FG Moves to Add Value to Cassava, Yam

By Olusegun Folarin

The Federal Government is building the capacity of cassava producers in Ogun State in the bid to enhance the value addition and utilisation of the commodity in the country.

Speaking at the training in Abeokuta, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, represented by Mrs Tolulope Fagboyo said the move was part of government’s efforts to meet the target of achieving food security for the nation.

Dr Umakhihe appealed to the cassava growers to incorporate the knowledge acquired during the training in their farming activities for improved productivity and wealth creation.

Earlier, a resource person from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB, Mrs Abidemi Ogundele had also encouraged the farmers to take advantage of the value addition inherent in agriculture to enhance their revenue generation.

Describing cassava as an important food crop in Nigeria and across Africa, Mrs Ogundele urged the producers and other actors in the value chain to come up with new ideas and strategies to make the farm produce more valuable and attract patronage.

Some of farmers including Damilola Owolabi and Olalekan Adebanjo commended the efforts of the federal government to improve food security by engaging more youths and women in the areas of cassava processing, packaging and value addition.

They advocated increased assistance to farmers in the country, especially in the south west region of the country through the provision of basic equipment and farm tools, apart agricultural inputs.

Similarly, experts have restated the need for Nigeria to enhance the economic value for yam export and strengthen investments in the commodity business by paying greater attention to the values derivable from the farm produce.

They made the submission in Abeokuta, at a special training programme for youths and women groups on yam processing, packaging, value addition and utilization.

One of the facilitators, Mr Sanusi Olayinka said it was necessary to draw the stakeholders attention to the opportunities inherent in adding value to yam to reduce wastage and stabilize prices during the off – harvest season for yam production.

Also, the acting Programme Manager, Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme, OGADEP, Mrs Solape Awe said the continuous training of farmers would keep them up to date with new trends in the value chain process to further boost food security efforts of the government.

In their reactions, some of the farmers, including Mr Ifeoluwa Bright and miss Binuyo Rashedat acknowledged that the training had exposed them to more uses of yam without the challenge of transporting the unprocessed heavy tubers through long distances.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food security, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, who declared the event opened through a representative, Mr Isaac Jegede said the training on yam processing would also assist in the creation of jobs and increasing the income of many households.

He appealed to the farmers to key into various initiatives of the federal government to eradicate poverty in the country

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