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Prices of cassava stems have dropped to
N400 per bundle after touching a high
of N 1 , 200 , as demand eases .Since last
year, prices of cassava roots and its
derivatives such as Garri climbed to an
all- time high as demand outstripped
supply.
In a statement signed by IITA’ s
Communication & Knowledge Exchange
Expert, Godwin Atser , researchers are
still expecting data on demand and
supply from the National Bureau of
Statistics, but cassava tubers moved
from N 13 , 000 per ton to about N 40 ,
000 , according to local buyers .
Cassava is an important crop in Nigeria
and the roots are processed to starch,
ethanol , flour and garri - a staple. Other
uses include fufu and lafun . In some
communities , the tuber is boiled and
eaten directly .
In 2014 , about seven million hectares
was planted with cassava, according to
the Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO).According to a Cassava Breeder
with IITA, Dr . Peter Kulakow , who is
also working on the cassava seed
systems project , most of the varieties
planted to cover the hectares were from
the informal sector , noting that the
Nigerian cassava seed system is not well
structured, an arrangement that the
project— Building an Economically
Sustainable Integrated Seed System for
Cassava (BASICS ) is trying to correct .
Farmers usually obtain planting
materials from previous field , cut them
in lengths of about a meter and tie them
into bundles comprising 50 stems each
and sell .
Certification from regulators is still
rare , but the Nigerian Agricultural Seed
Council (NASC) is working with BASICS
to set standards and begin the
certification of cassava planting
materials .
A Farmer , Monsurat Kassim , is one of
those selling cassava stems in Southwest
through the informal channel .In an
interview with Cassava Matters, she said
there has been more demand for
cassava stems than the previous years.
“ More people are buying the stems this
year than they did last year… I think the
rise in price of cassava products is part
of the motivation,” she explained .
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