Monrovia – Michael E. Dey, Cassava Production and Marketing Coordinator of ZOA Project has stressed the importance of Cassava as an economic development material through value addition and should be used to create employment for Liberian and address food insecurity.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday at a one-day exhibition held at the Ministry of Agriculture in Gardnersville, Mr. Dey described cassava as a magic plant in terms of its contribution to food security and employment.
Today, he said, “We displaying lots of cassava fortified products, including coconut gari mix, vitamin ‘A’ cassava; fufu, high quality cassava flour, high quality starch, tapiako gari, and all produce foods from cassava.”
He urged farmers and entrepreneurs to make maximum use of the root in order to address food insecurity in the country, stressing that “Cassava is the second eminent food for Liberian and there is a need to grow more.”
The overall objective of the ZOA project is to support small-scale farming households to produce enough food for consumption and surplus for sale.
The specific objective of this project is to support more than 2000 small-scale farming households in Margibi and Montserrado counties to increase agricultural productivity.
Mr. Dey explained that cassava would also help to save more money in terms of reductions or importation of food in the country.
This is a plant that can survive during any season and capable of giving varieties of foods.
The ZOA project is currently being implemented in rural Montserrado and Margibi counties, where some 350,000 people are food insecure (respectively 75% and 54% of all households).
The project is also active in Bong, Cape Mount, Bomi, Margibi and Gbarpolu and some 1500 Liberian farmers have been trained and Dey says there is a plan to reach to other areas of the country.
Mr. Dey added that some of the produce from farmers and entrepreneurs today are being sold in various supermarkets in the country.
Mr. Dey said the exhibition is intended to display some of what is done in the field with farmers and processors to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Agriculture Minister Moses Zinnah hailed the project as a milestone for Liberia. “I am very pleased that ZOA is one of the leaders in the cassava enterprising in Liberia.”
Through ZOA, Minister Zinnah said, Liberian farmers are now added value to cassava and producing other food, including eba, coconut gari mix among others.
He said the ministry will work closely with ZOA and other partners to ensure that value is added to cassava in order to increase food in the country.
Minister Zinnah noted that the production of cassava flour in the country remains cardinal and will help to alleviate the massive importation of it on the Liberian market.
According to him, the huge production of cassava produce will increase food security and addressed the issue of hunger in some parts of the country.
“Some of our farmers and entrepreneurs have been trained by ZOA to ensure that we have many foods from cassava on the various markets. We want to also encourage other farmers and entrepreneurs to activities that will increase food for the people of Liberia,” he added.
Report by Alvin Worzi