Government signs MoU on cassava production

Government signs MoU on cassava production

The Ondo State government in Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Government on the production of cassava.

The Minister of Agriculture, Professor Akinwunmi Adesina, signed the Transformation Implementation Agreement on behalf of the Nigerian Government with the Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko.

According to the minister, Ondo State is one of the 10 largest producers of cassava in the country with its production record of 2.4 million tons of fresh cassava annually.

The objectives of the agreement

The objectives of the agreement, he said, included the establishment of 14 large dried chip processing facility, each capable of producing 6,000 tons of dried chips per year or 84,000 tons for the entire state per year, establish three demonstration-sized fuel ethanol plants and establish demonstration trials in 50 locations of the state to raise Cassava yields from current yields.

Professor Adeshina said that the Ondo State government will under the agreement, map out the Cassava production and processing zones in the state, support the organisation of farmers into grower clusters around existing processors, provide land clearing and preparation support for farmers, especially new generation farmers that wish to go into the commercial production of Cassava and invest in rural road infrastructure to link commercial growers zones to processing plants.

NP/Adekusibe/Cokey