UK study shows affect of recession on Nigerian cassava
The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta, PIND, and the UK Department for International Development, DFID Market Development, MADE Programme, said on Thursday a study they sponsored found the Naira devaluation policy impacted the agricultural value chains in the Niger Delta region.
The Executive Secretary of PIND, Dara Akala, said at the presentation of the findings in Abuja that the study was to examine effects of devaluation and related government trade restriction policies on four key agricultural value chains in the Niger Delta region, namely cassava, palm oil, aquaculture, and poultry.
In the cassava value chain, increases in the price of fertilizers and other crop protection products increased input costs for farmers, while processors faced increased energy costs. In addition to the increase in production costs, devaluation also led to an increase in cassava demand, and therefore prices.
Consequently, PIND and MADE urged government to adopt mechanized and commercialized agriculture methods, to maximize the country's agricultural potentials, to earn foreign exchange from exports, produce raw materials for the industries and create jobs for unemployed youth.
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