The
cassava Sustainable Weed Management Technologies, which is meant to help
smallholder cassava growers achieve sustainable increases in their
productivity, has gotten the support of the Standards Organization of Nigeria
(SON).
The Director of Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Dr
Joseph Odumodu, has promised that the country’s standards regulator will work
with the Cassava Weed Management Project to tackle weeds ravaging cassava fields
in Africa.
The commitment by SON is amid growing concerns over the
threat of weeds to cassava production in the country which has kept
productivity low and behind other cassava producing nations of Asia.
He said: “Innovations and standards are correlated. So we
would want to collaborate with you,” Dr Odumodu said during a courtesy visit to
the headquarters of SON in Lagos on 2 March.”
The Cassava Weed Management Project, which is managed by the
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and implemented in
collaboration with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Federal
University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), and the University of Agriculture
Makurdi (UAM) is developing innovations that will reduce drudgery associated
with weeding in cassava farms.
The project is exploring a mix of best bet agronomic
practices, mechanical weed control, and the use of environmentally friendly
herbicides to tackle weeds.
Project Leader, IITA Cassava Weed Management Project, Dr
Alfred Dixon said research findings from the project would help reduce the
burden faced by women and children.
“It is estimated that women spend about 500 hours per annum
to weed, and their children’s education in most cases is compromised as they
are withdrawn from school to take care of cassava farms,” Dr Dixon explained.
He commended the SON for agreeing to work with the research
team, and to bring on board SON’s expertise in the area of standardization.
The Principal Investigator, IITA Cassava Weed Management
Project, Prof Friday Ekeleme said working with SON and other regulatory
agencies would bring benefits to farmers.
He explained that weeds were major constraints to cassava,
as they undermine the yield and productivity of the root crop.
“In cassava fields where weeds are not properly managed,
yield reduction of between 50-80 percent is observed. For instance, if you
don’t weed spear grass (Imperata cylindrica), you stand to lose 80
percent of your cassava,” he said.
While expressing concern over the prevalence of obsolete
herbicides in the Nigerian market, Prof Ekeleme said the team was carrying out
herbicides residue analysis of some herbicides and would request SON’s
collaboration in that area.
Other
agencies which the IITA Cassava Weed Management Project is partnering with
include: the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control
(NAFDAC), and National Environmental Standards Regulatory Enforcement Agency
(NESREA).
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