The chief master farmer of Pujehun district; Alhaji Yaya Kadah has intimated Awoko press that if Sierra Leone is to succeed in the fight against hunger, government and other stakeholders must pay more attention to cassava production and processing.
During a brief visit to the Southern town, Awoko caught up with Alhaji Yaya Kadah at Yonni in the Pujehun district where he explained to this press about current farming activities he is engaged in.
He expressed dissatisfaction over the little interest government is showing in cassava production as compared to rice. He stated that cassava is one major food that government should concentrate on if only the country is to achieve food security.
He went further to explain that farmers in the south have been engaged in cassava production over the years but they lack the necessary support to enable them embark on large scale production.
Alhaji Yaya Kadah disclosed that he cultivated 12 acres of land for cassava this year at Yonni in the Pujehun district. He also disclosed to Awoko that majority of farmers in the district are now engaged in large scale cassava farming.
He called on government and NGOs supporting agriculture to help farmers by providing processing machines to enable them process and package cassava products like gari so as to add value to it. “With cassava we will defeat hunger” he said.
By William Freeman
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