24th June 2014 And in a nod to the agricultural transformation currently travelling across Nigeria, the International Fertilizer Development Center has signed a MOU with Nigerian Breweries and Psaltry International Ltd; a cassava processing firm. The agreement is aimed at promoting commercial cassava production in Nigeria for the production of beer.
Henk Wymenga Nigerian Breweries Technical Director said following the signing of the MOU “As a large scale cooperation we like to support small scale organisations, We have chosen to work in the cassava industry as we see a potential in the root crop, and this partnership is a step by step process in shifting the root crop from susbsistence to a commercially viable crop”.
Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world and produces over 42million tonnes annually. One of the main objectives of the IFDC is to develop a sustainable cassava value chain, by building the capacity of smallholder cassava farmers and increasing the use of improved cassava varieties. The Centre has worked with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Notore to develop specific fertilizer blends for cassava. It has also connected farmers to improved mechanized practices and is instrumental in linking farmers to credible agro-dealers in various intervention areas.
IFDC’s North and West Africa Division Director, Andre De Jager, is quoted as saying “our experience in sustainable increase in cassava productivity, jointly with a secured market by Nigerian Breweries can make a huge contribution to increasing farmers income and improving their livelihood ”.