The kind of cassava that recently caused the death of livestock in Kogi State is very popular in Southwest states, Mr. James Ogunmola, Managing Director, Kogi State Agricultural Development Project (ADP) said.
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Mr. Ogunmola stated this at a stakeholders meeting in Lokoja on Friday where he spoke on steps taken by government following the recent death of seven goats after eating cassava.
The ADP MD said the government had isolated cassava farms in Adavi Local Government Area of the state where the incidents happened.
He said the isolation was in order to thoroughly examine and ascertain the origin of the killer cassava, adding that experts were already examining the morphology of that particular variety of cassava.
He added that the government has stopped further sale of the cassava, saying the cassava is popular in Southwest.
His word, “More than 100 varieties of cassava have emerged and farmers are planting them all over the place.“The killer variety with high concentration of hydrogen cyanide resembles the Oko-Iyawo variety, which is very popular in the south-western part of the country.
“For easy identification of the killer variety, its leaves and stem are very reddish in colour like the Oko-Iyawo variety but the pitch of the red colour is deeper.”
