Guardian

THE Gospel of cassava growing and production to boost food security and create jobs is fast catching on as an Oyo-based NGO, Entrepreneurial Action By Us (ENACTUS), has distributed stems of vitamin-A fortified cassava to farmers in Oyo.

This time, the organisation aims at putting the more nutritiously engineered cassava tuber on the family menu to affect the country positively; first as food and for sale.

The NGO spokesman, Mr. Joseph Ibikunle said the primary goal is to eat a more nutritional cassava before aiming for the commercial advantage. He made the plea when some student members of the group from Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo distributed 55,000 Vitamin A cassava stems to 220 local farmers.

Ibikunle said for rural farmers to reap the health benefits, they should first consume the crop also known as yellow cassava.

He said ENACTUS made the identification of needy local farmers a major focus of one of its projects known as “The Profit in Cassava, “ adding that this led to the free stem distribution exercise.

Ibikunle said the organisation, made up of 100 students in different disciplines, had nine other projects, which were ongoing for the benefit of local people.

He said members of the organisation got in touch with the Nigerian office of HarvestPlus, the global alliance that introduced Vitamin A bio-fortified cassava into the country about two years ago. He added that the international organisation provided farmers with free stems.

Oyo State Chairman, Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA), Mr Muideen Adekunle, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, said with the advantages of the new Vitamin A cassava, farmers were now assured of ready market.

He said the distribution of free yellow cassava stems to NCGA members for multiplication would ensure the availability of the produce in the country.

Mr. Paul Ilona, Country Manager, HarvestPlus advised the farmers to adopt a modern system of agriculture if they were to make agriculture a profitable business.

Ilona, who delivered a lecture on Vitamin A cassava, said the two varieties of stems given each farmer in two different bags contained a total of 250 cuttings. He said they were expected to produce enough stems after one year to be used in planting 0.5 acres of cassava.

“A study by HarvestPlus shows that this 0.5 acres of yellow cassava is enough to ensure food security at the individual household level.”