Agriculture
Cassava Weeder Machines Get Adaptation
International and Nigerian
engineers engaged by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) led Cassava Weed Management Project have made significant progress in the adaptation of motorised mechanical weeders for cassava farming system in Nigeria.
The team of engineers met recently at IITA, Ibadan to brainstorm and modify motorised weeders recently imported by the IITA cassava weed management project for cassava farming system.
Specifically, the team was mandated to evaluate the performance of the machines for general weeding and modify the machine as necessary with special focus on cassava farms.
The team was also expected to establish performance and suitability of the machines for weeding generally with focus on cassava farms, carry out any needed improvement to make the machines usable for cassava farms, and modify them also for general demonstration.
At the end of the meeting, the engineers modified and adapted 14 motorised weeders to suit cassava farming system in Nigeria.
The machines, our correspondent gathered are currently on field trials across four states of Nigeria Benue, Oyo, Ogun and Abia.
Their performance would determine whether further modification is needed or not.
At the opening of the brain storming meeting, project leader for the IITA, Dr Alfred Dixon, said the motorised mechanical weeders were aimed at providing farmers with a basket of options so they could tackle weeds more efficiently.
He urged the engineers to look beyond adaptation and conceive the idea of developing African made motorised weeders that could tackle the problem of weeds on the continent.
Participants were drawn from IITA, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, University of Ibadan, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Abeokuta, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Federal University, of Technology, Akure and Niji Lukas, a private fabrication and agro allied firm amongst others.
Federal Government and the Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, distributed farm inputs to farmers as part of effort to address food security challenge.
The State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, during the flag-off ceremony of Inputs Redemption Under The National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), in Ogun State, disclosed that beneficiaries of the gesture were primarily rice, maize and cassava farmers across the State.
Ayo-Ajayi commended the Ogun State Government for partnering with the government at the centre for the effort in supporting farmers with inputs that would bring about yieldings for local consumption and likely exportation.
She noted that government is supporting rice, cassava and maize farmers with inputs worth N212,000; N189,000 and N186,000 respectively.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kehinde Jokotoye, who represented the Commissioner in the Ministry, Bolu Owotomo, stated that traditional farmers are critical in food production, hence the need to encourage and support them with inputs that would bring about desired results during harvesting.
Owotomo said: “Let us make good use of this opportunity, so that the success of this phase will make farmers benefit more from the state and federal governments of Nigeria.”
Earlier, State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Ayo-Ajayi, appreciated the present administration for partnering with the federal government for the initiative, adding that the programme is designed to support farmers at the grassroots level in cassava, rice and maize with inputs such as, seeds, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, to boost their production and enhance their livelihood.