This position was made in a statement by the two
bodies as the outcome of the meeting of 70 regional cassava professionals in
Nairobi, Kenya where it was decided that a minimum of $100 million ( about N15.9 billion) is needed to continue the
efforts of the EU funded, FAO coordinated Regional Cassava
Initiative.
NaijaAgroNet
gathered from the statement that over a four-year period, the initiative has
improved food security and repaired damaged yields in the areas affected by
cassava disease and noted that the project is set to end without further
investment.
Seven countries including Burundi, Central African
Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda
worked with the initiative to offer cassava farmers disease resistant plants
and clean materials.
Although these efforts curbed the effects of Cassava
Mosaic Disease (CMD), Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) continues to spread,
threatening the food security of the 135 million people in the region, while NaijaAgroNet
learnt that without continued funding of the Initiative, CBSD is likely to
spread into Nigeria, the biggest cassava-producing nation in Africa.
AN/GEE
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