The Executive Director National Root Crops Research Institute NRCRI, Professor Ukpabi Ukpabi, has charged participants at the 3 day training programme on onboarding new cassava seed entrepreneurs (CSEs) and Foundation Seed Producers (FSPs), to produce improved cassava varieties.

The Executive Director, represented by the Director Research Support Services NRCRI, Dr. Godwin Asumugha, stated this on Wednesday while addressing participants at the Library Complex, NRCRI, Umudike, Umuahia, Abia State.

He pointed out that the participants will be trained for three days in different aspects of cassava seed production, revealing that the programme is in partnership with the IITA initiative on Basics 2 that is: Building an Economically Sustainable, Integrated Cassava Seed System in Nigeria.

Prof. Ukpabi said that the entrepreneurs will require their farms to be certified by the National Seed Institute, a body that monitors and certifies seeds before they are sold in the market.

He also added that entrepreneurs will be required to key into the cassava seed tracker for proper identification.

While advising them to champion the production of quality seeds and stems, he said that 6O village seed entrepreneurs, 27 foundation seed Producers and three certification officers from Abia, Imo and Akwa Ibom States will be onboarded at the training.

On his part, the Director Principle Investigator NRCRI, BASICS, Dr Joseph Onyeka, urged the entrepreneurs that it is not business as usual as the regulators will certify their farms to make sure it conforms to the Nigerian Seed Law which is active.

Contributing, the Director Biotechnology and Product Development, Professor Chiedozie Egesi, harped on the need for the farmers to dedicate their time to their farms and assist in producing quality cassava seeds.

A beneficiary, Nwachukwu Ijeoma from Imo State, expressed satisfaction for being a part of the onboarding progremme, pledging to champion cassava production by planting varieties of cassava stems.