One of the largest commercial cassava farms in Nigeria, Agbeyewa Farms Limited, has unveiled an ambitious 12-point agenda designed to transform cassava farming and address food insecurity.
The agenda was made public during a presentation to a high-level delegation from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) during a working visit to the farm on Monday, December 2.
Unveiling the blueprint document, the director of Strategy for Cavista Holdings (parent company of Agbeyewa Farms), Kabir Shagaya explained that this 12-step plan builds on the successful signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the company’s chairman, Niyi John Olajide and the Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji in May 2024 to establish a state-of-the-art cassava farm covering 100,000 hectares within the state.
This initiative is to be delivered through an in-grower/out-grower cooperative programme where eligible farmers will be organised into cooperatives of 100-150 members, each managing a 500-hectare plot.
According to Shagaya – “This programme is expected to impact 1,500 farmers across 10 cooperatives, benefiting approximately 7,500 individuals, including families, thereby supporting local communities and fostering economic growth and scalability”.
Shagay also revealed an investment plan for international donors, like USAID and the United States African Development Foundation (USADF), to join their program and support various aspects of their operations, such as farmer integration, infrastructure costs, initial operational needs, training, cooperative operations, and market integration through off-taker arrangements, all aimed at significantly reducing post-harvest losses.
Other highlights of the company’s plans include massive land clearing and preparation for 2025 farming season in partnership with the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), extensive farmer training through its in-house Training Academy, and the development of an Agbeyewa Model Town (consisting residential units, schools, healthcare facilities, recreational spaces, and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) logistics for transportation within and outside the community).
“Cassava has been overlooked as a staple crop in Nigeria; however, Agbeyewa Farms’ long-term plan is to stimulate and ensure a cassava revolution that drives growth and prosperity in Nigeria,” he stated.
Also speaking on the company’s long-term plans, the managing director of Agbeyewa Farms, Seyi Aiyeleso, stated that the company is currently operating across 10,000 hectares of land across nine communities in the state. He also revealed that it’s 26-hectare agro-processing plant is set to commence operations soon, and will produce high-quality cassava derivatives including flour, starch, and ethanol.
The USAID Team, comprising Xavier Preciado (Senior Agriculture Advisor), Susan Oranye (Project Management Specialist – Private Sector Engagement) and Grace Bojuto (manager/executive assistant to the mission director) expressed their admiration for the high level of expertise, professionalism, and technology employed by the Agbeyewa team. They later toured several parts of the farm and inspected a variety of cassava yields produced by the team.
