Profitabilities and Challenges of Provitamin a Cassava Production Enterprise in Nigeria

Abstract

Bio-fortified cassava variety also known as Vitamin A cassava was developed through convectional breeding similar to most other improved varieties cultivated by Nigeria farmers. African countries produce over 103 million metric tons of cassava per annum with Nigeria accounting for approximately 35 million metric tons per annum. Vitamin A deficiency is an important micronutrient deficiency, particularly in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, affecting children and pregnant women to be specific. In the Democratic Republic of African countries with emphasis on the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, malnutrition and infant mortality are among the highest in the world. According to research carried out in 2003, the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among children under five was about 60% and Pro-Vitamin A Cassava holds great potential for providing substantially increased amounts of Vitamin A diets as existing cassava varieties have beta-carotene concentrations between <1 μg and more than 15 μg. Despite the potential of Vitamin A cassava in addressing the increasing food demand and malnutrition among the growing population in Nigeria, studies by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture have shown that one of the barriers to the uptake of new technology among the rural households is usually lack of empirical knowledge about the yield and return on investment. In this article, we addressed the issues of Profitabilities and Challenges to Provitamin A Cassava Production Enterprise in Nigeria.