FG to revive groundnut pyramids in the North

He stated this during the launching of the Groundnut Value Chain held in Abuja, recently.Adesina reckoned that between 1956 and 1967, groundnut was one of the country’s most valuable export crops, exemplified by the famous groundnut pyramids in Kano, Zaria and other major towns in northern Nigeria, adding that it accounted for over 70% of […]

He stated this during the launching of the Groundnut Value Chain held in Abuja, recently.
Adesina reckoned that between 1956 and 1967, groundnut was one of the country’s most valuable export crops, exemplified by the famous groundnut pyramids in Kano, Zaria and other major towns in northern Nigeria, adding that it accounted for over 70% of total export earnings before the oil boom.
He said: “When Nigeria found oil, it abandoned agriculture in general, and groundnut production suffered. Nigeria’s export of shelled groundnut plummeted from 502,000 metric tonnes in 1961 to 291,000 metric tonnes in 1970 and zero by 1980. The groundnut pyramids disappeared.”
According to the minister, plans have been concluded to release, at least, 4 new improved rosette resistant and market-preferred groundnut varieties to 180,000 farmers who will, in turn, give the seed to 10 farmers each. The target is to reach 1.8 million farmers.
He said 1,000 extension workers will be trained in improved production and processing technologies and research, adding that 600 women processor groups will also be trained in improved small scale ground nut processing.
The programme is in collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and other Nigerian institutions to scale up best global practices in the country.
In his remarks, the Director-General, ICRISAT, Dr. Williams Dar, said the international institute was ready to work side-by-side with the Federal Government to achieve the groundnut production initiative in the country.
Dr. Dar reiterated the institute’s commitment to bringing new technologies developed by their renowned researchers to bear in the initiative.