By Samson Echenim Lagos Nigeria’s annual yam production in monetary values has reached $23 billion helped by research in obtaining more disease resistant species and the Federal Government’s green alternative initiative which has led to increased yam production for exportation purpose. Briefi ng newsmen in Lagos on 50 years of its anniversary in Nigeria, the Director, West Africa, Research for Development Directorate of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Robert Asiedu 50 years of the institute’s partnership with Nigerians and the Nigerian government have brought about signifi cant development in the country’s agriculture. He said the IITA had adopted such crops as yam, cassava, banana, plantain, maize and cowpea (beans) for special focus in its research and development programmers, adding that this has yielded signifi cant improvement in the yield of the chosen crops. He stated that the value of cassava for every Nigerian is now $59 while research eff orts into maize
production may have saved about $30 billion worth of maize annually. “Our concern has been on according crops the natural ability to resist pests and diseases. Also, in our crop improvement eff orts, we look at utilization at domestic and industrial levels. Studies across 27 countries showed that about $97 billion is saved in those countries through research eff orts on crops. In fact it has been noted by the United Nations that for every dollar invested in our project, one live is saved. ” For instance, current production of maize is about $60 per year. Dieases and pests like maize streak and eel worms could cut down production of maize by half,” Asiedu said. Nothing that food production has moved to the north due to shorter maturity growth period, the IITA research director noted that average yield of yam now stood at 10 to 11 tons per acre. Th e IITA director for Systems and Site Integration, Dr Kwesi AttaKrah however called on the Federal Government and insurance industry to come together to help fashion out suitable insurance cover for farmers. According to him, there is a growing need for agricultural insurance, but noted it is a very complex area as insurance companies usually have very technical terms and criteria for every policy
