University of Uyo students |
On the heels of a memorable 21st
convocation ceremony of the prestigious University of Uyo, the Faculty
of Agriculture of the university held an agric exhibition yesterday
November 4, 2015 tagged “Akwa Ibom Dakkada to Agriculture”. The
exhibition on post-harvest processing of agricultural produce which was
the high point of a total package that encompassed enlightenment
campaign, paper presentation and awards, inquisitively had on display a
lone item – Provita Flour, a provitamin A cassava flour. The exhibition
was so designed and organized to bring to fore, with exclusive courtesy,
the numerous outstanding and unparalleled nutritional and economic
advantages of beta carotene varieties of cassava – the yellow cassava.
Speaking with AgroNigeria
correspondent, the Faculty of Agriculture 2014/2015 internship chairman,
Ebube Ezenwa Geoben, asserted that Provita Flour is good for diabetic
patients because of its low starch level and added nutritive value of
high β-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. He called on the government
to invest more in universities by establishing laboratories to promote
the evolvement of similar breakthroughs in other areas of agriculture.
“The exhibition which is organized at the instance of the 2014/2015
internship students of the faculty is a podium for the promotion of high
quality processed provitamin A cassava flour”, he surmised.
Cassava (Manihot esculenta), a
native of South America was introduced into the southern part of Nigeria
in the period of slave trade proliferated by Portuguese explorers in
the sixteenth century. Over time, this tropical root crop has become a
major economic sustenance crop as well as a cash crop of great
importance in Nigeria, the world’s largest producer of cassava producing
approximately 45 million tonnes, almost 19% of total world production.
Nigeria made history with the formal
launch of three varieties of provitamin A cassava or beta carotene
(β-carotene) cassava commonly referred to as yellow cassava as opposed
to the white flesh of regular cassava roots. These varieties were
jointly developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
(IITA) Ibadan and National Roots Crops Research Institute (NRCRI)
Umudike.
While speaking at the launch of the
cassava varieties at NRCRI Umudike, Abia State three years back, Dr
Akinwunmi Adesina, erstwhile minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development and current president of African Development Bank (AfDB)
remarked that Nigeria loses over 1.5 billion dollars in GDP annually to
vitamin and mineral deficiencies as many staple foods are low in
essential micronutrients. Independent research shows that almost 20% of
pregnant women and 30% of children under the age of five suffer from
vitamin A deficiency resulting in stunting in children, predisposition
to sicknesses such as diarrhea and measles and even premature death. In
pregnant women, vitamin A deficiency results in night blindness and
increases the risk of mortality.
According to UNICEF, 43 % of under
five children in Nigeria are stunted compared to 39% for all developing
countries. In the Human Development Index (HDI), Nigeria ranks 158th
out of 182 countries with life expectancy of 48 years, risk of maternal
death of 1 in 18 and under five mortality rate of 186 per 1,000 live
births. With the highest absolute number of children who are stunted and
with 41% of children under the age of five stunted, Nigeria’s stunting
prevalence puts it as the 32nd highest out of 136 countries-
this is not a compliment! The grave necessity for apposite health and
nutrition improvement to combat vitamin A deficiency remains most
apparent.
The World Health Organisation (WHO)
reports that in the past three decades, the prevalence of type 2
diabetes, a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by elevated levels
of blood glucose (or blood sugar), which leads over time to serious
damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves, has risen
dramatically in countries of all income levels. Dr Adesina, therefore,
lauded the launch of provitamin A cassava which has lower percentage
starch content as ‘‘a revolution for nutrition and health in
Nigeria’’.
According to the former minister, provitamin A cassava will
go a long way in correcting the nutritional and dietary deficiencies of
the poor and vulnerable as well as individual and household vitamin A
deficiency.
Obong,
Joy Ime of the Department of Animal Science and an exhibition planning
committee member said the exhibition was to showcase the product,
Provita Flour made from provitamin A cassava. She outlined the
uniqueness of Provita Flour to include high vitamin A content which
makes it good for the eyes and skin, low starch content which makes it
the baker’s choice and diabetics’ appeal, bio fortified product with
lower cyanide content, ease of multiplication and propagation which
makes it more economical in comparison with regular cassava cuttings.
Enhanced awareness on the nutritive and economic values of the product
will give it an edge over others, she added. She therefore called on
relevant stakeholders to stimulate the expansion of market opportunities
for provitamin A cassava and its products in Nigeria.
The
students’ performance during the internship year particularly at Domita
Farms Uyo, Vika Farms Uyo and Songhai Farm Port Harcourt, as appraised
by the internship coordinator, Dr. Unyime Robson Etuk of the Department
of Agricultural Economics and Extension, was outstanding. This was
collaborated by the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Iniobong
Akpabio, who sent his goodwill message through the internship
coordinator expressing his delight at his students’ drive towards
modernized agriculture.
The
exhibition brought together two chieftains and stakeholders in the Akwa
Ibom agro business space who have so distinguished themselves as
acclaimed achievers in agriculture under the names Domita Farms and Vika
Farms. One year internship/field experience is a window that introduces
students of agriculture to the real world of agriculture with myriads
of challenges imploring for solutions, the chairman of the occasion,
Head of Soil Science Department, Akwa Ibom State University and the
owner of Domita Farms, the largest farm in Uyo, Dr Dominic Udoh posited.
Currently a part time lecturer in the University of Uyo, Dr Udoh also
doubled as the representative of the Head of Department, Soil Science
and Land Resource Management, University of Uyo. The one time
commissioner for agriculture applauded the students’ initiative and
contribution towards the promotion of agriculture appreciation by the
citizenry.
Students
of agriculture with their innovative and enterprising minds should
continue in the noble profession that bequeaths self-sufficiency,
dignity and prestige. This was the position of Dr (Mrs) Asikpo
Essienibok of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Environment who
also doubled as the representative of Vika Farms Limited, Uyo.
“Agriculture contributes the second largest percent to the country’s GDP
and so we agriculturists do not take ourselves for granted”, remarked
Jimmy Maxwell of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension.
The
exhibition which also marked the end of the 2014/2015 internship year
witnessed the award of certificates and agricultural souvenirs, a runway
show, music performance and poem rendition as well as a paper
presentation by Ms. Abasikpongke Willie, a student of Saints College Uyo
-the younger generation of agriculturists.
Provita
Flour, a product of the Faculty of Agriculture, made from provitamin A
cassava is a high quality cassava flour best for consumption as fufu and
excellent for bakery. In the words of Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, “…as you
choose provitamin A bread, you are choosing improved health and
nutrition”.
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