NASC holds Stakeholders Forum on Yam Value Chain

• DG reveals high end technology deployed to beat challenges and improve productivity
• Says production technologies have significantly enhanced availability of clean, disease free materials for yam production
• Pleads to FG for continuous support

The National Agricultural Seed Council on Thursday held its 2020 stakeholders workshop on Yam Value Chain under the YIIFSWA-II project.

The Forum which held at Sandralia Hotel Jabi, saw in attendance major relevant stakeholders clearly ready to dissect and discuss ways to undertaking various activities in ensuring that sufficient quantities of high quality improved seeds of various crops and classes are made available to the farmers.

While delivering the welcome remarks, The Director General of the Council, Dr. Philip O. Ojo, stated that since the commencement of the YIIFSWA project, several novel technologies and crop management techniques have been developed and deployed through research to mitigate the challenges of yam production.

Ojo reinstated that some of the novel technologies which includes the High Ratio Propagation facilities such as Temporary Immersion Bioreactor System (TIBS) and Aeroponics System (AS), for rapid multiplication of disease-free clean seeds yams as well as the development of a formal seed system for yam in order to make available sufficient quantities of quality seed yam that can be accessible and affordable to the teaming ware yam producers.

“Let me emphasize here that the YIIFSWA-II has placed more emphasis on commercial seed yam production and delivery system and this make the involvement of NASC more robust and engaging in the project as NASC has expanded activities in coordination of production activities of seed yam producers/ agencies of all classes of seed yams in larger volumes and hectarage, certification of seed yam markets for quality standard compliance to cope with challenges of commercialization in the formal seed yam system.” he said.

Also speaking at the forum, Ag-President of the National Association of Yam Farmers, Processors and Marketers, Engr Prof. Simon V. Irtwange revealed that collaborations are underway to enable further interactions among Yam Value Chain actors that will foster production, coordination’s, partnerships and synergies/linkages to make input input sourcing, production, marketing and exports easier and more productive.