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Agricultural Institute To Tackle Cassava Viral Diseases

The National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) in Umudike, Abia State, has set up a pre-emptive initiatives known as West African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE) to … Continue reading Agricultural Institute To Tackle Cassava Viral Diseases


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cassavaThe National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) in Umudike, Abia State, has set up a pre-emptive initiatives known as West African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE) to tackle issues of cassava viral diseases which is currently ravaging East Africa.

While addressing participants from other West African countries and other research fellows on Agriculture on Tuesday, the Executive Director of the institute, Dr Julius Okonkwo, said that the disease virulent and tendency to spread rapidly across the sub-Sahara and even West Africa, necessitated the implementation action which would have a coordinated management of the virus disease threats.

Cassava, one of the major root crop and stable food for millions of people in Nigeria, is at the risk and threats of possible outbreak of Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD), if proactive measures are not put in place fast.

According to reports, the CBSD has the capacity to drastically attack cassava and affect the nation’s economy to the cost of 400 billion Naira (about $2 billion) annually, if not checked on time.

Abia State has agreed to cooperate with the research institute to raise the awareness of the disease to farmers, as well as support the clustering and productivity in agriculture sector.

Although other special interventions have been done on cassava across the nation, the systemic survey of cassava viral disease is yet to be carried out, therefore, the launch of WAVE Project campaign against the dreaded CBSD would increase the continual productivity and sustainability of root and tuber crops.