The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to work with the private sector to set up 18 cassava industries across Nigeria, according to the President of the Nigeria Cassava Growers Association, Olusegun Adewunmi
The aim of the governments agenda is to put the country at the forefront of the global foods market, while improving the livelihoods of millions of Nigerian farmers by creating employment opportunities, said Adewunmi.
"For the first time, a farmer can sit down and make a programme of his own and it is acceptable to the bank and to the government. In the past, it was the ministry that will make the programme, but we are glad it is no longer like that. The agenda is working; it is giving us freedom," Adewunmi stated.
Adewunmi, however, said cassava farmers would need to put hard work in to meet the requirement of the processing industries since the exports of cassava grits and chips to China.
Construction is set to go-ahead under the terms of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
