New variaties of cassava increase yields in Nampula

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New variaties of cassava increase yields in Nampula

8:03 CAT | 18 Jul 2016

Notícias (File photo)

New varieties of cassava introduced into the northern Mozambican province of Nampula by the government’s Agricultural Research Institute (IIAM) have led to astonishing increases in productivity.

Cassava tubers and leaves are a major source of nutrition for the province’s rural population. In addition, it is a cash crop, with cassava tubers used by Cervejas de Mocambique (CDM – Beers of Mozambique) as its main ingredient in its Impala beer.

The Dutch Agricultural Development and Trading Company (DADTCO) is distributing the three new varieties, orera, eyope and colicanana, to farmers in partnership with IIAM and the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC).

According to DADTCO’s supply manager Teofilo Chalenger, the new varieties have the potential to yield thirty tonnes of cassava per hectare, compared with the three tonnes produced by the traditional varieties.

Chalenger was speaking on Thursday during the annual Cassava Festival that took place in Murrupula district in Nampula province.

IFDC representative Isabel Mazive added that “we had a farmer that was able to produce 36 tonnes in 1.2 hectares”.

Chalenger explained that the most popular variety is eyope because it is semi sweet. However, the dissemination of the variety is slowed by the fact that only produces one annual crop”.

Over the last six months, farmers in the province sold 2,400 tonnes of cassava and earned 4.8 million meticais (about 73,000 US dollars). Of this, DADTCO is purchasing 100 tonnes per week valued at 200,000 meticais.

The DADTCO purchases are fed through the company’s autonomous mobile cassava processing unit (AMPU), which is located for three or four months per year in the districts of Murrupula, Ribaue and Meconta.

According to Chalenger, the AMPU does not stay in one location for too long otherwise the farmers would sell their entire crop to DADTCO, leading to local hunger.

The mobile factory transforms the tubers into a block that can be stored for more than six months until it is sold to the brewery.

Impala beer is made of 70 per cent cassava and 30 per cent malt, which is imported.

DADTCO works with nine thousand farmers, of whom six thousand are in the southern province of Inhambane.

Source: AIM