Côte d'Ivoire/Growers made aware of cassava diseases in Songon

The Wave regional center of excellence has trained producers in the commune of Songon in cassava diseases, with a view to guaranteeing better production for food security in the Autonomous District of Abidjan.

The training took place on Monday November 18, 2024, at the Pôle Scientifique et d'Innovation of the Université Félix Houphouët Boigny, located in Bingerville. It is part of the "Participatory surveillance of viral diseases of cassava in the Autonomous District of Abidjan" project, financed by the Autonomous District ofAbidjan to the tune of 14 million FCFA, and carried out by the Wave center in collaboration with the Félix Houphouët Boigny University for a three-year period (2021-2024).

According to project manager Dr Linda Vanié-Léabo, it was important to put growers at the heart of the initiative, to enable them to identify diseased plants to increase cassava productivity and make their investments profitable.

The Center's Executive Director, Dr Justin Pita, believes that the best way to achieve quality plantations is to intensify awareness-raising, in order to prevent the spread of transboundary plant pathogens, or even to contain them.

In Côte d'Ivoire, cassava is the second most important crop after yam, with annual production estimated at over six million tonnes and an average yield of over five tonnes per hectare.

Source: www.aip.ci/