Ebonyi Empowers 3500 Farmers on Cassava Value Chain

cassava

Over 3,500 farmers in Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency of Ebonyi State have benefited from an empowerment and enlightenment program where they were taught how to produce cassava chips, biscuits, bread, flour, Fofo, tea, among other derivatives, they were also enlightened on the benefits and needs of biofortified Vitamin A cassava in the life and health of people.


The 3 days training which was facilitated by HarvestPlus, an agricultural group that breed crops for better nutrition, which is being coordinated by the Centre for International Tropical Agriculture and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), was considered apt following Nigeria’s dwindling revenue occasioned by the decline in oil production. This however, underscores the need to revert to agriculture, which has remained the mainstay of the Nigerian people.

Supporting this view was what the member representing Ohaozara/ Onicha/ Ivo Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Linus Abaa Okorie considered urgent, thereby empowering the farmers as a way of boosting cassava production. Rural farmers were empowered on biofortified cassava stems with the aim of replacing the white cassava specie that is in place.

Not only were the farmers in the three local government areas educated on the need and how to grow Vitamin A food crops, but the seeds were also handed out to them to begin to grow them from the present rainy season.

They were also taught how to process the Vitamin A cassava into different value added products such as using the cassava to make chips, Moi Moi, custard and even tea.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Chairman of All Farmers Association in Ebonyi State, Elder Livinus Oko, described the exercise as a very fruitful one. He added that people should be involved in agriculture as the nation is trying to diverse to the sector, noting that farming will make every individual independent, financially and otherwise.