Post by Trade Coach on Oct 11, 2021 20:00:51 GMT 1
These Are The Reasons Why Nigeria Is Not Producing Enough Cassava For Its Citizens
Cassava can be regarded as one of the most consumed food items not only in Nigeria but the whole of the African continent. This crop feeds the majority of the country’s huge population; yet the country had never been able to produce enough of the commodity to serve the people.
Despite depending on cassava for the greater amount of carbohydrates by the citizens the country, almost all the byproducts of cassava like, garri, fufu, cassava flour have remained out of the reach of the common man.
In recent years, the cost of cassava byproducts in Nigeria has been so high that one was beginning to think that all the quantity of the commodity we consume in Nigeria in imported from foreign countries. Food inflation in Nigeria has reached so high that it has even surpassed 15 year high levels.
Benjamin Okoye holds a Doctorate degree in Agric. Economics; he is also the Chief Research Officer, Cassava Research Programme at the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, in Abia State, Nigeria; he spoke on the reasons he considers to be the cause of low cassava production in the country.
Nigeria is currently the world’s highest producer of cassava; Nigeria produced about 59.2 million metric tonnes in 2019, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo with 40.1 million metric tonnes, while Thailand comes third with 31.1 million metric tonnes annually.
But Thailand is the highest exporter of the commodity in the world in 2020, while China is the highest importer of the commodity. The total world production of cassava in 2019 is 303.57 metric tonnes.
You can even see from the analysis above that Nigeria is not even the highest exporter of cassava in the world despite being the highest producer as at 2019. The crop has a lot of derivatives in the country; and the population eats a lot of the harvest at home.
One other reason why the country does not produce enough of the product to feed the population before talking about export is the problem of low productivity.
According to Wikipedia, the average production of cassava per hectare in Nigeria is 10.6 metric tonnes. But other authorities are saying that if the farmers can embrace mechanization that there will be a big shift in the production level in the positive direction.
The country manager, African Agricultural Technology Foundation ((AATF), Mr. Ayodele David, advised that it is only through mechanization; that the country’s farmers can drastically increase their yield in cassava production.
Apart from mechanization, the country Director also encouraged farmers to select good and well-drained soil, good varieties of stems; and most importantly that planting formation is right.
He recommended 0.8m X 1m spacing; 80cm along the roll, and inter-roll spacing should be 1metre.
The AATF boss said that if farmers are ready to use a minimum of 80 bundles of cassava stems per hectare, using good cassava planter; that the farmer is sure of getting about 28 tonnes per hectare if everything is done well.
In the same vein the Chief Research Officer of The National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, said that one major reason that is making Nigeria not having enough cassava to feeds its citizens is that production is very low compared with other countries.
He made a very startling revelation; he said that there was a time that Zimbabwean farmers came to crop cassava in Nigeria, that they got 50 metric tonnes per hectare in the same soil our farmers are currently making 10 metric tonnes per hectare. What is the problem?
This man made another interesting revelation. He said that in their institute that they have developed a lot of improved varieties of cassava, but that the problem is when the farmers hear about improved varieties, they think that it just to plant the cassava and go to sleep.
The government should create a lot of time to educate farmers of the best farming practices to adapt to increase the yield of the farms.
Extension workers should be sent from the various agricultural ministries and departments to educate farmers on the best practices to adapt.
We will be continuing on problems of cassava in Nigeria in our subsequent articles. We also promised you that we will be bringing to you articles on organic farming. Stay with us as we bring them to you as planned.
Cassava can be regarded as one of the most consumed food items not only in Nigeria but the whole of the African continent. This crop feeds the majority of the country’s huge population; yet the country had never been able to produce enough of the commodity to serve the people.
Despite depending on cassava for the greater amount of carbohydrates by the citizens the country, almost all the byproducts of cassava like, garri, fufu, cassava flour have remained out of the reach of the common man.
In recent years, the cost of cassava byproducts in Nigeria has been so high that one was beginning to think that all the quantity of the commodity we consume in Nigeria in imported from foreign countries. Food inflation in Nigeria has reached so high that it has even surpassed 15 year high levels.
Benjamin Okoye holds a Doctorate degree in Agric. Economics; he is also the Chief Research Officer, Cassava Research Programme at the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, in Abia State, Nigeria; he spoke on the reasons he considers to be the cause of low cassava production in the country.
Nigeria is currently the world’s highest producer of cassava; Nigeria produced about 59.2 million metric tonnes in 2019, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo with 40.1 million metric tonnes, while Thailand comes third with 31.1 million metric tonnes annually.
But Thailand is the highest exporter of the commodity in the world in 2020, while China is the highest importer of the commodity. The total world production of cassava in 2019 is 303.57 metric tonnes.
You can even see from the analysis above that Nigeria is not even the highest exporter of cassava in the world despite being the highest producer as at 2019. The crop has a lot of derivatives in the country; and the population eats a lot of the harvest at home.
One other reason why the country does not produce enough of the product to feed the population before talking about export is the problem of low productivity.
According to Wikipedia, the average production of cassava per hectare in Nigeria is 10.6 metric tonnes. But other authorities are saying that if the farmers can embrace mechanization that there will be a big shift in the production level in the positive direction.
The country manager, African Agricultural Technology Foundation ((AATF), Mr. Ayodele David, advised that it is only through mechanization; that the country’s farmers can drastically increase their yield in cassava production.
Apart from mechanization, the country Director also encouraged farmers to select good and well-drained soil, good varieties of stems; and most importantly that planting formation is right.
He recommended 0.8m X 1m spacing; 80cm along the roll, and inter-roll spacing should be 1metre.
The AATF boss said that if farmers are ready to use a minimum of 80 bundles of cassava stems per hectare, using good cassava planter; that the farmer is sure of getting about 28 tonnes per hectare if everything is done well.
In the same vein the Chief Research Officer of The National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, said that one major reason that is making Nigeria not having enough cassava to feeds its citizens is that production is very low compared with other countries.
He made a very startling revelation; he said that there was a time that Zimbabwean farmers came to crop cassava in Nigeria, that they got 50 metric tonnes per hectare in the same soil our farmers are currently making 10 metric tonnes per hectare. What is the problem?
This man made another interesting revelation. He said that in their institute that they have developed a lot of improved varieties of cassava, but that the problem is when the farmers hear about improved varieties, they think that it just to plant the cassava and go to sleep.
The government should create a lot of time to educate farmers of the best farming practices to adapt to increase the yield of the farms.
Extension workers should be sent from the various agricultural ministries and departments to educate farmers on the best practices to adapt.
We will be continuing on problems of cassava in Nigeria in our subsequent articles. We also promised you that we will be bringing to you articles on organic farming. Stay with us as we bring them to you as planned.