THE International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA) has recorded significant progress in the rapid multiplication of yam seedlings.
The project which is funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation received $13.5 million between 2011 and 2016 and after significant progress was made, the foundation released another $12 million for the project to run from January 2017 to December 2021.
IITA through the project developed and validated tools and technologies to produce yam for the establishment of market-oriented seed systems that ensure the sustainable supply of quality yam seed in Ghana and Nigeria.
The leader of the Project, Dr Norbert Maroya said “we started the first phase in 2011 to 2016 with $13.5 million and in second phase based on achievement, the donor (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) was happy and said take these things out to the private people and they gave us $12m from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2021 that is what we are finishing now.
“What we developed in the first phase is that instead of cutting and planting yam we are using the leaf, the stem, the vine to develop planting materials like they are doing for sweet potatoes. It was not done before.
“Each plant can produce up to 300 single node vines; it is like maize. When you take the maize, one grain can get you up to 300 grains, with that you don’t have any problem in multiplying the yam instead. If you use it in six months’ time, you’ll be surprised by the output you will get.
He said the project has also trained seed inspectors, established laboratories for them to produce breeder seeds, established solar power and a screen house for the seed companies.
“Because there are a lot of actors in seed production, you have the research, you have the foundation seed producers, you have the certified seed producers. We are trying to develop technology for each of them. Not only we have the research institution, we also have the national agriculture seed council.
“We go round and make sure that the material they’re producing is quality materials, disease free.
“We train the seed inspectors or the researchers, establish labs for them to produce breeders and the private seed companies, they need energy to produce these small things. We establish solar power in their facilities. We establish 10kva solar panels for each of them. We established screen houses for each of them so that what we are doing at the research, we train them on it so they can also do it at the end. These are really to present myself as the one leading this project”, he said.
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