IITA partners agric varsity on cassava weed management project

The equipment were given through the IITA-managed project ‘Sustainable Weed Management Technologies for Cassava Systems in Nigeria.’ The equipment that was handed over to the university include a Toyota Hilux vehicle, office equipment, a motorcycle, and 20 sprayers, among others.Prof Friday Ekeleme, Principal Investigator to the IITA Cassava Weed Management Project, described the equipment as […]

The equipment were given through the IITA-managed project ‘Sustainable Weed Management Technologies for Cassava Systems in Nigeria.’
The equipment that was handed over to the university include a Toyota Hilux vehicle, office equipment, a motorcycle, and 20 sprayers, among others.
Prof Friday Ekeleme, Principal Investigator to the IITA Cassava Weed Management Project, described the equipment as necessary tools that would facilitate the research on weeds in cassava, and called on the university to carefully use and maintain them.
He said IITA was glad to have the University of Agriculture Makurdi as a partner in the project, and urged the university to redouble efforts towards ensuring that the problem of weeds in cassava is solved.
Responding, Dr Moses Egbe, of the University , pledged the commitment of the institution to ensuring judicious use of the equipment with a view to achieving the project objectives.
The University of Agriculture Makurdi is the third beneficiary of assets transfer. The other collaborating institutions that received similar set of equipment are the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike and the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB).
Launched early this year, the project, “Sustainable Weed Management Technologies for Cassava Systems in Nigeria,” aims to find solutions to the labour-intensive weeding that is usually done by women and children in cassava farms. The goal is to increase productivity for at least 125,000 Nigerian farm families.