Nigeria is expected to receive high revenue from cassava production with output doubling in the last year to further sustain the nation’s position as the largest producer of the crop in the world.
Records show that the nation’s cassava output rose from 35 million tonnes in 2012 to 95 million tonnes in 2013 while 3 million hectares of cassava farms have already been cultivated in 2013.
“Cassava is going to become the gold mine in Nigeria very soon,” said Chief Wole Aina, National Root Crop Research Institute (NRCRI) chairman, adding, “it is going to become the crop of choice for every reasonable farmer and I can assure every farmer today that once you plant cassava the market is there.”
He said that the board has resolved that NRCRI would establish a holding company as a business unit that would be generating revenue for the institute by setting up a cassava flour mill, bakery for making cassava bread as well as marketing its poultry, fishery, apiculture, amongst other ventures.
He said that apart from cassava, “we intend to make Nigeria great player in potato (sweet and Irish), cocoyam and ginger.”
