As part of efforts to strengthen food security and drive the agricultural revolution component of the ARISE Agenda, the Akwa Ibom State Government has launched a new generation of high-yielding, high-starch cassava varieties for farmers across the state.
The launch took place at the Assured Model Farm in Ikot Akpan Essien, Oruk Anam Local Government Area, and featured the unveiling of improved cassava varieties including “Biggy,” “Baba 70,” “Renewed Hope” and “Game Changer”.
The initiative was organised by Assured Model Farm in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI).
Representing Governor Umo Eno at the event, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Offiong Offor, described the initiative as a practical demonstration of the state’s commitment to agricultural transformation.
“Revolution means a change, and we have been used to varieties of cassava that give us five to seven tons per hectare.
“But with what IITA has introduced and the trial has been done in a short farm, several other farms across the states, we are now seeing varieties that will give us up to over 40 tons per hectare.
“And these are examples that are laid out here. And different varieties for different purposes, for starch, for fufu, for gari. And the farmers have welcomed it,” the commissioner said.
Offor noted that the challenge farmers had faced was their level of adoption.
“But now, with evolving trends, we have seen what these varieties can do in terms of output, yield, in terms of dry matter content,” the commissioner added.
The Executive Chairman of Oruk Anam Local Government Council, Sunday Festus, said the Assured Model Farm was established to support large-scale agricultural production and contribute to the state’s food security drive.
He explained that the farm currently cultivates cassava, tomatoes, pepper, okro, watermelon, cucumber and vegetables on 27 hectares of developed farmland out of a total land area exceeding 100 hectares.
Speaking on the improved varieties, a team lead, Cassava Breeding Unit, IITA, Ukoabasi Ekanam, explained that the cassava varieties were developed to combine high yields, improved disease resistance, superior starch content and better processing qualities for products such as garri, fufu and industrial starch, thereby increasing returns for farmers and processors.
Representatives of participating farms, including CEMUOA Limited, FarmCrafts, Fresh and Green Farm, and Assured Model Farm, also shared their experiences with the improved cassava varieties, noting that field trials had produced impressive harvests and demonstrated their commercial viability.
The event featured a tour of the Assured Model Farm and a presentation of the products made from the harvested cassava.
