Anna Okon

An Agricultural research and development firm, HarvestPlus, has urged youths to explore the opportunities in biofortified crops such as Vitamin A cassava and Vitamin A maize to leverage the Federal Government’s homegrown school feeding scheme.

The Country Manager, HarvestPlus Nigeria, Dr. Paul Ilona, was quoted in a statement from the firm as making the submission at the pro-vitamin A cassava pastry training for women, sponsored by the United Kingdom’s Department of International Development and Market Development for the Niger Delta in collaboration with HarvestPlus partners in Akwa Ibom State.

A statement signed by the firm’s Communication Officer, HarvestPlus, Ikechukwu Onyewuchi, quoted Ilona as lamenting the average daily child mortality rate in Nigeria.



Ilona, who lamented the average daily child mortality rate in Nigeria of 2,300 and 145 women at childbirth, stressed that every child and pregnant woman had the right to live.

He said, “If youths buy into the school-feeding programme, they will become pioneers because a new market will be open to them. At the national level, a lot is being done. So, it shouldn’t be hard to create a market for the training you are getting. Another big advantage that you will be getting from the type of products you are producing is that they have been classified as low-glycemic index foods. It means that those who have diabetes can take these products. The research on this has been completed and the studies published.

“We are ensuring that you make substantial income while trying to save lives. Every business must enjoy one form of monopoly or the other, and this may come in terms of quality of products, which will, in the long run, stand you out. Without training, you will follow the bandwagon of failures. The DFID-made does not want that; hence, the investment in this training. Youths must be innovative and work hard to be successful.”

According to Ilona, youths in Oyo State have invested in confectionaries, adding that on the average, they make a net return of N15 per sachet, a model which ensures that the business is economically viable.

He said, “This is because if you get a loan, you must be ready to pay back with interest. In order to do that, businesses must be willing to increase their scale of operations.

“If you want to make more than you should make, your product quality will drop and you will cut corners, and your business will die. Businessmen must build economies of scale around their businesses, so as to be able to repay loans and make more profit.”

On the production process, he said, “Much as you are learning how to produce, you should also learn how to scale. At the DFID-MADE and HarvestPlus, we are committed to creating a platform to ensure that you grow.”

The Gender Officer, MADE, Unyime Johnson was quoted as saying that the improved cassava variety had contributed immensely in uplifting households and providing a means of livelihood for many.

She said, “The vitamin A cassava has helped many people in the state and we are bringing together bakers in top hotels in the state to take them on how to make the best of the flour produced from the improved product. They will help in telling others about the benefits of the product.”


Source:
http://punchng.com/grow-vitamin-fortified-crops-firm-advises-young-farmers/

This Is a welcome development and its high time we all pay holistic attention to the agricultural sector to avoid importation of food we can produce locally