Sweet Potato Has Food Security

An agronomist, Dr Jude
Njoku, has described the sweet potato as a versatile crop that should be explored in order to add to the food security needs of the country.
Dr Njoku who was speaking on an NTA programme recently on the economic potentials of the crop said apart from the high nutritional value it also has a long storage period compared to other crops.
He said while cassava stays in the soil for up to 12 months and above, potato matures in three months time and could strive under marginal dry land.
The agronomist called on households to engage in cultivation of potato for their consumption and economic well-being.
“So the household can cultivate sweet potato for consumption and still make an income.
“Instead of looking for vitamin A which you cannot afford, if you eat sweet potato you can get vitamin A,” he said.
He said the sweet potato was quite amenable to certain conditions especially in inter-cropping even as he said it’s cultivation needed spending less and getting more.
To ensure food security in the country according to him, farmers needed to be encouraged in the areas of infrastructural development.
He decried the poor state of most roads leading to farms in the country which has made farmers to spend their income and time in transporting their produce from places of production to the markets.
While calling for the building up of the sweet potato food value chain he also advocated for a presidential intervention as was done on cassava.
“Just as there is a presidential statement on cassava that 10% of fission for wheat, such statement can still go for potato,” he said.
According to him, it was only when a farmer goes to his farm and invests sweet potato and made money that he can continue to grow the crop.
He said one of the advantages of potato was that it grows wild in every part of Nigeria “so every home can grow it and besides the leaves can provide your vegetable needs.”
On the proper way of handling the harvested potato, Dr Njoku said care must be taken in order to avoid damage.
He said injury to the harvested crop could lead to infection even as he said the harvested sweet potato should be cured for at least 16 hours.
This will enable it to heal and obstruct hydrogen from getting into the edible part of the potato.