CASSAVA OPPORTUNTIES IN NIGERIA - FAO.org

provide information on the linkages between
different production activities, such as the amount
of produce that is processed into another
commodity (e.g. cassava roots to gari).
Initial data collection activities led to the belief that
each Agricultural Development Programme (ADP)
had enterprise budgets for the primary cropping
patterns in its state. It was thus planned to
develop farm models for each state.
Unfortunately, the visit to 16 ADPs proved
otherwise. Only three of the 16 visited ADPs were
able to provide enterprise budgets that were
representative of the commonly practiced
intercropped activities of the state. Two additional
states provided an enterprise budget on monocrop
activities, but it was felt that these could not
be used to develop representative farm models. It
was suggested by various ADPs that the desired
enterprise budgets be available at the Project
Coordinating Unit (PCU) in Abuja. Unfortunately it
was not possible in the two-day visit to the PCU in
Abuja to collect the desired data.
Copies of the 2000/2001 Advisors Handbook
(Projects Coordinating Unit, 2002) which
contained a compilation of over 40 crop enterprise
budgets collected from 6 states. From the point of
view of farm modelling the data lacked information
on the quantity of inputs (labour and purchased
inputs) and location of the states used to develop
the budgets. Appendix B details how the data was
adjusted to account for this missing detail. With
this adjustment, these data represented the best
and most comprehensive source of cost of
production data we were able to find and formed
the starting point for developing regional farm
models.
The constraints to the model were regional land
availability and producer food consumption
requirements. The regional models are annual
models that maximize gross margins (revenue
minus input and labour expenditures) subject to
minimal farmer consumption and limited by
available land.
The regional models were used to compare four
scenarios against a base scenario. The base
scenario is designed to represent current regional
conditions of land use, food consumption and
agricultural production. Land constraints are used
3
to insure that the base results are similar to
calculated regional averages.
A feature of the model is that it was assumed that
the traditional harvesting of cassava continues
into the second year. The implication for the
annual model is that enterprises containing
cassava require 2 ha of land rather than 1 ha of
land, as do all other enterprises. The four
scenarios are based around two changes. One
change results in cassava being harvested in one
year as opposed to two years. The second is the
adoption of high yielding varieties.
Scenario A assumes yields increase to 15
tonne/ha but harvesting continues into second
year. Scenario B assumes that cassava is
harvested within a single year but yields don’t
improve. Scenario C assumes yield increases to
15 tonne/ha and cassava is harvested in one
year. Scenario D assumes yield increases to 20
tonne/ha and cassava is harvested in one year.
Labelled
Use High
Yielding
Varieties
Harvest
within a
single
year
Base Scenario Base No No
Scenario A Yld 2ha 15 tonne/ha No
Scenario B 1ha No Yes
Scenario C Yld 15 15 tonne/ha Yes
Scenario D Yld 20 20 tonne/ha Yes
The results obtained from these scenarios on
production, area and quantities marketed are
illustrated and discussed throughout the report.
1.4 THE REVOLUTION
The cassava revolution in Nigeria is at its infancy.
This report hopes to describe it in the context of
its current status; new initiatives; future targets;
and future directions. The report organizes the
discussion within six sections: Introduction,
Production, Utilization and Processing, Prices and
Margins, Development Clusters, and The Ultimate
Way Forward. Each section, except for the last,
contains the four subsections: Current Status,
Future Targets, New Initiatives, and The Way
Forward.