Agriculture with Jimoh

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has been granted a permit to carry out Confined Field Trials (CFT) of genetically modified cassava (AMY3 RNAi Transgenic lines). This is contained in a statement signed by IITA Head of Communication, Mrs Catherine Lopez, and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Ibadan. The statement said that the research, carried out in collaboration with ETHZ Plant Biotechnology Lab in Zurich, was aimed at reducing starch breakdown in storage roots of cassava after pruning the shoots, prior to harvest of the crop. It also said that the objective was to obtain storage roots with lower post-harvest physiological degradation, without any loss of the nutritious starch. It noted that cassava was an important starchy food crop in sub-Saharan Africa as well as other tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. The statement said that one of the challenges facing cassava farmers in the country was the high lev...

Scientists are now using Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) technology to speed up the propagation of clean cassava planting materials. Mr Godwin Atser, the Communication Expert of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), made this known via a news statement on Tuesday in Abuja. He said that the use of SAH technology for cassava multiplication was the brainchild of the “Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Seed System for Cassava (BASICS)’’ project. He said that the SAH technology involved the use of modified soil, holding plant roots in planting pots with little water. “Usually the trays are filled with a little amount of water and the soil transports the moisture up to the plant roots; yet the top of the soil remains relatively dry. “The roots are encouraged to grow down, and the dry soil on top discourages damp-off and other diseases caused by excess moisture,’’ he said. Dr Peter Kulakow, a cassava breeder with IITA, s...

Researchers working under the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture led Cassava Weed Management Project (IITA-CWMP) will this week share findings and recommendations on how to tackle weeds in cassava farming systems. The sharing of research findings is part of activities marked for a week-long annual review and planning meeting and Steering Committee meeting scheduled to hold 27-30 March 2017 at IITA in Ibadan. “ We are optimistic that the key findings from our research will help farmers to tackle the problem of weeds in cassava, with the view to having more yield,” says the Project Leader of IITA-CWMP, Dr Alfred Dixon, who is also a Director with IITA on Monday. Declaring the meeting open, Dr Kenton Dashiell, IITA Deputy Director General, Partnership for Delivery, said the goal of the project was to take off drudgery due to weeding in cassava farming systems. “ I am happy that this meeting will share findings that will impact positively on weed ...

Mr Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has assured farmers in Kebbi that 250,000 millionaire farmers will be created in the state by the end of 2017. Emefiele gave the assurance when he visited the WACOT Rice Factory in Argungu on Thursday. “I was told by a permanent secretary that 88,000 millionaires had been created through rice and agricultural revolution. “I am assuring you that by the end of this year, 200,000 to 250,000 farmer millionaires will be created through the revolution,” he said. He also assured farmers in the state that government would buy off whatever quantity of rice they were able to produce. Emefiele commended the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Sama’ila Mere, for providing land for the company and for his desire to stimulate agricultural revolution in the country. He, however, called on other royal fathers to emulate the monarch’s desire to drive agricultural revolution in the country. Also speaking, the Minister of Agricultur...

Ibadan, Nigeria: The international body of root and tuber crops, International Society of Tropical Root Crops- Africa Branch (ISTRC-AB), on Friday presented awards of honour and recognition to 10 researchers working on root and tuber crops in Africa, out of which 9 of the recipients were either current or former staff of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. The awards, which were presented during the close of the 13th symposium of ISTRC-AB in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania were part of efforts by the root and tuber crop society to recognise the contribution of science and technology innovation to food security in Africa. Recipients of the awards were Dr Nteranya Sanginga, Director General of IITA; Dr Alfred Dixon, Director for Development and Delivery at IITA, and also the Project leader of the Cassava Weed Management Project; Dr Victor Manyong, IITA Director for East Africa; Dr Robert Asiedu, IITA Director for West Africa; Dr Regina Kapinga, IITA Head of Re...

 The world’s top cassava experts will gather in Nigeria to report progress on developing new varieties of cassava with higher yield and nutritional content. The meeting will take place on March 14-16, at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in Ibadan. “Africa produces more than half of the world’s cassava — about 86 million tons from over 10 million hectares,” said Chiedozie Egesi, IITA-based project manager of the Next Generation Cassava Breeding (NextGen Cassava) project, who also works to biofortify cassava with essential micronutrients. “But disease pathogens and climate change threaten cassava production and jeopardize the income and food security of smallholder farmers. Since 2012, scientists on the NextGen Cassava project have been working to significantly increase the rate of genetic improvement in cassava breeding and unlock cassava’s full potential.” Cassava is a clonally propagated crop and seed set is difficult. New varieties with en...

HarvestPlus-Nigeria has trained 28 processors in the production of high-quality “garri’’, “fufu’’ and custard from Vitamin A-fortified cassava. The Information Officer of HarvestPlus, Ikechukwu Onyewuchi, said via a statement that the two-day “Train the Trainers’’ session was organised, in partnership with IFAD-Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP) of Niger. The statement said that the training, which focused on best practices in producing cassava-based food items, involved 23 females and five males, drawn from Niger, Anambra, Lagos and Oyo states. The Events and Partnerships Officer of HarvestPlus, Miss Ifeoma Okonkwo, was quoted as highlighting the business opportunities in cassava value-added products during the training. Okonkwo said that any investment in the value chain was lucrative, adding that the added benefit of fighting malnutrition with the food products “is also a golden opportunity that is worth exploring’’. The statement also quoted Hadiza Isah, an...