By Iyabo Aina

Ibadan—The Country Manager, HarvestPlus Nigeria, Dr Paul Ilona, has said that yellow cassava varieties have the advantage of increasing nutritional quality of food products.

He disclosed this during a press briefing in Ibadan, saying the yellow root cassava which is among the newly released Vitamin A fortified varieties could reduce the cost of production since there would be no need to add palm oil to give ‘garri’ a yellow coloration.

According to him, the yellow cassava variety is preserved better as it eliminates the rapid rancidity that results from palm oil addition.

“The high pro-Vitamin A varieties were developed through conventional breeding and did not involve the use of biotechnology.

“Our goal is to make sure that Nigerian farmers and households are able to grow and eat more nutritious cassava that is richer in Vitamin A.’’