Farmers
Nigeria ranks
Farmers
Nigeria ranks world’s largest producer of
Yam
The Food and Agricultural
Organization (FAO), as ranked Nigeria
as one of the World’s largest
producers of Yam with about 60% of
the Global production of the product.
The Permanent Secretary Federal
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development Dr. Mohammed Umar Bello,
disclosed this in Abuja at the National
Awareness Workshop on Yam, organized
by the Advocacy and Resource Mobilization
Team (ARMT) of Yam Improvement for Income and Food
Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA), an
initiative of the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Dr. Bello, who was represented by
the Director of Agriculture, Engr.
Frank Satumari Kudla, noted that
though Nigeria produces about 64% of Yam, it is
not among the Comity of Yam Exporting
Nations owing to lack of quality seeds of improved
varieties and efficient seed production.
Bello, said that (IITA) under
it’s (YIIFSWA) programme saw the need to develop High
Ratio multiplication technologies i.e. seed multiplication
system that is sustainable and capable of producing high
quality yam seeds at an affordable price
to Farmers with high yielding potentials.
The Permanent Secretary also
pointed out that, the current practice in Yam
Seed production is at a Ratio of 1.1 within 12 Months but
that the new technology will produce a 1.300 Ratio within
six Months. He also appreciated the activities
of (YIIFSWA) in Benue, Niger, Nasarawa, Oyo, Enugu
States and FCT which he said has led to the use of clean planting
materials by some farmers in those areas.
In his remark, the Commissioner of Agriculture, Enugu
State, Hon. Idu Mathew, who was represented by Director, Technical
Resources, Mr. Onuze Benjamin, said that “every country that export
its raw commodity, exports it’s Labour and every other thing that
is good to the country”. He further stated that the Nigeria
National Agricultural Council is making effort to ensure that all
export products undergo the normal necessary value chain in
addition to processing before export, adding that all farmers
should take opportunity of the workshop to add value to what we
have in the country.
The
focal person (ARMT) and (YIIFWA) Nigeria
Team, Dr. Pepetua Iyere-Usiahon,
said one of the things that brought about the YIIFWA
programme is food security and if not well addressed, the
populace would do what is expected of them.
Mohammed Abdullahi Gana
For: Director, Information