Partnering with China to Transform Cassava Cultivation and Boost Food Security in Nigeria

STORY: China partners to transform cassava farming and boost food security in Nigeria

SHOOTING TIME: Latest footage

DATE: July 29, 2024

LENGTH: 00:02:32

LOCATION: Abuja

CATEGORY: AGRICULTUREPHOTO LIST:

1. Various farmers taking care of a cassava field

2. different cassava harvests

3. various family cooking of cassava

4. Visit of various Chinese experts to the research institute

5. various plant demonstration fields

6. QUOTE 1 (in English): PA PHILIP EJIKEME, a tribal king in Abia

7. QUOTE 2 (in English): AUGUSTA AMADJOI, vice president of the local association of cassava seed entrepreneurs

8. QUOTE 3 (in English): CHIEDOZIE EGESI, Executive Director of NRCRISTORYLINE: For two decades, 46-year-old Bala Yusuf has made a living from growing cassava to support his five children. Yusuf and his wife wake up before sunrise in Kuje, a poor district of the Nigerian capital Abuja. They start their day by peeling cassava tubers and soaking them in water for several hours to get rid of the bitter taste. By midday, Yusuf’s wife is busy cooking the tubers over a crackling fire, turning them into a soft, tender meal. Like many other smallholder cassava farmers in Nigeria, Yusuf and his family produce a crop that is limited by inefficient farming techniques and a lack of mechanization. In November 2023, agricultural experts from the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS) unveiled plans to improve cassava cultivation across Africa. The initiative aims to introduce new cassava varieties and advanced agricultural techniques to over 500,000 hectares of land in several African countries, including Nigeria. In Nigeria, CATAS is working with the Nigeria Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) to transform cassava farming in the country by improving productivity and yields. This involves training local farmers, scientists and students in innovative agricultural practices and technologies. QUOTE 1 (in English): PA PHILIP EJIKEME, a tribal king in Abia

“Instead of relying solely on the Nigerian market, there will be a lot of profit.” EXCERPT 2 (in English): AUGUSTA AMADJOI, vice president of the local cassava seed traders’ association

“With this improvement, I feel that cassava sales and production will be a topic of conversation across the country.” The partnership is a key step in Nigeria’s quest for food security, Chiedozie Egesi, executive director of NRCRI, told Xinhua. IMPRINT 3 (in English): CHIEDOZIE EGESI, executive director of NRCRI

“So we have entered a new chapter because now we will be able to exchange germplasm. We will be able to exchange technologies. We will be able to exchange scientific materials in terms of capacity building.” Xinhua news agency correspondents reporting from Abuja.

(XH TV)