production. This was the high point of African Agribusiness Supplier Development Programme (ASDP)   cassava value chain roundtable in Lagos. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    HOW  to boost  national  economic growth through broad-based productivity measures topped discusssions at  the African Agribusiness  Supplier  Development Programme (ASDP) cassava value chain roundtable in Lagos.

    The forum was organised by the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) Nigeria, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development(FMARD) and the Nigerian Incentive Risk-based System of Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).

    Resident Representative, UNDP, Mr Opia Kumah, noted that the fall in the price of commodities, especially crude oil, underscored the need to position agriculture as a major growth driver.

    Kumah said cassava was one of Nigeria’s most important crops and that there was a need to boost its yields.

    According to him. the efforts would not only support domestic demand but also strengthen productivity.

    He said: “The African Agribusiness Supplier Development Programme is one such initiative. The   ASDP aims to improve the productivity of small and medium agribusiness by facilitating support, including training, advice, access to inputs, organisations/ standardisation and linking them to off-takers. These benefit the industry by improving the reliability of supply and ensuring off-takers received high quality agricultural products for processing and marketing.”

    In Nigeria, he said, the ASDP was focused on cassava and rice—two crops with enormous comparative advantage across many states, and which can generate economic multiplier benefits.

    The project, according to him, is being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System in Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL)  with support from UNDP.

    He said the roundtable  was a step in ASDP’s approach, and that it would bring together stakeholders in the value chain to discuss some constraints and network for the long-term supply chain.

    Minister of  Agriculture and Rural Development Chief Audu Ogbeh  said agriculture was a priority of the administration to diversify the economy, with the private sector taking the lead while government  provides support infrastructure, control processes and oversight.

    Represented by the Director, Planning & Policy Coordination, Mrs. Olubunmi Siyanbola, Ogbeh observed that Nigeria was one of the leading producers of cassava, with about 40 million metric tonnes yearly.

    He added, however, that cassava  contributed close to zero percent in value added trade in cassava-based products because of Nigeria’s inability to exploit the high value derivatives from processing into starch, flour, sweetener, and  ethanol, among others.

    According to him, this was due to the disconnect among stakeholders in the value chain.

    He said it was hampering the uptake of cassava roots produced by farmers, thereby limiting the efficiency of processors, among other supply concerns.

    He said the government had put  some fiscal measures in place to encourage the cassava value chain.

    “These include zero duty on equipment and machinery, 15 per cent levy on imported wheat, establishment of cassava bread development fund and distribution of 24 million stems of improved cassava varieties to encourage production of high quality cassava flour (HQCF). With these measures, government was able to attract reputable starch production companies to the sector. Consequently, the following large starch factories were established: 100,000 metric tonnes (MT)/year Starch factory in Kwara State, by Green Tech in Agbarra, Ogun state; Iseyin in Oyo State and another 12,000 (MT)/year was built in Kogi State,” he added.

    He noted that the ministry was working with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to reposition the Staple Crop Processing Zone (SCPZ) and that the cassava value chain was key in the arrangement to attract local and world-class firms to invest in the  chain.

    NIRSAL Managing Director Mr Aliyu Abdulhameed said the agency would  empower farmers to increase their wealth and food production.

    Represented by Executive Director, Technical, Mr Babjide Arowosafe, Abdulhameed said NIRSAL was  focusing on ensuring availability of agriculture finance, by promoting risk mitigation products.

    He said the organisation was ready  to work with the government and development partners to position  cassava as  a major transformational crop, which could be a game-changer in national development agenda.

    Programme Specialist, Regional  Private Sector, African Facility for Inclusive Markets (AFIM), Regional Service Centre for Africa,UNDP, Ms Pascale Bonzom, said 80 per cent of farms in sub-Saharan Africa were under small-holder production, supplying up to 90 per cent of the food in some countries.

    She said ASDP intended to improve the productivity of farmers and agribusiness suppliers by facilitating support in form of training, advice, access to input, organisation, standardisation and linking up with lead firms.

    She said six countries—Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya and Nigeria—have carried out a feasibility study for a national ASDP and prepared a project document or a concept note.

    Rural Institutions Development Specialist, Third National Fadama Development Project (FADAMA111),  Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Thomas Arokoyo, said cassava  farmers struggled with low agricultural productivity.

    He said public-private partnerships in the sector would make it more attractive for the private sector to venture into agro-processing and investments in the sector.

    Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) President Pastor  SegunAdewumi said cassava was an industrial crop, which could reduce imports, increase exports, create employment and increase small-holder farmers’ incomes.

    He called for a more-conducive policy environment to promote public-private-partnership (PPP) in the sector. This, he said, would make the sector more attractive as there were lots of opportunities in the industry as well as challenges.

    According to him, market prospects for cassava was bright if the supply challenges could be addressed through policy interventions.

    Niji Group Chief Executive Adeniji Kolawole said the cassava value chain, if structured properly, could be an economic transformational tool.

    He  urged farmers to  use machines produced by indigenous engineers to boost produce.

  • ‘Cassava starch industry generates over N76.9b yearly’

    nigeria’s cassava starch industry generates over $240 million about N76.9 billion yearly,  90 per cent of which is from importation. But the industry has the potential to grow as population and income per capita increase, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Union Dicon Salt (UDS) Plc Mr. Chuka Mordi has said.

    According to Mordi, Nigeria currently has four major functional starch processing plants with a combined capacity of 27,000 tons. He said the nation’s annual starch demand of over 250,000 tons with a market size of $240m is met by importation of corn starch, and this provides an opportunity for import substitution, which is in line with UDS’s strategy.

    UDS Plc is a company operating in the Nigerian consumer goods sector. It has been diversifying into the agro industrial sector, with an initial concentration on cassava and starch processing. The firm has already finalised agreement with GEA Westfalia of Germany to build the largest industrial starch processing facility in Nigeria.

    Mordi said the potential for Nigeria’s starch market is huge, as Nigeria is the largest cassava growing country in the world, with an estimated annual output of 45m tons, which continues to grow annually.

    He, however, said over $600m worth of cassava products (flour, starch, glucose and animal feed) are imported, largely as a result of uncoordinated harvest and transport of high grade cassava in commercial quantities.

    Mordi told The Nation that cassava production is largely done at subsistence level, with the local market/human constituting the highest consumers of the produce and less than five per cent for industrial uses. He, therefore, said opportunities exist for the production and processing of cassava products, mostly starch and maltose for food and industrial use.

    Cassava starch, a food grade product refined from cassava roots, is the major component of the cassava plant. It has thickening and binding qualities and is used as binder and thickener in convenience foods. But Mordi said Nigeria processes very little of its current output for starch compared with other countries.

    According to him, all the major starch processing factories in Nigeria operate at less than 20 per cent of their installed capacity, producing about 27, 000 tons of starch per annum. The 20 per cent domestic production capacity, he said, fall short of the nation’s current demand for starch, put in excess of 250, 000 tons per annum.

    To meet local supply, the CEO said starch end-users resort to importation of starch, which presents a clear opportunity for investment in starch processing for import substitution. He said the company’s investment in cassava processing involved the installation of a 10, 000 Metric Tons Per Annum (MT PA) starch processing plant for the conversion of cassava to starch.

  • ACAI, others to boost cassava yields

    ACAI, others to boost cassava yields

    Cassava Adding Value for Africa Phase II (CAVA II) and some  institutions of higher learning are to promote disease-resistant cassava stems to help farmers improve their yields.

    The institutions include Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora, and the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure.

    This was disclosed at the International Farmers Field Day at the institutions.

    The event organised by CAVA II drew participants from five African countries – Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria.

    Participants urged farmers to adopt best practices in cassava cultivation, which could make them to harvest between 30 and 50 tonnes of cassava per hectare.

    CAVA II Project Director Prof. Kolawole Adebayo said his organisation had made efforts to improve the growth of the cassava industry and livelihoods of small farmers.

    He hinted that the project has opened new markets for about 200,000 cassava farmers in the countries.

    According to him, CAVA II intervention has helped increase the number of small producers who supply cassava to processing industries.

    Some of the new markets created by this project, he said, included production of ethanol, cassava chips, flour for industrial use and starch.

    He said the success of the first phase of CAVA I project, which began in 2008 and ended in 2014, led to the emergence of the second phase – CAVA II Project in 2014.

    Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology Provost Prof. Gbemiga Adewale thanked CAVA Phase II for choosing the college for the project.

    He added that the institution was given the privilege to own plots for the cultivation of varieties of cassava for demonstration to local farmers.

    On the essence of the conference, he said the programme was organised to bring stakeholders from five African countries together to learn modern agronomic practices in cassava production.

    Adewale said with improved agronomic practices, farmers could double  their yields and control market prices.

    Meanwhile, the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) project has stepped up efforts to bridge the cassava yield gap in Africa. To accomplish this, the project has engaged key actors in Nigeria and Tanzania ranging from farmers, researchers, extension services, development workers, processors as well as input dealers notably fertiliser manufacturing companies associated with successful  cassava production.

    ACAI Project Coordinator Dr Abdulai Jalloh stressed that to improve the production of cassava, it became necessary to  establish contacts among actors to learn and share information that would benefit ACAI partners.

    Jalloh noted that though the entry point of ACAI is to address yield gap, it is imperative for strategic considerations of the cassava value chain and inclusiveness of all.

    To this end, the Africa Soil Health Consortium in collaboration with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), is leading the engagement of key stakeholders in target countries.

    According to him, ACAI is conscious of the mistakes of the past, where bottlenecks were considered in isolation irrespective of other ones and even those that could occur as a result of concentrating on only one aspect.

  • $100m cassava plant coming to Kwara community

    Residents of Edidi, Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State have rolled out the drums to welcome American investors and their Nigerian partners in their community. The partners plan to build a $100m cassava production and processing plant there.

    The residents beat their talking drum and fired celebratory gunshots into the air to express their joyous mood. One of the American visitors also broke into a dance, drawing admiration from the locals.

    The event took place at the palace of Eledidi of Edidi land, Oba Gabriel Aboyeji.

    Receiving the visitors, Oba Aboyeji assured that the investors would not regret investing in his domain, adding,”there will be no hindrance of any form.

    “I urge you, therefore, to consider first indigenes of the community as soon as the project kicks-off. We are assuring you of our cooperation as the community is peaceful.”

    The two American investors, Ecotech-rab and Tranfeed Group along with their Nigerian partner, Satco Global Group promised to, in the next 18 months, establish cassava production and processing factories in the community.

    The factories which will be sited in Edidi, Irepodun Local Government Area of the state are expected to gulp a sum of $100 million

    The factories when completed are expected to create about 2,500 jobs, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Satco Global Group, Femi D Philips said.

    Mr. Philips said, “We are the sponsors of this project and it is going to cost us about $100 million. We intend to complete it in the next 18 months. The project is expected to gulp about five thousand hectares of land. The first phase will about two streams of 120 tons per day and there will be an upgrade of 48 tons per day; giving us about 168 tons per day for a stream.

    “We are going to bring our expertise into planting cassava in a manner that will allow for optimum yield. So we are bringing our species from outside Nigeria and blend with the local species in Nigeria. We are looking at working with IITA in this area.

    “We are going to be producing starch powder, ethanol and production of feeds for livestock and others. It is an agro-business kind of.”

     

     

  • Foreign investors partner Agric College on cassava production

    The Provost, Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Dr Adeola Odedina, has said the college is partnering with foreign investors to create millions of value chain jobs in cassava production.

    Odedina spoke in Akure on Wednesday during the Cassava Adding Value for Africa Phase ll (CAVA ll) Project’s International Farmers’ Field Day.

    He said the college would support the Federal Government‘s investment in agriculture, aimed at employment generation, food security, poverty alleviation and provision of raw materials for industries.

    “We have four African countries with an investor partnering with us on Cassava Adding Value Chain for Africa phase ll (CAVA). These are Malawi, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania and Bill Melinda Gates Foundation.

    The programme is to showcase the positive effect of best and recommended practice in cassava production enterprise”.

    Odedina said cassava national average yield is about eight to 10 tonnes per hectare with the possibility of farmers obtaining between 20 to 25 tonnes per hectare if trained. He however, said it is far below the potential of the crop if well managed.

    He projected that farmers and investors would witness unprecedented yield in cassava to as much as  60 tonnes per hectare. On how this will be achieved he said the strategy would be achieved through crop management options that are within the reach of the farmers.

    He expressed the hope that the steps being taken would lead to increase in production at low cost as well as encourage youths to embrace agriculture.

    According to him, the college is grateful to cassava Adding Value for Africa phase ll (CAVA) Project and its donors, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for tapping into college experience in cassava sector in uplifting its project.

    He noted that the college had joined a high yielding and disease-resistant varieties with modern technology of cassava processing, which are meant for farmers and processor in Ondo State and surrounding states.

    “Over 40 per cent of 8,500 vocational training graduates in recent years have benefited from the college experience in cassava value chain opportunities, “ he noted.

    A team of delegates from Uganda led by Mr Tony Ijala, said  the new technology idea gathered in Nigeria would be fully implemented in his country.

    Noting  that the technology would improve cassava production in the east African nation.

    Ijala, who stated that Uganda has a lot of challenges which include tackling cassava diseases, added that Nigeria has always been of assistance to Uganda.

    Also, Mrs Chikumbeni Grace, who led the team from Malawi, lauded the programme and promised to take the new idea to her country.

    She expressed the hope that the new idea would assist Malawian farmers to increase their output in cassava production.

  • Edo Govt registers 50,000 farmers for CBN loan

    Edo Govt registers 50,000 farmers for CBN loan

    The Edo Government has screened and registered no fewer than 50,000 farmers for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) loan in the 2016 cropping season.

    Mr Abubakar Sule, Edo North Zonal Manager, Edo Agricultural Development Programme (EADP), made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Auchi on Friday.

    Sule said that of the 50,000 farmers, 25,000 were from Edo South, 10,000, Edo Central, while 15,000 were from Edo North.

    He said the CBN loan was being facilitated by the state government, adding that the individual farmers needed to belong to a cooperative society to be a beneficiary.

    He said that farmers, who grow Maize, Rice, Cassava, Oil Palm and livestock farmers such as poultry, piggery and fishery would benefit from the facility.

    Sule said that the gesture was the state government’s way of assisting farmers to boost the cultivation of food production in the state.

    He said the state government had trained its extension service workers on how to guide the farmers to reduce risk and enhance farm yields.

    He said that EADP would ensure that farmers had access to variety of seeds and other high yielding inputs to enhance production.

  • Expert identifies cause of Nigeria’s economic woes’

    Expert identifies cause of Nigeria’s economic woes’

    The discovery of oil and subsequent multi-dollar income thereafter by past governments is responsible for the current economic woes of Nigeria, acting Executive Director, National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), Dr. Yomi Kasali has said.

    Kasali, an engineer added that in the 70s, agriculture contributed over 70 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), maintaining that the advent of petrol, Nigeria’s economic scenario changed.

    The executive director said this in Idofian, Ifelodun local government area of Kwara state at the opening ceremony of cassava growers and tractor operators.

    The training was organised by African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) in conjunction with Cassava Mechanisation and Agriculture Processing (CAMAP) and NCAM. Participants were drawn from Kogi, Kwara, Ogun and Osun states.

    His words: “Nigeria has always been the highest producer of cassava, but the production per hectare has stagnated to between 15 and 20 tons per hectare compared to more than 30 tons per hectare in other countries such as Brazil and Malaysia etc. Efforts should therefore be made to see that the hectarage production be improved.

    “This is another milestone in the mechanization of cassava in the country. This training would not have come at a better time than this period of economic recession in the country when all tiers of government are trying to embrace the diversification programme of the federal government.

    “Before you can empower beneficiaries of a programme, you need to train and educate them in order to impact the practices and technologies of the services that are required to bring about an optimum production.

    “The training will, therefore bring to the fore, the persisting problems encountered in the field and how to solve these problems. Also, the operation and maintenance of tractors and equipment on cassava mechanization will go a long way in improving the skill of operators and maintenance capabilities of the beneficiaries.

    “The country is littered with scraps and carcasses of different tractors due to lack of spare parts and proper maintenance. Maintenance increases the operating life of tractors. Tractor maintenance and its operation are very paramount to the realization of timely operation, optimum production and reduction of downtime.”

  • Create cassava devt agency, govt urged

    Create cassava devt agency, govt urged

    To address agricultural revitalisation and high food import bill , the Federal  Government has been urged  to establish a National Cassava Development and Industrial Agency (NCADIA).

    An  expert,  Pastor  Agbor Ndoma Agbor, said  this has become necessary as the government  seeks ways  to improve the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.  With the agency, he  said a strong cassava-based industry would  emerge that satisfies traditional demand for cassava as well as new opportunities in food, feed, local industries and export.

    He argued that an increased use of cassava would help to reduce the nation’s food import bill. He said a large percentage of these high-cost imported products can be substituted by cassava leading to job creation, foreign exchange savings, improved diets, and the return of under-utilised land to food production.

    With the agency in place, he said the government will be able to enforce all cassava policies, including 10 per cent composite flour policy, national starch use policy, among others. The agency, he continued, should  enter into trade treaties and  memorandum of understanding (MOUs) with cassava market nations, companies and organisations, thus creating markets for local cassava products and its derivatives.

    Agbor urged the government to set up a Presidential Technical Committee on Cassava.

    The committee, he added, should   embark on  technology-transfer trade missions to major cassava exporting nations to see and adopt technology that will help the nation grow the   cassava industry. He called on the government to support the industry with improved varieties, planting and crop management methods, enabling farmers to achieve the yields necessary to make a profit at all levels of the value chain.

    He said the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari towards the revamping of the agricultural and indeed the cassava subsector became inevitable, especially in the face of dwindling oil prices and global economic regression.

  • Technology boosting cassava production

    Technology boosting cassava production

    To respond to rising food and nutrition needs, some apps, online portals and cell phone-based programmes have been developed to help small-scale farmers enhance their skills and yields, DANIEL ESSIET reports. 

    Pelumi  Aribisala  is one of the young technology savvy  farmers in Oyo State. He plants vitamin A cassava and other staple crops.  Sometimes, after harvest, he counts his bundle and takes out his cell phone. He calls a number to find out the latest prices of cassava and maize.  From the answer he gets, Aribisala knows how much he will earn from his bags of cassava and maize. Subsequently, he can  decide whether to sell them near the farm or the town where he can make more money.

    Aribisala is one of the hundreds of farmers across the country trying to take advantage of technology to boost food production. A growing number of them have entered the agribusiness sector, looking to use technology to gain new commercial opportunities. Information communications technology (ICT) has made agric attractive to the youth.

    Drawn to the sector early, Aribisala is among the young cassava growers living modern lifestyles from farming, thanks to technology  which helps them to use data  to do business and increase incomes.

    Access to technology enables  him and others  to enjoy higher profits when food prices rise  and  to manage their farms in a sustainable manner.

    In the past, he sourced his stems from close sources. These days, with technology, he can buy stems from a farmer in Ondo, especially if he is looking for Vitamin A cassava stem which is sought-after because of its nutritional benefits. This is possible courtesy of an e-market portal and farmers’ exchange platform provided by Harvest Plus. These enable him to find where farmers are offering quality stems across the country.  Now, not only does he know which farmer  has quality Vitamin A cassava  stems to sell,  he is able to find out areas where cassava commands higher prices.

    The platform also provides cassava farmers with an efficient and secure way to store and share information, locate, and contact suppliers and customers online. All these data can be accessed by the farmer via phone.   One of the first users of the platform were the project’s partners located across the cassava producing areas of the country. The partners help farmers to plant vitamin A cassava on their farms.

    Being introduced to these technologies, they use the interactive tools to map out and communicate with farmers they work with. Operational information relevant to the successful development of the cassava supply chain, such as seed varieties used and production data are recorded and mapped onto the platform.

    The platform also provides cassava farmers with an efficient and secure way to store and share information, locate, and contact suppliers and customers online. All these data can be accessed by the farmer via phone.   The  first users of the platform were Harvest plus’  partners located across the cassava producing areas of the country. Basically, the partners help farmers to plant vitamin A cassava on their farms.

    Being introduced to these technologies, they use the interactive tools online to post market information and  communicate with farmers  in other  areas.  Operational information relevant to the successful development of the cassava supply chain, such as seed varieties used and production data are recorded and mapped onto the platform.   One of the users  is the  Programme  Director, Development Dynamics, Dr Jude Ohanele  who  works with groups of  cassava farmers in Imo  State .

    At the start of every season, he carries out demonstration for them. He visits groups and individuals, providing seeds when plots have been correctly prepared, and offer advice and further training on different aspects of the technology and cassava cultivation.

    On the platforms,  literate farmers can log into their accounts and enter planting data for the crop, and several succession plantings. Expected and actual planting and harvesting dates and expected and actual crop yields are recorded. Planting databases for each members’ farm provide a detailed and easily retrieved record to plan from in the next growing season. Though direct user approach is encouraged,  he ensures illiterate farmers have their details correctly recorded.   On the average, the platform offers a place to share information needed to plant throughout its seasonal cycle, and a space to include the farmers in the development and wider spread of the technology. Providing tangible evidence of production success is a mobilisation point for interested farmers and for those who want to learn more, about bio fortified cassava farms.  He and many other partners are at the front line of using the platform to link farmers and suppliers.

    E-market and the farmers exchange are two of many services Harvest Plus have developed on the back of ICT, entry into Nigeria’s agriculture.  Following this, an increasing number of young Nigerians have taken up themselves to help small-scale farmers increase their skills and yields through using its  platforms.

    On the development, the  Country Manager, Harvest Plus Nigeria, Dr Paul Ilona, said  agriculture was  not  growing because of lack of  access to information. This  is a major gap in the market. By providing clear, relevant, and usable data that can be tailored to farmers’ needs, he said the platform has plugged the information gap, helping the sector deliver on its potential.

    According to him, farmers need data services that promote or leverage the products they sell. A cassava stem producing company, for example, he explained, might find on the platform an opportunity to sell to a farmer having stems shortage. At the end, a profitable transaction is strucked, the farmer gets his higher-yielding cassava stems while the company makes its money.

    Right now, stem multiplication has opened opportunities for employment, income generation and improved livelihoods for cassava farmers. Consequently, some enterprising small-scale farmers have engaged themselves in the business of cassava stem multiplication and marketing, providing employment and income to several of their community members.

    By  powering the portal, he said the group  has created a profitable market for farmers in the business.

    One of the ways to do so is to attract more  farmers into the cassava  value chain through online registration. Through the platforms, he said the farmers are able to connect buyers in any part of the country.

    Besides farmers, researchers and donors are able to aggregate information from the analysis of data on cassava consumption from the market from the platforms.

    Ilona noted that the organisation is ready to work alongside others within the sector to support easier and more frequent interchange of farm data. The particular focus has been on information that supports cassava agriculture industries.

    According to him, it was imperative for farmers to take advantage of the technological tools and services that could help them address their problems and perk up their profits.

    Driving these initiatives, he said, is the micronutrient deficiency that continues to undermine public health and prosperity.

    To address the problem, HarvestPlus and its partners have used conventional crop breeding techniques to develop staple food products that are rich in Vitamin A, iron, and zinc. The process, known as biofortification, targets the nutritional needs of women and young children and offers several positive health outcomes, including improved immunity and resistance to diseases.

    To help this effort, he said his organisation is working with public partners to provide innovative farmer shops, as well as agro-stewardship training for those distributing biofortified  cassava products.

    Research shows that the e-market provides valuable data to farmers and the platform also connects farmers with suppliers.  The best evidence for the efficacy of the portal was farmer’s general willingness to use the platform. Before the introduction of the platform farmers learned about prices from buyers and middlemen.  Qualitative data from the platform helps farmers in the early stages of planning their crops. Later in the process when farmers want to sell their crops they use the platform because it quickly provides information.  A major advantage of the platform is the timeliness of the information that it provides. Cassava farmers are confident they could find a place to sell their harvest.

    For farmers, there has been a need to create more efficient supply chains for small and medium-size producers in order to feed growing private demand for cassava.

    With an efficient value chain, farmers identify opportunities and constraints within existing markets, allowing them to invest strategically to stimulate the market and increase incomes in remote and vulnerable areas.

    One way they achieve this is through a data driven platform to support agribusiness development.  This is because it creates new opportunities for income-generation, foster well-informed, profitable investments in this growing market and facilitates collaborations between investors, agribusinesses, farmers and suppliers.

    So far, improved visibility and consolidation of reliable information provided by the platform has helped to raise awareness of unexploited opportunities in the sector, driving investment by reducing cost and risk. In line with this, new technologies have emerged that are  helping farmers to manage their farms in a sustainable way.