Yam is an important crop with the largest mono-product market that attracts buyers and sellers from various parts of Nigeria and West Africa. It has become a cash crop and, recently, has been servicing some food industries in Nigeria.
IITA has unlocked groundbreaking discoveries in yam that make yam farmers sing a new song. The Institute, in collaboration with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), has developed and released 10 yam varieties, two of which, Vayam and Akuabata, are Dioscorea alata, commonly known as water yam. They have been extended to the farmers through a demand creation program executed by the IITA Yam Improvement Program.
The Vayam and Akuabata varieties are excellent as boiled and pounded yam (yam dough), respectively. These varieties are also good for making yam flour, which is suitable as a composite for pastries. Since their release, the varieties have been out-scaled to farmers’ groups in 11 states in Nigeria, with great zeal to out-scale to all the yam-growing states in the country, extending it to farmers across the yam-growing belt of West Africa.
Yam farmers have been receiving training on seed production so that they can independently multiply these varieties on their farms and distribute them in their respective regions. Farmers also received additional training on agronomy, agribusiness, and market knowledge. The new yam varieties generally accepted by farmers have brought unquantified happiness to them because of their high yields, and every farmer wants it on their farms.
Beyond extending the genetic gains to farmers, IITA also reaches out to food processors to facilitate off-taker agreements between the farmers and the food processors. Growing yam tubers on a commercial scale to meet industrial needs is expected to alleviate the food deficit and improve the livelihood of farmers.
IITA has taken these steps to help farmers by creating a viable and sustainable market for their products. With this development, IITA is sensitizing farmers to scale up the production of water yam in large commercial quantities since there are huge markets and industrial uses for water yam flour. Farmers have also been encouraged to cultivate water yam, with its high demand and market already created with food processing industries.
Contributed by Emmanuel Onasanya and Olugboyega Pelemo
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