FLAPCOOP Partners IITA on Improved Yams Seed for EKO 1 Million Yams Project
In what many experts have termed a masterstroke, Flapcoop has partnered with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on improved yam seedlings for its Eko 1 million yams project.
According to agricultural sustainable development experts, the partnership would birth a revolution in the agricultural sector, especially in Lagos State, as it would curtail the prevailing hunger crisis and agricultural funding deficit in the state.
In 2022, Flap Aluasa Cooperative Society (Flapcoop) embarked on an agricultural flagship project which led to the cultivation and harvest of over 10,000 tubers of yams in Ketu-Epe, Lagos – the first of its kind in the 56 years of the States existence after its creation on 27 May 1967.
The success of the project attracted accolades from different stakeholders and government parastatals in the state, including the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Cooperatives.
For their 2023 goal, Flapcoop has embarked on a project termed “Eko 1 Million Yams.” The project is aimed at cultivating one million tubers of yams in their farms in Epe, Lagos State, to contribute to the food security crisis in Lagos State. The partnership with the IITA is a giant step towards ensuring that best practices and the provision of the highest quality organic yams for the good people of Lagos and neighbouring states.
Eko 1 Million Yams Project is an agricultural project to feed Lagosians with yams cultivated in Lagos State, powered by Flap Alausa Multipurpose Cooperative Society. The project will offer Lagosians yams at affordable prices – more than 100% lesser than the current market value of yams which is often affected by the high costs of transportation from the North.
To achieve this goal, the cooperative society has partnered with IITA for the acquisition of quality yam seedlings and as direct consultants for the Eyo Yams project. Government and private agencies have praised the initiative and called for public support for the project.
In Lagos, the price of yams is steadily increasing at an alarming rate, and a number of households can no longer afford them. Recently, a sizable tuber of yam that sold between N700 to N800 as of August 2021 in Lagos is now between N2,000 and N2,500. But against the current market price and inflation statistics, tubers of yams are available on the Eko Yams website for pre-order at N700 per 2.5kg of yam tuber.
Founded in 1967 in Ibadan, Nigeria, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture is an award-winning, research-for-development (R4D) organization providing solutions to hunger, poverty, and the degradation of natural resources in Africa. Since its establishment, IITA has worked with international and national partners to improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity.
IITA is guided by an ambitious strategy–to lift 11.5 million people out of poverty and revitalize 7.5 million hectares of farmland–by 2020. As one of 15 research centers in the CGIAR, a global partnership for a food-secure future, IITA is engaged in several CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs). The organization has delivered more than 70% of the CGIAR’s impact in sub-Saharan Africa and remains committed to the science-driven improvement of agriculture and related food value chains.
Speaking during an official meeting with top management staff of the IITA, the president of Flap Alausa Cooperative Multipurpose Society and convener of the Eko Yams project, Mr. Ojamamoye E. Oluwadurotimi assured Lagosians and Nigeria alike that the cooperative organization which is credited for numerous agricultural flagship projects in the state, like the ownership and management of Palmrich Estate – the largest Palm Oil Tree Farm in Lagos State, would deliver on the Eko 1 Million Yams project.
He further assured the public that the body would not relent in providing value to every Nigerian, regardless of class, religion, or ethnicity. He prayed for God’s divine protection and support from stakeholders, investors, and the general public in delivering the Eko 1 Million yams project by the end of 2023.
For inquiries, visit ekoyams.ng or call 09060051636
Comments (3)
Nice one , will love to be one the family
Thank you for your interest.
For inquiries, kindly call 08023244444
This is fantastic