NGORA – A total of 152 commercial cassava farmer groups in Ngora district have received cassava stems through the office of Ngora Woman MP Stella Apolot Isodo to support commercialization of cassava growing and production in the district.
The project aims are to commercialize cassava growing and increase food security and incomes in Ngora.
According to MP Apolot Isodo at least 152 farmer groups have received 1,216 bags of NAROCAS -1 cassava cuttings in the district, enough to plant one Acre per group as part of the full implementation of the project.
Isodo said, each of the selected farmer groups will be expected to plant one acre of cassava.
“We are establishing cassava mother gardens per village. We have 152 farmers whose mother gardens will be ready for cutting and distribution next year at the same time to give out to more farmers,” Apolot said.
NAROCAS-1 is a new variety of Cassava which is Resistant to the Cassava Mosaic Disease, Tolerant to Cassava Brown Streak Disease, Very high Yielding (35Tonnnes per Acre), very good qualities such as soft for boiling and roasting.
Why Cassava?
Asked why she chose Cassava, Apolot argued that Cassava was found to be a strategic crop for food security due to its durability, and for its nutrients.
She also added that Cassava starch was highly sought after in the paper and textile industries because of its binding properties, and that mass production of the crop could help reduce the cost of importation of products made out of cassava raw material, such as ethanol, which is used during surgeries in hospitals.
“No part of a cassava plant goes to waste. The peelings are used as animal feed or manure. The stems are replanted. It is such a wonderful crop. It is a silver bullet for financial and food insecurity in the region,” she added.
As a way of ensuring reasonable farm-gate prices, Apolot discouraged farmers from selling to middlemen individually, “This is the reason I am a champion of Cooperatives.”
“Cooperatives will help them (farmers) to store together and market as a group, where they will have a strong bargaining power,” she said.
Sarah Asio, one of the beneficiaries from Obur said that they have been supplied with a new variety of cassava to plant as well as trained in proper agronomic practices and management.
“Our major stable food crop in Teso is cassava,” she explained.
She noted that the type of cassava planting material that used to be grown traditionally by local farmers is now very vulnerable to cassava mosaic disease, which often destroys the whole crop.
While cassava roots are harvested as food, the stems are replanted for the following season.
Gilbert Ololi Okwere hopes that the new variety of cassava cuttings will boost the production of cassava which has turned out to be lucrative when grown for commercial purposes and also a source of food security.
He lauded the initiative and noted that the quantity supplied was little compared to the high demand for the cassava cuttings.
“We appeal to MP Apolot to consider increasing the supply of the cassava cuttings to our local farmers. What we got is not enough yet the demand is high,” He said.
Other Projects implemented by MP Isodo
- Supply of Improved Maize seed.
- Supply of tree seedlings.
- Supply of Hass Avocado seedlings to demonstration farmers
- Supply of beans seed.
- Support to Village Savings and Loan Associations for financial inclusion.
- Partnerships and collaboration.
- Tractor services for better acreage.
Tractor services for better acreage ALL PHOTOS/JOHN OGULEI
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