Orange-fleshed sweet potato.
Photo credit:World Vision International.
By Correspondent in Lokoja.
Kogi State Enterprise Development Agency (KEDA), has launched Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potatoes Initiative (OFSPI) in kogi state with the Governor of the state, Alhaji Yahaha Bello calling on the people of the state, particularly women, to key into the project for maximum benefits.
He said his call became necessary because the success of the project would lead to wealth creation,greater nutritional value to the people and ensure economic prosperity for the state at large.
Bello, made the call on Thursday while flagging off the project at the Governnent House, Lokoja.
The governor,who was represented by the Secretary to the State Governnent (SSG), Dr .Afolashade Arike Ayo-Ade, commended the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer,KEDA, Hajia Rekiya Onaivo Sani and her dedicated Team KEDA for giving thought to the idea and making conscious effort for its actualisation.
The governor expressed the commitment of his administration to the project to ensure its growth and development to the level that the people of the state would gain maximum advantage from it and the products become exportable to other parts of the world with attendant increased revenue for the state.
“Let’s set a new record to ensure that this product is produced and even exported.Let’s think big while starting small in this project”Bello urged the stakeholders.
In his speech, the Commissioner for Agriculture,Mr David Ape,said the state had adequate and suitable land to plant orange-fleshed sweet potato.
He said that his ministry would work out template with KEDA and other stakeholders for the successful implementation of the project and greater success.
The commissioner noted that over the years, there had been underplay of the importance of planting sweet potato in the state, adding that time has come for farmers to develop interest in the cultivation of product for the great derivable from the new initiative.
Ape stressed the need for farmers to key into the project by forming themselves into cooperatives and collaborate for its cultivation along value chain process to maximum benefit.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive,KEDA, Hajia Rekiya Onaivo Sani, expressed the commitment of the agency to ensure the reality of the project in the state, promising that 70 per cent of women would be involved in its implementation.
According to her, the greater percentage of women had been pinned for the implementation of the project because orange-fleshed sweet potatoes do not require much energy to plant.
In his speech, entitled “ORANGE-FLESHED SWEET POTATOES (OFSP): THE CONFLUENCE OF OPPORTUNITIES, Mr Daniel Ogu,Head of Department, Research and Development (R&D), described Orange-Fleshed sweet potatoes as a special type of biofortified sweet-potato that contains high levels of beta-carotene.
The researcher explained further:”Beta-Carotene is an organic, red-orange pigment, abundant in plants and fruits. Beta-carotene is what gives OFSP an orange colour and is converted to Vitamin A in the body after consumption to provide additional nutritional benefits.
“Biofortification enhances the nutritional value of staple food crops by increasing the density of vitamins and minerals in a crop through either conventional plant breeding, agronomic practices or biotechnology.
“Examples of these vitamins and minerals that can be increased through biofortification include; provitamin A Carotenoids, zinc and iron.
“Sweet potatoes offer a particularly significant potential for increasing food production and income there by reducing poverty and improving food security level in Nigeria.
“Sweet potatoes are consumed without much processing in most parts of the tropics. Sweet potatoes present diverse industrial uses some of which are potentially, highly profitable, such as sweet potato snacks.
“Sweet potatoes are extremely adaptable to adverse environmental conditions; they can help increase food security in times of drought and famine, particularly in post-conflict areas for displaced persons.
“Sweet potatoes produce carbohydrates much faster and require less labour than other crops. Sweet potatoes are used to restore access to food for resetting populations and alleviate future agro-climatic or political shocks.
He added:” Orange-Fleshed Sweet potato (OFSP) is an improved breed of sweet potato cultivated in tropical and semi-tropical regions of the world for food and source of income, especially among the rural dwellers.
” It belong to the morning-glory family known as convolulaceae and originated from Latin America.It can be grown in wide range of agro- ecologies, semi-arid agro ecological zone and soil types which make Kogi State (the confluence) a suitable region for plantation and cultivation.
“OFSP is easy to cultivate, it is a crop with immense ability to grow in marginal fields, it can be vegetatively propagated, and has fairly drought resistant ability, it has short maturity period compare to other root and tuber crops. These characteristics make Kogi State an excellent base for OFSP food security in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa at large.
“Sweet potato vines, leaves and roots are used for animal feed for sheep, goats, and rabbits. Sweet potato can also be exploited for ethanol and biofuel production. Sweet potato can be processed to yield about 137 litres of ethanol per metric ton of sweet potato tubers.”
Our Correspondent reports that the occasion was graced by a cross section of the society, especially women groups among others.
The occasion coincided with the second year of operation of KEDA.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
