TME 14 CASSAVA GROWING AS A BUSINESS.
TME 14 is variety of cassava which is grown by most farmers today. In Moyo district, the variety was first introduced to the farmer groups in the various sub-counties of the district including Metu, Moyo, Dufile, Aliba, Laropi ,Obongi etc.. By an NGO called DAR with the aim of improving the livelihood of the local farmers within the districts of West Nile region.
Because of the short maturity period it has and its high quality yields, the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) in Metu sub-county towards the end of the last financial year that is 2010-2011, supplied the food security farmers with cassava cuttings of the above mentioned variety.
Before the farmers planted the cassava cuttings, trainings were first conducted in all the 52 villages of the sub-county for the beneficiaries about the importance, good agronomic practices and record keeping.
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| Simon the owner of the cassava checking the leaves of TME 14 |
The following importance were realized from growing cassava (TME 14);
ü Source of food for the farmers and the consumers as well.
ü Source of income for the farmers which is through the sale of the cassava and its cuttings.
ü It matures within a short period of time, which is from 6-8 months.
ü It has a very high quality yields.
ü It can be consumed while still raw because it is so sweet.
The good agronomic practices among others include:-
1. Land preparation; the land for planting is prepared at least 3 weeks or 1 month earlier. This is done through cultivation of land by use of ox-plough or tractor.2nd ploughing is done after 1 or 2 weeks and then land is ready for planting.
2. Planting; this is done as long as the land is prepared and there is onset of rains and planting is done using clean planting materials. The holes for planting are dug using a hand hoe.
3. Spacing; spaces are left between the rows and columns of the cassava plants. The space left is measured 1 by 1 metre.
4. Weeding; the first weeding is done after two weeks after the plants have emerged out and the weeds are clearly seen in the field. The purpose is to maintain a very high level of field hygiene and prevents pests and disease infestation in the field. It also prevents competition between the plants and weeds for nutrients, space, air and sunlight. 2nd weeding is done at any time as long as there weeds in the field.
5. Pest and disease control; the following pests attacks cassava (TME 14);
a. Cassava millibergs;these are black tiny organisms that produces white powdery substance at the growing points of the cassava plant and due to the disturbance at the shoot system. Die-back eventually occurs to the plant which leads to the wilting of the plant.
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| Weeding process can be done when matured |
Control
ü Use of clean planting materials.
ü Proper field hygiene maintenance.
ü Practice of crop rotation.
ü Burning of the infested plant materials.
The disease that affects the cassava includes;
A. Cassava root rot; this is a disease that is caused as a result of poor drainage in the field which leads to water logging and the cassava roots eventually rots.
Control
ü Ensure proper drainage in the field.
ü Practice proper farming methods like contour line construction in the cassava field.
B. Cassava mosaic; this disease makes the plant leaves to fold and as a result, they do not get enough sunlight. The leaves will then change to yellow due to lack of chlorophyll and photosynthesis therefore does not take place.
Control
ü Field hygiene.
ü Uproot and Burn the affected plant materials.
ü Practice of crop rotation.
6. Harvesting; this is done as long as the cassava is matures. This variety gets ready from 6-8 months as long as the above agricultural practices are done and soil fertility is maintained.
7. Processing; this can either be done by pilling and slicing the raw cassava and spreading it to dry under the sun.
OR
Machines like the cassava chipper which grinds the raw cassava in to a fine consistency or particles which will then be spread under the sun to thoroughly dry.
8. Storage; the processed cassava is then packed in to sacks and stored in a suitable condition of a store that is free from pests like weevils, rats that can contaminate the stored cassava.
9. Marketing; after storage, the farmer then looks for a suitable market where and when he can market the processed cassava especially during a peak period.
As the farmers are growing the cassava for sale, they were also trained on how record keeping is done. Each farmer is supposed to know;
ü Labour cost i.e. cost of ox-ploughing per acre, cost of food for the labourers
ü The input costs i.e. cost of cassava cuttings, fertilizer costs, cost of hoe or panga for bush clearance.
ü The farmer should also know the cost of production for example the quantity of the output, transport costs, cost of output.
This altogether will enable the farmer to determine the gross margin that is; he/she will know whether he is operating on a loss or profit.
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| Ready for harvest. |
CONCLUSION.
All in all, I highly encourage farmers not only in Metu sub-county but also in the other and semi-arid areas to grow TME 14 cassava because of its great importance to them which will in future eradicate poverty in their respective homes and improve their standards of living.
Compiled by;
Limio Rose/ Jurugo Simon
METU MAARIFA CENTRE
E-MAIL: rose.limio@yahoo.com
