In its move to cushion the effect of the high cost of animal feed production, occasioned by the high cost of maize and soy beans, the federal government is partnering with state governments and farmers nationwide to encourage the cultivation of more cassava as a substitute to minimize the economic impact of the surge in feed prices.
Director General/Chief Executive, Feed Nigeria Summit Secretariat, Richard-Mark Mbaram, made this disclosure during a capacity-building workshop of African Women in Animal Resources Farming and Agribusiness Network (AWARFA-N) held in Abuja.
Mbaram noted that the use of cassava as a feed ingredient for ruminants and non-ruminants will provide an alternative to maize and soy beans, which constitute between 60 and 75 percent of the total cost of production, reduce the high cost of feed, increase livestock production, and create job opportunities.
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He made it known that thousands of hectares are to be acquired nationwide to grow cassava as a strategic crop, adding that the Cross-River government has already donated 100 hectares to support the government to grow cassava, stating that more states have bought into the project and are allocating land.
According to him, steps have been taken to evaluate the successful use of cassava-based feed resources, and the Federal Government is implementing an initiative targeting the reduction of rural poverty among farmers by creating agro-related livelihood activities linked to the cassava value chain.
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He pointed out that the government plans to leverage the support of the InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources’s (AU-IBAR) Resilient African Feed and Fodder Systems (RAFFS) Project in the drive to explore the multi-purpose use of cassava as feed to improve the income of women involved in the value chain and generate more employment.
