news crop: Cassava

ImageThe “Making Agricultural Innovations Work for Smallholder Farmers Affected by HIV/AIDS” – or MIRACLE – a project funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and implemented by IITA has commissioned four small-scale cassava processing centers in Luapula Province in the northern part of Zambia. The symbolic commissioning of the centers was held on 21 February at the Sencil General Suppliers in Mibenge Agricultural Camp, one of the four established under the project. The other three processing centers are located at the Kale Agricultural Camp, Mansa Resettlement Scheme, and Mabumba Agricultural Camp.

Luapula Province is known as Zambia’s main cassava-producing area and supplies the root crop to the rest of the country and even exports to the neighboring country of DR Congo.

According to Melba Davis-Mussagy, MIRACLE Project Manager, the processing centers service farmers within a 7-km radius. The project also supplied farmers with planting materials of improved cassava varieties to ensure the steady flow of raw materials to the centers.

“In these communities, farmers usually walk an average of 15 to 20 km to bring their cassava roots to existing hammer mills. We have strategically located these processing centers so that our project beneficiaries will not need to travel long distances to have their cassava roots processed,” Mussagy said.

The centers are equipped with a hammer mill, grating machine, chipping machine, and hydraulic press. They will be producing cassava chips, high-quality cassava flour (HQCF), and cassava meal.

At full production capacity, each center can produce 3 tons of cassava flour or 4 tons of cassava chips per day. In the meantime, however, the centers are expected to produce about 200 kg of flour daily. HQCF is expected to initially go to bakeries, restaurants, and hotels in Mansa – the biggest town in Luapula Province where there is a high dem and for the product, while cassava meal goes to the general public and the chips to industries.

“We want our farmer-beneficiaries to earn more by increasing their production surplus and diversifying their income options,” Mussagy said. “But also importantly, we want to reduce the drudgery of labor associated with producing cassava chips and flour through traditional methods,” she added.

In traditional processing, producing cassava chips and flour takes an average of 6 days. “Through these mechanized processing centers, the production process could be reduced to just a day,” she explained.

The centers will be operated by MIRACLE-supported entrepreneurs themselves, with technical and business backstopping for at least one year. The operators were chosen based on their business know-how, dedication to the project, existing infrastructure in their homesteads, and leadership qualities. The operators have been trained by MIRACLE on cassava flour and chips production.

The commissioning was graced by Ms Miriam Kauseni, Permanent Secretary (PS) of Luapula Province, who represented the Provincial Minister. In her commissioning speech, she highlighted the importance of these processing centers to farmers and the local industry.

“The limited cassava utilization possibilities have been among the most important constraints to the growth of the cassava industry in Luapula and across Zambia as a whole,” she said. “The Zambian Government considers diversification of cassava utilization as critical as the crop can be used for baking and confectionery, stock feed, and industrial purposes – all of which can help create many new jobs and improve livelihoods,” the PS emphasized.

“I wish to recognize the efforts of IITA in the promotion of cassava utilization among the local people. As government, we are happy to see the good collaboration between IITA and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to support the improvement of small-scale farming especially among households affected by HIV/AIDS. To IITA, I say ‘excellent work!’”.

“I have a word for our new cassava factory owners: the processing centers that you have now are the nucleus of development in your community. Operate them for the benefit of your fellow small farmers,” she advised.

Dr David Chikoye, IITA Regional Director for Southern Africa, reiterated what the PS said. “These are your factories. Look after them so that they bring the most benefit to you and your community.”

“IITA is your friend. Without you, we – and what we do – are irrelevant. Putting up these processing centers is the easy part – the more difficult part of operating and maintaining them now falls on your collective shoulders. But rest assured that we will always be here to assist,” he said.

During the commissioning, community members who attended were also treated to a display and taste-testing of various breads and pastries made with a composite of 20% cassava flour and 80% wheat flour. These were prepared using flour processed from the centers during their test run.

For information, please contact:
Jeffrey Oliver,
Corporate Communications Manager
O.Jeffrey@cgiar.org

Melba Davis-Mussagy
Agro-enterprise Development Specialist
M.Mussagy@cgiar.org

Cassava FarmersNigerian farmers have commended the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) for giving them improved cassava planting materials.

The dissemination of the improved varieties is part of efforts by the Nigerian government under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda to boost cassava production and the incomes of farmers.

In Benue State, home to cassava production, farmers say they anticipate good yield from cassava this year, thanks to the availability of improved planting materials.

“With these improved varieties, we are hopeful of improved yield,” says Och’ Otukpo, His Royal Highness, Dr John Eimonye.

“We commend IITA and the federal government for initiating this program,” he added.

Another farmer, Mr. Boniface Eyimoga, who cultivated 15 hectares of cassava with improved varieties, noted that the program is already making positive impact.

“As soon as we cultivated cassava, several people in the community joined. There is a kind of positive influence that the program is having on cassava growing areas. More people are seeing the potential in cassava and they want to be part of it,” he explained.

He lauded the initiative, adding that it would create more opportunities for the youths and women in the communities.

“When we talk of agricultural revolution, this is one of the ways to achieve it. It is a step in the right direction,” he emphasized. Like in Benue State, several parts of Nigeria last year received improved planting materials.

In the last 45 years, IITA working with national partners have developed more than 40 improved cassava varieties with potential yield ranging from 20 to 40 tons per hectare as opposed to traditional varieties that give farmers less than 10 tons per hectare.

Dr Richardson Okechukwu, scientist who coordinates cassava transformation activities at IITA, said the deployment of the varieties would help Nigeria to maintain its leadership position in Africa, and create wealth for farmers. It will also ensure that the dem and for roots by industries does not affect food security of Nigeria.

“We are glad that farmers are getting these varieties across the country,” he added.

In the early 2000, IITA played a similar role under the Presidential Initiative on Cassava. At that time, the Institute backstopped the cassava value chain in the country, and provided farmers access to improved planting materials. These efforts pushed cassava production by 10 million tons in six years, making Nigeria the largest producer of cassava.

Dr Kenton Dashiell, IITA Deputy Director General for Partnerships and Capacity Development, said that IITA would continue to deploy its technologies to help the country maintain its lead in cassava production.

“What we are looking at in this project is to narrow the yield gap” Dr Dashiell said.

He added that farmers were key stakeholders in the cassava transformation program of the government, and that IITA recognizes them in its research agenda. ###

For information, please contact:
Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org

ImageNigeria has released two improved cassava varieties in an effort to maintain its lead as the world’s largest producer of the root crop and improve incomes of farmers.

The varieties were developed through a collaborative effort between the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Nigerian Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike. The two varieties are originally recognized as IITA-developed genotypes: IITA-TMS-I982132 and IITA-TMS-I011206. But with the official release, they are now known as UMUCASS 42 and UMUCASS 43, respectively.

“Both varieties performed well in different cassava production regions of Nigeria with high yield, high dry matter, and good disease resistance. The roots of these varieties are yellow and contain moderate levels of pro-vitamin A,” says Dr Peter Kulakow, IITA Cassava Breeder.

The potential maximum yield of the two varieties is between 49 and 53 tons per hectare, according to pre-varietal release trials that were conducted between 2008 and 2010. Local varieties produce less than 10 tons per hectare. The varieties are also resistant to major pests and diseases that affect cassava in the country including cassava mosaic disease, cassava bacterial blight, cassava anthracnose, cassava mealybug, and cassava green mite.

Dr Chiedozie Egesi, NRCRI Cassava Breeder, who presented the varieties before the Nigeria Varietal Release committee—the body in charge of officially releasing varieties—said the varieties have the following distinct qualities:

  1. Good for high quality cassava flour—a sought-after trait by researchers for the cassava transformation agenda in Nigeria.
  2. High dry matter which is positively related to starch and crucial for cassava value chain development
  3. High leaf retention which is positively related to drought tolerance and is crucial for cassava production in the drier regions and in mitigating the impact of climate change, and
  4. Moderate levels of betacarotene for enhancing nutrition.

Over the years, cassava has been transformed from being a “poor man’s” crop to a cash and an industrial crop, as it is now processed to products such as starch, flour, glucose, and ethanol. This transition has increased the dem and for this root crop.

Researchers say developing new improved varieties is one way of boosting the steady supply of cassava roots for value chain development and for industry.

According to Dr Egesi, continuous breeding of such improved new varieties will help in stabilizing production, processing, and marketing of cassava products.

“The impact of these efforts will be felt in areas such as rural employment and a vibrant cassava industrial sector,” he added. ###

For more information, please contact:

Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org

ImageScientists from across the world will gather in Arusha, Tanzania, for the 12th International Plant Virus Epidemiology (IPVE) symposium between January 28 and 1 February 2013. The meeting will provide researchers a platform to share the latest knowledge, brainstorm and draw a road map to contain the spread of plant virus diseases.

The conference, with the theme: “Evolution, Ecology and Control of Plant Viruses,” is coming at a time when the battle against plant virus diseases is becoming more complex and the need for food security is dem anding more global attention. This is the first time the meeting is taking place in Africa—a continent that is plagued by plant viruses of key staple crops, driven by a climate that is getting warmer.

Dr Nteranya Sanginga, Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) notes that plant viruses are spreading rapidly to new places, frustrating efforts to boost the food security and livelihoods of millions of people.

“These viruses include the deadly cassava brown streak, banana bunchy top disease, rice yellow mottle, and maize streak virus, among others.

“Poor small-holder farmers–who are majority of the population and of the food growers, with their limited resources are bearing the brunt of these virus diseases. They are least able to invest in inputs such as pesticides and herbicides and improved disease-resistant varieties,” he said, adding that “We need science-based solutions to these challenges.”

The symposium will provide a forum for exchange of latest knowledge and technologies to control virus diseases and pave the way for an African and global strategy to combat emerging and re-emerging plant virus diseases. Renowned virologists from over 40 countries are going to attend this event.

The symposium will take place at the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, which is located between Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru in Arusha, Tanzania; and is about 40 minutes’ drive from Kilimanjaro International Airport.

The meeting will be co-organized by IITA, CGIAR, Bioversity, Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute (MARI) in Tanzania, the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) of Ug anda, AVRDC—The World Vegetable Center, and West and Central African Council for Agriculture Research and Development (WECARD/CORAF) under the auspices of the International Committee on Plant Virus Epidemiology (ICPVE). In the past, the United Kingdom, Australia, United States, France, Italy, Israel, Spain, Peru, Germany, and India played host to IPVE meetings.

The IPVE is a specialist committee on plant virus epidemiology of the International Society of Plant Pathology (ISPP). The IPVE Committee has previously conducted 11 international symposia in different parts of the world.

For more information visit: www.iita.org/web/ipve

ImageImproved cassava varieties developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and tested in Ethiopia –one of the countries in the Horn of Africa—have high prospects of tackling the menace of seasonal bouts of famine in that region.

Under good conditions in Ethiopia, cassava’s yield performance showed high potential of 25 tons per hectare to more than 40 tons per hectare, although current farmer yields are often well below these levels, according to preliminary trials.

“These results reinforce the fact that cassava can be grown, and can provide food security in that part of the continent. More importantly, hence the region is drought prone, growing cassava is one of the best options,” said Dr Pheneas.

Ntawuruhunga, IITA Cassava Breeder, who carried some studies in that region in collaboration with the national program.

Consumed by more than 600 million people in the developing countries mostly for its high carbohydrate content, cassava is resistant to drought and tolerant of biotic and abiotic stresses such as low soil fertility. These characteristics make cassava an alternative for a region that highly relies on cereals and legumes.

The Ethiopian government realized the importance of cassava and attention has been given to cassava production intensification and promotion.

“Cassava is now on top of the agenda of the government as a food security crop. And I must say that IITA contributed significantly to this development,” according to Dr. Solomon Assefa, the Director General of the Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture Research.

But from Assefa’s point of view, more research is needed to maximize the full potential of the root crop.

In 2000, through the former Eastern Africa Root Crops Research Network (EARRNT) in collaboration with the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization /Southern Agricultural Research Institute (EARO/SARI), IITA introduced, first, 117 clones from Nigeria.

Out of these, 42 genotypes reached the preliminary yield trial by 2007. Another set of 46 clones resistant to cassava mosaic disease (CMD) was introduced in 2005 from EARRNET coordination through Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS). “Six clones were advanced directly into multi-locations trial in six locations and their performance was very good whilst the rest were evaluated at Awasa Research Centre,” explained Dr Ntawuruhunga.

According to him, two clones (44/72 Red and 104 Nigeria Red) introduced from Nigeria in the 1990s were officially released and being promoted through multiplication in collaboration with nongovernmental organisations and private companies.

But since the end of EARRNET in 2007, Dr Ntawuruhunga said this collaboration ceased and no information has been collected from that country.

To move cassava forward, Drs. Assefa and Ntawuruhunga noted that additional efforts are needed to multiply, distribute the selected varieties, and scale up through participatory mechanisms along the value chain.

“Because of the increasing dem and for cassava, there is a need to strengthen research. Apart from breeding new varieties, we also need to underst and the agronomic practices associated with the crop,” Assefa concluded.

###

For information, please contact:

Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org

Cassava, a rough and ready root crop that has long been the foundation of food security in Africa is finally getting the respect it deserves. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom (DFID) are investing $25.2M to improve the staple crop’s productivity and build human and technical capacity for plant breeding in sub-Saharan Africa.

The five-year project is hosted by Cornell University with five partner institutions: the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) in Ug anda, National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) in Nigeria, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) for Plant Research in New York, and US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in California.

“Partners on the Next Generation Cassava Breeding project will use a state-of-the-art plant breeding approach known as genomic selection to improve cassava productivity for the 21st century,” said Ronnie Coffman, Cornell professor of plant breeding and genetics, director of International Programs, and the principal investigator on the multi-partner grant.

“Increased support for strengthening the research capacity in Africa and harnessing novel technologies are critical to improving overall agricultural productivity and food security for poor people,” said Yona Baguma, project coordinator for NaCRRI who aims to unlock the potential of cassava in Africa and mobilize a whole new generation of cassava growers.

“Next Generation Cassava provides a great opportunity for us to harness the power of modern science for faster delivery of best-bet cassava varieties for smallholder farmers,” said Chiedozie Egesi, assistant director at NRCRI and head of cassava breeding, who works to biofortify cassava with essential micronutrients and make it more nutritious.

Cassava breeding is typically a lengthy process; it takes almost a decade to multiply and release a new variety. Genomic selection can shorten breeding cycles, provide more accurate evaluation at the seedling stage, and give plant breeders the ability to evaluate a much larger number of clones without the need to plant them in the target environment. Using genomic selection, new releases of cassava could be ready in as little as six years.

“Next Generation Cassava will give breeders in Africa access to the most advanced plant breeding technologies to deliver improved varieties to farmers more rapidly,” said Peter Kulakow, cassava breeder and geneticist with IITA, one of the project’s three Africa-based partner institutes. “This project will ensure that cassava genetic research is on a par with other top food crops such as wheat, rice, maize and potato.”

Africa’s small farmers produce more than half of the world’s cassava, or about 86 million tons from over 10 million hectares. The tough woody plant is predicted to be one of the few crops that will benefit from climate change. It requires few inputs and can withst and drought, marginal soils and long-term underground storage. A cash crop as well as a subsistence crop, the storage roots of this perennial woody shrub are processed, consumed freshly boiled or raw, and eaten by people as well as animals as a low-cost source of carbohydrates. No other continent depends on cassava to feed as many people as does Africa, where 500 million people consume it daily.

The cassava team at Cornell also includes scientific leader Jean-Luc Jannink, research geneticist with the US Department of Agriculture and adjunct professor in the department of plant breeding and genetics, and Tim Setter, chair of the department of crop and soil science.

The partners will share cassava data, expertise, and information on a publicly available website (www.cassavabase.org) being developed by Lukas Mueller of BTI.

In addition to using the latest genomic information from cassava sequencing to improve productivity and yield, project partners will incorporate cassava germplasm diversity from South America into African breeding programs, train the next generation of plant breeders, and improve infrastructure at African institutions. They will also hold awareness-building workshops for farmers, scholars, researchers and policy makers.

For more information see www.nextgencassava.org

# # #

For more information, please contact:
Linda McC andless, +1-607-227-5920,
llm3@cornell.edu

Image of flooded regionAreas hit by massive floods in Bayelsa region of Nigeria will benefit from seeds conserved in the genebank of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), as the Institute plans to assist farmers rebuild their livelihoods with new improved varieties.

Described as the worst ever in recent times, the floods sacked not only thous ands of farmers from their homes but also suffocated and wiped away crops, threatening food security in the nation.

“Our farmers lost almost everything and we need help,” says Dr Rodger Obubo, a top official with the Bayelsa State government who first contacted IITA Deputy Director General (Partnership & Capacity Development), Dr Kenton Dashiell for help.

“The 2012 floods were extraordinary and caused a lot of devastation of farm l ands and human habitation. Our people became refugee in their own l and,” Obubo added.

Crops worst hit by the flood included cassava, plantain, yam, maize and pawpaw which are major staples in the region.

Genebank to the rescue

Located in IITA Ibadan, the genebank holds the largest collection of cowpea varieties, and is also a major bank to Africa’s major crops: cassava, yam, soybean, maize, banana and plantain. In the recent past, the genebank has played a critical role in re-establishing farms in regions that have been hit by disasters such as civil wars and fire outbreaks.

Dr Dashiell said, “IITA will do everything possible to cushion the effects of floods on victims.”

Taking action to save the situation

On 14 November, an advance team of IITA experts visited Bayelsa to determine the extent of damage in the region. Led by Dr Richardson Okechukwu, the team held meetings with the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Thomas Comm ander, and other officials and also visited affected areas.

Both parties agreed to step up action to save the state from imminent food crisis.

“We need to act and act fast to save these farmers from food crisis,” says Dr Okechukwu.

An immediate response dem ands IITA to send improved cassava cuttings, plantains and maize to the state in the next one month. These crops are part of the food basket for the people of the state. More importantly, the maize varieties to be deployed are early maturing and will help farmers to recover and adjust quickly by offering them food on the table.

Dr Comm ander said he was delighted to see the IITA team and expressed gratitude to the IITA Management for being promptly responsive to the plea for help from Bayelsa State and especially for visiting the state.

For information, please contact:

Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org

About IITA

IITA (www.iita.org) is an international non-profit research-for-development organization established in 1967 and governed by a Board of Trustees. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture. Our award-winning research for development is anchored on the development needs of tropical countries. IITA is a member of the CGIAR Consortium.

ImageTanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives (MAFC) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have launched three new projects today to support efforts to develop cassava varieties with resistance to Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) and Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and to establish more sustainable seed systems to enable smallholder farmers better access to such varieties.

The projects were officially announced during a Cassava Value Chain event organized in Dar es Salaam that brought together representatives from the government, donor community, private sector and development partners. Also present was International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Director General, Dr Nteranya Sanginga.

Hon. Engineer Christopher Chiza, Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, noted that the projects came at an opportune time when farmers needed access to planting materials of new improved varieties released in the country.

“These are extremely important projects for Tanzania and the region because cassava is a very important crop not only for food security but it also has great potential as a cash crop through processing. These two diseases, especially CBSD, are a major problem to our farmers and need to be urgently addressed,” he said in a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Permanent Secretary, Hon. Eng Mbogo Futakamba.

“Cassava is one of our priority crops, as it is mostly grown by resource-poor smallholder farmers and especially women. Therefore finding sustainable solutions to its production challenges provides us all an opportunity to make a difference in their lives and make progress in efforts to overcome hunger and poverty,’ said Lawrence Kent, a Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation.

The Cassava Varieties and Clean Seed to Combat CBSD and CMD (5CP) project will facilitate sharing of five of the best varieties from Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Ug anda for regional testing across the countries to speed up the development of varieties with dual resistance to the two diseases.

The project, led by IITA, will further pilot a clean seed system in Tanzania to produce virus-tested cassava planting material for multiplication by either local communities or seed entrepreneurs for sale to farmers.

“The most effective and realistic approach to reducing losses to CMD and CBSD is the development and deployment of varieties that have dual resistance to the two diseases. Researchers in the five countries have made good progress towards this end and many varieties have been released or are in the pipeline. By facilitating the sharing of their best varieties, we ensure that farmers get the best varieties from the region,” said Edward Kanju, IITA cassava breeder and team leader of the 5CP project.

Another project, the Commercially Sustainable Quality Assured Cassava Seed System, being implemented by the Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), will develop and test supply chain models for the distribution of the newly released cassava varieties. This project will work on building the capacity of seed entrepreneurs to produce disease-free cassava planting material to be sold to farmers and to facilitate strong linkages between these entrepreneurs and the producers of breeder and foundation-level planting material.

On the other h and, the Community Action in Controlling Cassava Brown Streak Disease through Clean Seed project will implement a community-based approach for managing and controlling CBSD. Led by the Department of Research and Development (DRD) at the Ministry of Agriculture, the project will be piloted in two of the major cassava-growing zones of Tanzania–Muleba and Chato Districts in the Lake Zone and Mkuranga and Kisarawe Districts in the Eastern Zone.

“Since we now have more knowledge on how CBSD is spread, we will actively engage the farmers in managing and controlling CBSD at the farm level. We will conduct training on the disease, its causes, symptoms, and how they can keep their farms disease free,” says Dr Kiddo Mtunda, the project’s lead researcher.

All three projects will work with the Tanzania Official Seed Certification Institute (TOSCI) to ensure that only disease-free planting material is disseminated and to develop a financially viable and sustainable approach to certification of planting material.

The results from the three projects will provide lessons for scaling-out in countries in East, Central, and Southern Africa that are also grappling with the two diseases.

For more information, please contact:

Catherine Njuguna, c.njuguna@cgiar.org
Regional Communication Officer (East Africa)

21ImageCameroon and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) have agreed to join forces more than ever before to improve agriculture, create wealth and reduce poverty in both rural and urban areas.

The Central African country pledged to work more closely with IITA to tap the vast agricultural innovations and technologies with a view to shrinking yield gaps, and improving productivity.

The Cameroonian Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Essimi Menye reaffirmed his country’s decision during the four-day visit of the Director General of IITA, Dr Nteranya Sanginga.

Mr. Menye commended IITA for the support given to his country over the past years that has seen improvements in the yield of crops such as cassava.

He also thanked IITA for providing his country with improved maize varieties and praised the Institute’s efforts in combating crop pests and diseases.

The agriculture minister said he was impressed with IITA’s cassava value addition efforts in Nigeria and would visit IITA’s headquarters in Ibadan, in the near future, to see for himself innovations that could benefit his country.

The Director General of IITA, Dr Nteranya Sanginga promised that IITA would continue to help grow Cameroonian agriculture in a manner that the country becomes a major player in Central Africa.

He said the Institute’s new research agenda provided an opportunity for Cameroon and other tropical countries to tap innovations that would improve the livelihoods of farmers, eradicate poverty in the region and also tackle the growing unemployment among youths.

According to him, the Institute’s new strategy offers more emphasis on research, capacity building and training, which are prerequisite for sustainable agricultural development.

At the moment, gaps exits in the productivity of many crops in Cameroon. For instance, local varieties of cassava have yields of less than 10 tons per hectare, compared with improved varieties that offer up to 30 tons per hectare.

Between 2000 and 2010, IITA-improved varieties disseminated to farmers helped the country to raise production from 1.9 million tons to 3 million tons according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Dr Sanginga said if the Cameroonian government and IITA step up team efforts and commit more resources to agriculture, the country could realize more than the 3 million tons per annum figure.

Supports to work with international agricultural research institutes also came from the Ministry of Research and Scientific Innovations.

The Permanent Secretary, Ms Ebelle Etame Rebecca, said IITA ‘is a reliable partner’ in finding solutions to agricultural problems.

She said the ministry through the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) would continue to partner with IITA such that Cameroon becomes a food secured nation.

The Minister for External Relations, Mr. Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo said that the government would provide support to IITA’s station in Cameroon with a view to ensuring that the station serves not just Cameroon but also the whole of the Central African sub region.

Dr Sanginga also met with representatives of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The IITA Director General was also received by the United States Ambassador to Cameroon.

In all the visits and discussions, Dr Sanginga was accompanied by the IITA-Country Representative for Cameroon, Dr. Rachid Hanna.

Established 23 years ago, the IITA-Station in Cameroon conducts research for development in agriculture – including crop improvement, crop protection, natural resource management, and commercialization – in Cameroon and other countries in the Central Africa. END

For information, please contact:

Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org