Harvestplus, partners train widows, caregivers on Vitamin A cassava, maize production
Empowerment
By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko
Ibadan, May 15, 2018 (NAN) Harvestplus, an international agricultural organisation, and partners recently trained widows and caregivers in Akwa-Ibom on cultivation of Vitamin A cassava and maize as well as entrepreneurial skills.
The Harvestplus Country Manager, Dr Paul Ilona made this known on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.
He said the training included variety identification and good agronomic practices for the cultivation of vitamin A cassava, vitamin A maize and orange sweet potato.
Ilona added that the participants were also trained on the development of various food products from bio-fortified crops.
“At the end of the training, 500g of vitamin A maize was given free to all participants, bio-fortified crops have enormous potential for income generation and nutrition security,” he said.
According to the official, the training is part of the organisation’s strategy to reach millions of Nigerians on vitamin A cassava, maize production, and enhance potentials to tackle malnutrition in the country.
In the bid to achieve its goal, Ilona said that Harvestplus also trained no fewer than 72 participants comprising men and women in Delta on the business opportunities across the value chains of vitamin A cassava and maize.
“The training covered practical sessions on production, packaging of combobites, cassarita and cassmoi (varieties made from vitamin A cassava) and best agronomic practices for high yield of 30 tons per hectare from vitamin A cassava.
“One of its successes is that combobite and cowpea were accepted as items for the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) in Cross River state.
“To ensure adequate supply of the products for all participating schools, Ministry of Agriculture in Calabar organised training for its staff, corporate organisations and other vendors of the HGSFP.
“The training was facilitated by Qenam farms, who Harvestplus had previously trained on Combobites production.
‘’Qenam produces, supplies up to 8,000 pieces of Combobites to the HGSFP weekly and with this training, more vendors will join Qenam to increase the overall weekly supply to school children.
‘’We are also making efforts to have vitamin A cassava, maize products enrolled in the HGSFP nationwide,” he said.
Ilona further quoted the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Adebayo Bamire as saying that the introduction of bio-fortification of crops in Nigeria was a sustainable strategy for combating micronutrient malnutrition in the country.
Bio-fortification is the process of using conventional crop breeding techniques to increase density of micronutrients in staple crops to a level where they can make nutrition, health impact.
‘’Bamire said that before the introduction of bio-fortification, Nigeria lost about 553,000 years of healthy life due to vitamin A deficiency, with children below five years accounting for 45 per cent of the total loss while pregnant, lactating women accounted for 28/27 per cent.
“The release of bio-fortified varieties resulted in potential annual gain of between 36,668 and 237,929 years of healthy life, further reducing vitamin A deficiency by up to 70 per cent and averting over 1,200 child deaths yearly.
“Bamire studied the health, economic burden caused by micronutrient malnutrition, particularly vitamin A deficiency; he was instrumental to the release of first wave of vitamin A cassava varieties in Nigeria.
“Now in Nigeria we have over 25 innovative food products from Vitamin A cassava and maize that can gainfully employ youth in the nutritious food sector, we will not rest till we achieve our goal,” Ilona said.
NAN reports that Harvestplus improves nutrition and public health by developing and promoting bio-fortified food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals.
It provides global leadership on bio-fortification evidence and technology; the staple crops are naturally bio-fortified and not genetically modified. (NAN)
CC/AOS/AFA
==========
Edited by Bayo Sekoni/Felix Ajide