To cushion the effect of the current economic challenges, the National Root Crops Research Institute, NRCRI, Umudike, Umuahia, Abia State, has introduced two cassava varieties into Nigerian market.
This was revealed in Umuahia by the Institute Executive Director, Professor Chiedozie Ngozi Egesi, at the Monthly Training Review Meeting, MTRM, sponsored by Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises, Niger Delta, LIFE-ND in Umuahia, November 6, 2024.
Professor Egesi, who was represented by Dr Tessy Madu, revealed the two introduced "Biggi and Renewed Hope" are best researched varieties for industrial and local processing markets.
Highlighting their economic importance Dr Madu explained that the Biggi, is endowed with enough starch for industrial mechanisation and its good plant architecture, while the Renewed Hope variety, rich in its dry matter content, is excellent for the processing markets of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, SMEs.
According to Dr Madu,
"The two newly released cassava varieties are called, "Biggi", serving the industrial market, "Renewed Hope", is serving the processing market,
"The Biggi that's serving the industrial market is rich in starch because, the industrial market needs cassava that's endowed with a lot of starch. Renewed Hope is good for processing segment.
"The dry matter content is excellent for "fufu" and garri. The Renewed Hope is going to renew their hope, remove hunger, renew economic pressures that people are facing", she said.
Dr Madu emphasized on the commitment of the Institute to research into genetic improvement of roots and tuber crops of economic importance, especially the mandate and opportunity crops like cassava, yam, cocoyam, potato, ginger, among others, while appealing to the government to increase the number of subject-matter specialists and extension agents to enhance information dissemination to the rural areas.
Addressing the participants, the LIFE-ND State Project Coordinator, Uchenna Rowland Onyeizu, Ph.D, who was represented by the State Agribusiness Promotion Officer, Chukwuekezie Godwin, explained that the revival of MTRM was a designed exit strategy of LIFE-ND Project for the sustainability of its achievements at its eventual exist, adding that seven private Extension Agents had been engaged to boost the shortage of manpower in the system.
Dr Innocent Onyekwere condemned the degradation and neglect of the soil which had led to increased bleaching and flooding, making the environment unhealthy for agricultural practices, and advocated for the enactment of land use policy by government, including the deployment of more Extension Agents to create healthy soil awareness in the society.
The LIFE-ND Project State Rural Institution, Youth and Gender Officer, Anthony Nwaobilor commended the collaboration, noting that the synergy would enhance dissemination of "On-shelf" information that had been researched and proven for modern technological farming practices by the Project beneficiaries and other rural farmers.
The Institution had made groundbreaking researches on other varieties of cassava - Umucass 44, 45, 46, 419, (four nineteen), among others.
The MTRM is the collaboration of LIFE-ND Project and Agricultural Development Programme, ADP, to create emerging farming practices in the rural areas. The Technology Meeting which had gone moribund was resuscitated by LIFE-ND Project on November 6, 2022.