FROM the peasant farmer's position, all cassava could do and has been doing is provide sustenance for the family from its products like garri, lafun, fufu and abacha (tapioca). When there is a bumper harvest and the farmer has more than enough, the prices of the processed products sent to the local markets crash to the point of discouragement ' thereafter, the cultivation is put in limbo for fear of labour without commensurate income.Perhaps, after about two seasons of staying away from consistent cultivation, the prices go up as a result of scarcity, then they return.Even with this fitful production, the country ranks among the top three biggest cassava producers in the world. Of course this cannot go without the outstanding work that has been done by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan in boosting production of the tuber.However, in 2002 the Obasanjo administration took a step that would have turned around fortunes of the farmer and nation if the policy on the crop was sustained. The president at the time formulated a policy that would commercialise cassava production and take it beyond local consumption.In 2001 the production was about 34 million metric tons (MT) and increased to 37.9 million MT in 2002. An average yield of 10.83 MT per hectare was employed in the cultivation of 3.125 million hectares.Buoyed by the huge production of the tuber, the Obasanjo administration aimed at making the crop an export commodity with a view to generating five billion Naira annually. Aside the primary products from the tuber, the plan is to make a number of value-added items as secondary products that are able to attract foreign exchange to the country. These are chips, pellets, flour, adhesives, alcohol, and starch that are vital raw materials needed in industrial production in food and feed industries among others.To realise this objective, there was need to develop the domestic market that would place a greater demand on the product, diversify its use and create national policies that will enhance cassava development. The government at the time sought to do this but policy inconsistencies would not keep the project afloat.CASSAVA is perishable as its moisture content is very high (between 60 and 70 per cent) and difficult to preserve without adequate technology. This has opened it up to being exploited by middlemen who buy cheap and have the ability to process to other intermediate or end products that attract better prices and income.Only recently, Nigeria's Agriculture minister, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina projects that farmers can earn up to $450 million (N67.5bn) under the cassava transformation agenda. To achieve this, the minister said government would put in place a Market and Trade Development Corporation (MTDC) in the value chain of cassava marketing to ensure an effective market chain.In the plan, over 1.2 million jobs are expected to be created both on and off farm. Now, an increased productivity based on 12.5 tons per hectare under the initiative, seems to give a new bite. Hopefully, 'a new generation of cassava farmers, oriented towards commercial production and farm business' would fly the new flag of President Jonathan's revamped focus on the tuber.
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