The Executive Director of Agbeyewa Farms Limited, Mr Oskar Ayeleso, has decried the exclusion of cassava by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from the list of major cash crops in Nigeria for international promotion.
Ayeleso expressed his dismay during a chat with Daily Trust in Ibadan at the ongoing Odu’a International Trade Fair at the Oyo State Trade Fair complex EXPOYO, Sango, Ibadan.
He said it was rather unfortunate that the USAID does not recognise cassava as one of the main products that they are promoting, stressing that cassava is one of the cash crops that have potential of growing the country’s economy.
He said: “We went for a programme in Abuja to meet the USAID at the US embassy recently; what they have on their table as products they are promoting are maize, millet, arice and one other product. Cassava was not there. I was very astonished.
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“However, they saw the reason when we made presentations to them on the need to adopt cassava as one of the products they should be promoting. Very soon, we will begin to see cassava on the list of USAID through our efforts.”
