Over 3,000 farmers in Akwa-Ibom and Delta States have received the latest variety of improved vitamin A cassava stems from HarvestPlus Nigeria for planting and multiplication.
This is pursuant to the objectives of HarvestPlus for 2015, which include dissemination of improved vitamin A cassava stems to over 700,000 farmers countrywide.
The farmers were selected from Ikpa Nung Asang, comprising villages in Ikot Abasi Council in Akwa-Ibom, and Ukwuani in Delta.
The distribution was held at Essene, Ikot-Abasi and Obiaruku Town Hall.
HarvestPlus partners in the two states are Human Empowerment and Development Project (HEMADEP) and Positive Influence Global Resources Foundation (PIGRF).
HarvestPlus Country Manager, Paul Ilona, said at the two events that the organisation is happy to reach out to farmers wishing to invest in vitamin A cassava.
“Your coming on board has immense implication on the general health of our people and the economy. Without agriculture, there is no nation,” he told them.
He advised them to take advantage of the initiative and further training to be given by HarvestPlus and its partners to increase their knowledge of agriculture as a business, in order to raise their scale and yield, and reduce production cost.
The traditional ruler Ikpa Nung Asang, Celestine Udia, thanked HarvestPlus and HEMADEP for the vitamin A cassava initiative and the stems distributed to farmers.
He promised that the farmers in the community will make good use of the stems, applying high standard of agronomy practices to ensure good yields.
His words: “We will plant and eat vitamin A cassava because of its health benefits. We will also work with HarvestPlus and HEMADEP to train women and youths in our communities on small-scale investment in vitamin A cassava business to ensure reduction in poverty and creation of jobs.”
HarvestPlus also trained farmers in Ukwuani on “agriculture as business” and on “investing profitably in vitamin A cassava value chain”.
Ilona urged them to get properly acquainted with the subject of their investment, which is cassava.
Investment along the cassava value chain, he said, requires good understanding at every step of the way. From production, value addition, marketing, to final consumption, handling vitamin A cassava requires some technical know-how, which HarvestPlus will help to impart to farmers and investors.
