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…As Sudan and IITA sign MoU
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| The Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga |
The Director General of the International Institute of
Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga said today that a collaboration
between IITA and Sudan will put smiles on the faces of farmers in the northern
African country.
This was contained in an address to a presidential delegation
from Sudan, that spent 5 days in Nigeria and visited IITA to familiarize, exchange
ideas, and explore areas for collaboration with IITA on cassava transformation.
The collaboration between Sudan and IITA aims at cutting the
importation of wheat and saving the country’s foreign exchange. The
collaboration is also part of a broader decision that would facilitate the
introduction of improved cassava varieties to Sudan.
Dr Sanginga said, “We
are ready to expand into Sudan with a strengthened diversified portfolio to
contribute to improved livelihood and income for small-scale farmers in the country.”
Leading the 6-person delegation, Professor Ahmed Mohamed
Suliman, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Khartoum, said the country
desired to become a cassava growing nation for the sole purpose of converting
the root crop to cassava flour that would replace wheat in baking.
According to him, Khartoum plans to replicate the cassava bread
model in Nigeria that was developed by IITA and partners. He said that when implemented,
Sudan will be able to fill the wheat shortfall that is currently being
experienced.
“Our Presidency is very much interested in supporting the
inclusion of High Quality Cassava Flour in bread and other forms of
confectioneries as part of efforts to improve food security and the livelihoods
of farmers in the country. On that note, I would initiate an immediate
development of a MoU with IITA to serve as a guide to common interest between
the two institutions,” Prof Suliman added.
The visit of the delegation culminated in the signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Dr Abuelgasim Elzein, Head, Department of Agricultural
Biotechnology, University of Khartoum, said that even though the Republic of
Sudan was not a cassava producing country, as soon as the cassava breeding
program is replicated into our farming system, agriculture will take a new
dimension.
Other members of the delegation were Dr Elhadi Ali Ibrahim
Elkhalil, Prof Awadalla Abdalla Abdelmula, Dr Abdalla Ibrahim Yousif, and Hala
Ahmed Elamin.
Dr Alfred Dixon, IITA Director for Development &
Delivery noted that cassava as the third-largest crop in the tropics, is a
major staple food in sub-Saharan Africa, providing a basic staple for over half
a billion people.
He added that Khartoum’s interest in cassava was a decision
in the right direction as cassava is one of the most drought-tolerant crops, capable
of growing on marginal soils.
Dr Dixon added that with the help of cassava experts from
IITA, good agronomic and weed management practices, “Sudan in no distant time
will be known for cassava production.”
Highlights of the 5-day visit included presentations by key
IITA staff: Frederick Schreurs, CEO Business Incubation Platform; Ismail Rabbi,
IITA Molecular Geneticist / Breeder; Festus Okunlola, IITA Youth Agriprenuer
(IYA); Iheanacho Okike, IITA Cassava Peel Technologist; and Thierno Diallo,
IITA Machine Fabricator. The delegates also had the opportunity to undergo
hands on training at the IITA Food and Nutrition Science Laboratory on how to bake
bread, croissant, chin-chin, Tidbits, using cassava flour.
For more information, please contact: Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org
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