By Fatima Muraina

In a renewed effort to boost food production and ensure seed quality in Ondo State, the Ondo State Agricultural Empowerment Centre (OSAEC), in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), has trained yam farmers on modern sett multiplication techniques and distributed improved yam seedlings to aid cultivation.

The training, which held over the weekend at the Skill Acquisition Centre of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, along Igbatoro Road in Akure, attracted farmers from across the state who were eager to embrace new farming technologies.

Speaking during the event, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture and Agribusiness, Wemimo Akinsola, explained that the initiative was designed to upgrade seed quality and improve the productivity of seedlings to achieve food sufficiency.

He disclosed that the training is the first of many upcoming programmes that would cater to other essential crops like rice, maize, and others, with the ultimate goal of ramping up food production across the state.

According to Akinsola, the seed technology in focus involves the laboratory production of mini-seedlings which are later distributed to farmers.

He said the move would ease the burden of farmers having to reserve parts of their harvest for planting in the next season.

“This approach helps reduce the pressure of balancing consumption and seed preservation, which has always been a challenge for many smallholder farmers,” he said.

He added that the initiative would help crash food prices by significantly improving yields and reducing costs associated with seed procurement.

Akinsola also disclosed that a farmer registration exercise is currently underway, aimed at creating a comprehensive database that will allow the state to benefit from federal government programmes, the Bank of Agriculture, and other agricultural intervention schemes.

A resource person from the IITA, Dr Olugbenga Pelemo, in an interview with Weekend Hope, said the essence of the training was to equip yam farmers in the state with knowledge of modern techniques that can improve both quality and quantity of their produce.

Dr Pelemo noted that the farmers were exposed to improved yam varieties developed through collaborative efforts between IITA and the National Root Crops Research Institute, which is saddled with the mandate to enhance root and tuber crop varieties in Nigeria.

He explained that the training covered four major phases, encouraging collaborative farming efforts, introducing good agricultural practices, reorienting farmers to view agribusiness as a serious enterprise, and deepening their knowledge of seed propagation.

Describing yam as the crop with the highest seed cost, Pelemo said, “You need 10,000 yam stands to cultivate just one hectare. At a cost of ₦500 per stand, that’s about ₦5 million to plant one hectare of yam.”

He stressed that both capital and technical knowledge are crucial in yam production, particularly when it comes to seed development.

Highlighting new methods, he spoke about the mini tubers produced using a technique known as semi-autotrophic hydroponics, which involves growing yam in enclosed boxes. He said many farmers are still unaware of this innovation and encouraged them to adopt the mini-sett technique for better results.

“For all crops, the National Agricultural Seed Council of Nigeria supports seed entrepreneurs, seed companies, and emerging seed producers — especially those aspiring to become certified or foundation seed producers,” he added.

Some of the farmers who participated in the training, Mr Franklin Fadoju and Alhaja Mujidat Alade, expressed appreciation to the organisers, describing the programme as laudable and impactful.

They said the knowledge gained, coupled with the distribution of seedlings, would go a long way in improving their farming practices and ultimately, their harvest.