The Nigerian Government announced on Wednesday the release of three new vitamin A-enriched ‘yellow’ cassava varieties that could provide more vitamin A in the diets of more than 70 million Nigerians who eat the root crop everyday. The yellow color (cassava is generally white) is due to the higher vitamin A content.
The newly released varieties are UMUCASS 36 (TMS 01/1368), UMUCASS 37 (TMS 01/1412), and UMUCASS 38 (TMS 01/1371).
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is widely prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. It afflicts almost 20% of pregnant women and about 30% of children under-five in Nigeria. VAD can lower immunity and impair vision, which can lead to blindness and even death.
Children and women will be the main beneficiaries of these new yellow varieties, which could provide up to 25% of their daily vitamin A needs. Varieties with enough vitamin A to provide up to half of daily needs are already in the breeding pipeline and should be ready for release in a few years.
These new yellow varieties were bred using traditional (non-transgenic) methods by IITA and the Nigerian National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI). During field trials of these varieties, farmers said that they liked them.
Cassava is an extremely adaptable crop; it is drought tolerant, requires limited l and preparation, and grows well in poor soils. The new yellow varieties are also high yielding and resistant to major diseases and pests.
“This [release] is an important milestone in our breeding efforts, which would not have been possible without the support and collaboration of the different partners,” said Peter Kulakow, leader of IITA’s Cassava Program.
“This marks a new dawn in Nigeria’s cassava industry as it is the first set of nutritious cassava developed and released in Nigeria,” added Chiedozie Egesi, Head of Cassava Breeding of NRCRI.
“There is already big dem and for these varieties, but it will take some time before we have enough quantities to give out, ” said Paul Ilona, the HarvestPlus Manager for Nigeria.
Ilona adds that the yellow cassava is already being multiplied through stem cuttings. In 2013, when sufficient certified stems are available, HarvestPlus and its partners will then distribute these to about 25,000 farming households initially.
Farmers will be able to grow these new vitamin A varieties and feed them to their families. They can also multiply and share cuttings with others in their community amplifying the nutritional benefits. After the mid-2014 harvest, more than 150,000 household members are expected to be eating vitamin A -enriched cassava.
This work is funded by HarvestPlus. Other partners include the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), and various Nigerian Government agencies.
HarvestPlus leads a global effort to breed and disseminate micronutrient-rich staple food crops to reduce hidden hunger in malnourished populations. It is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Improved Nutrition and Health and is coordinated by CIAT and the International Food Policy Research Institute.
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