The Cassava: Adding Value for Africa Phase II (CAVA II) grant has been awarded to Federal College of Agriculture, Akure by the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

Cassava farm

The purpose of the grant is to help 200,000 smallholder farmers to sell two million tonnes of cassava roots to make processed products such as high quality cassava flour, chips for animal feed and cassava starch in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi.

With the grant, the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure is expected to work with the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and a host of other partners including Ondo State cassava value chain actors to meet the poverty reduction creed of the project.

In his reaction to this development, the Provost of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure Dr. Samson Adeola Odedina said that the choice of the College is informed by its relevance in the cassava sector and its commitment to providing world class leadership in value chain activities and development in Nigeria.

The College is also expected to partner with current effort of the Team on Cassava Value addition (HQCF and other traditional cassava value chain) of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government.