The Vice-Chancellor, Landmark, Professor Adeniyi Olayanju on Wednesday, 2nd June 2020 lauded the CAVA II Project in the University following the unprecedented cassava yield of over 20 tonnes per hectare.

Ably represented by the Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, Professor Charity Aremu, the Vice-Chancellor noted the significance of the CAVA II project to the actualization of the agrarian revolution pursuit of the University, emphasizing that it presented Landmark University the opportunity to be at the vanguard of her mandate crop not only in production but also in research development. According to him, the University dedicated four hectares of land to planting five (5) improved varieties of cassava (Manihot esculenta) for research development towards improving cassava profitability in particular and food security in general. He said with the yield per hectare, the University is positioned for active production and involvement in the cassava value chain, thereby adding value to Africa.

He, therefore, appreciated the Project Director, Professor Kolawole Adebayo of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) for the privilege to be a subgrantee of the CAVA II Project. He also congratulated the Landmark University CAVA II Project team which he led on the milestone achieved by unreserved commitment and cooperation.

Recounting the journey so far as an agricultural economist, the Dean, College of Agriculture, Professor Olasunkami Bamiro, said the CAVA II Project which was launched in 2018 was a viable project considering the vast profit margin between the production cost and the yield value. He, therefore, called on the agricultural extension experts to make good use of the information in helping farmers make profitable decisions when sourcing cassava stems that will improve their yields, thereby making farming profitable for them. The cassava varieties include 0581 TMS, 0505 TMS, 30572 TMS, 419 TME and 0289 TMS.

While also speaking, the Chair, Teaching and Research Farm, Dr. Kehinde Adegbite said with the growing importance of cassava as a source of food, animal feed and industrial raw material, there is increasing demand for the product in the open market. He revealed that the produce from the CAVA II Project in the University was already patronised by a buyer from Abeokuta with the interest to buy 30 tonnes. He added that even the stems of the high-yielding varieties would be made available to farmers within and outside the academic community, thereby increasing the University’s profit margin.

Picture 1: The Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, Professor Charity Aremu, representing the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olayanju at the harvest of CAVA II Project
Picture 2: The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olanyanju during the loading of CAVA II Project cassava at the University Teaching and Research Farm
Picture 3: During the mustering of the product at the Teaching and Research Farm
Picture 4: Men at work loading the cassava at the Teaching and Research Farm