By Okhide Em’ya David
Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has warned that cassava cultivation in Nigeria, though ranked highest and about 20% of the total world production, is facing grave threats.
The Execute Director of the Council, Dr. Segun Awolowo gave the alert during the week at a one day workshop on the implementation of the One-State One-Product (OSOP) Value Chain in strategic products of the zero oil plan cassava in Benin city, Edo State of Nigeria.
Awolowo who was represented at the event by the Trade Promotion Advisor, NEPC, Export Assistance Office, Benin, MacPherson Lleogben, said: “Despite being the world’s largest producer of cassava, the industry is facing some challenges in Nigeria, such as; climate change, low yields, quality issues, low processing, sharp practices, infrastructural deficiency and poor access to finance.”
He said the threats also have great constraints on export of the product adding that it was vital to engage the value chain players from time to time to address the plights.
Awolowo said that In 2015, NEPC developed a “game changer documents tagged the Zero-Oil Plan, noting that the initiative was developed as a strategy for boosting foreign exchange earnings through the non-oil sector as well as preparing Nigeria for an economy that would not depend on a single drop of crude oil for survival.”
” The Zero Oil Plan has set a long-term goal of earning 20% of Nigeria’s GDP (i.e US$100 billion) from non oil exports. The initial target is to exceed US$30 billion in non-oil exports over the next 10 years. If properly implemented the plan will lead to three primary results.”
He said the new methodology will ” add an extra US$150 million (minimum) to Nigeria’s foreign reserves cumulatively from non-oil exports over the next 10 years, create at least 500,000 additional job annually.”
He said: “Due to an increase in productive and export activities, Cassava cultivation contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8-, decent Work and Economic Growth , as well as lifts at least 20 million Nigerians out of poverty, contributing towards SDG 1-“No Poverty”.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Wealth Creation Cooperative and Employment, Joel Edionwe urged the farmers at the occasion to look for the modern ways of how to process their Cassava products .
Edionwe added that Edo State produce the largest cassava in Nigeria and appealed to the farmers to develop a new format to produce large quantities and therefore declared the event opened.
Chairman Edo State chapter of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Chief Emmanuel Odugie, asked how farmers would benefit from the workshop so that they can produce large quantities of cassava.
He urged the participants to listen to the various speakers so that they can learn about modern ways of cultivating good cassava products.
In his address of welcome, Trade Promotion Advisor, Benin Export Assistance Office, MacPherson Fred Lleogben, said, the event was aimed at building the capacity of farmers and processor across the cassava value chain.
Lleogben said it will further strengthen the non-oil exports performance of Edo state. “With cassava being the primary product identified in Edo state under the One State One Product idea of the council.”
He said Edo State has shown that cassava and wood are its main and alternate products.The focus of the workshop was on cassava development, with over 59 million metric tons production. The total estimated world production is put at over 291 million metric tons in 2017.”
