In December 2011, the Nigerian Government announced the release of three new vitamin A-rich ‘yellow’ cassava varieties that could provide more vitamin A in the diets of more than 70 million Nigerians who eat cassava every day, reported Harvestplus – which is part of the CGIAR Research Programme on Agriculture for Improved Nutrition and Health (The yellow colour (cassava is generally white) is due to the higher vitamin A content. Vitamin A deficiency afflicts almost 20 percent of pregnant women and about 30 percent of children under five in Nigeria. The deficiency can lower immunity and impair vision, sometimes resulting in blindness and even death.
According to Harvestplus, these new yellow varieties were bred using traditional (non-transgenic) methods by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Nigerian National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) and were liked by farmers during field trials.
Cassava is an extremely adaptable crop; it is drought tolerant, requires limited land preparation, and grows well in poor soils. The new yellow varieties are also high yielding and resistant to major diseases and pests. The yellow cassava is already being multiplied through stem cuttings.
In 2013, when sufficient certified stems are available, HarvestPlus and its partners plan to distribute these to about 25,000 farming households initially. Farmers will then be able to grow these new vitamin A varieties and feed them to their families. They can also multiply and share cuttings with others in their community, amplifying the nutritional benefits. After the mid-2014 harvest, more than 150,000 household members are expected to be eating vitamin A cassava.
