Dr Emmanuel Okogbenin, AATF Director of Program Development and Commercialization has advised African researchers to advance the development of tuber crops that the continent has comparative advantages in producing as a way of economic empowerment of the citizenry.
Dr Okogbenin gave the advice in a goodwill message presented at the opening of the 2024 Annual Review and Planning workshop of the National Root Crop Research Institute, Umudike, Nigeria.
“Root and tuber crops are big crops, and we look out for strong comparatives advantage cultivating these crops. Linking it up with resilience will be very fundamental especially at this time when we are dealing with global phenomenon, including climate change and challenges related to food security on the continent,” he said.
According to him, a lot of efforts and investment had gone into cereal but hinted that if such efforts and investments were channelled to root and tuber. Africa and by extension, Nigeria will be acknowledged globally as a leader in root and tuber crop production thereby consolidating Nigeria’s position as the producer of the highest quantity of cassava in the world.
Dr Okogbenin, a leading cassava breeder noted that it was important that NRCRI be acknowledged for their contributions to Nigeria’s position as the leading cassava producer adding that AATF was partnering the Institute to scale-up value addition to cassava to enable farmers and the country in general benefit maximally from her position as the world leading producer of the crop.
The Annual Review and Planning workshop present researchers from the institute the opportunity to showcase their achievement in the various research areas that falls under the institute’s mandate as well as subject their future research intentions to scrutiny through a peer review process.
About AATF (www.aatf-africa.org)
Founded in 2003 to address Africa’s food security prospects through agricultural technology, AATF believes that the agricultural sector is a key foundational pillar as Africa consolidates its economic growth and carves out its new position as a major global economic powerhouse and the next growth market in the world. It was formed in response to the need for an effective mechanism that would facilitate and support negotiation for technology access and delivery and formation of appropriate partnerships to manage the development & deployment of innovative technologies for use by smallholder farmers in SSA:
For further information. Photos and video contact:
Alex Abutu, Communication Officer (West and Central Africa), AATF.
+2348068701960
a.abutu@aatf-africa.org
