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Yam cultivation
World production of yam is 51.4 million tonnes per year out of which Nigeria accounts for an average of 36.7 million tonnes, Ghana for 3.6 million tonnes and Cote d’Ivoire for 4.8 million tonnes.. The failure of exporters in Nigeria to meet strict sanitary standards in Europe is however one of the major issues holding back exports.
Yams export substantial proportions of nutrients from the soil with the harvested produce. Increasing tuber yields through breeding and selection will thus lead to soil nutrient depletion if not accompanied by soil and nutrient management strategies. We use an integrated approach to soil fertility management.
Current activities include assessing the nutrient requirements of yams, establishing varietals differences in nutrient use and response efficiency, and evaluating the impact of including cover crops in yam-based cropping systems. We have also established variations in white Guinea and water yams for the extent of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in different agro ecologies. Studies are in progress to establish the contribution of AMF to mineral nutrition of yams.
Our social scientists assess the financial viability and adoption potential of the technologies being developed. They are also working towards a better understanding of markets and demand for yams and yam products. This includes studies on seed systems, yam consumption patterns, industrial demand, export, marketing channels, effects of trade and market liberalization, and general competitiveness of the yam subsector.
Yams are second to cassava as the most important tropical root crop. Yams are a staple crop in many parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. In the South Pacific, the yam is a significant food crop, accounting for over 20%, 8.1%, and 4.6% of the total dietary calorie intake in the Kingdom of Tonga, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea, respectively.
Besides their importance as food source, yams also play a significant role in the socio-cultural lives of some producing regions like the celebrated New Yam Festival in West Africa, a practice that has also extended to overseas where there is a significant population of the tribes that observe it. In some parts of Southeastern Nigeria, the meals offered to gods and ancestors consists principally of mashed yam.
Yams store relatively longer in comparison with other tropical fresh produce, and therefore stored yam represents stored wealth which can be sold all-year-round by the farmer or marketer. In parts of Igboland in Southeastern Nigeria, it is customary for the parents of a bride to offer her yams for planting as a resource to assist them in raising a family.
Requirements for export and quality assurance
There are no specific standards for yam export, but intending exporters must seek information on the quality and phytosanitary regulations of the importing country as well as the product specifications required by the importer.
As a guide, exporters should apply the general requirements for the International OECD Quality Standard (Opara, 2001) which issues such as minimum requirements, quality requirements, sizing, tolerance and packaging. These should be interpreted to assist in meeting the specifications agreed with the importer.
Consumer Preferences
There is considerable consumer preferences for the different yam varieties among the growing regions. White-fleshed yams which have firm texture (mainly D. rotundata) are the most popular in West Africa, while in the South Pacific, D. alata cultivars (water yam, white purplish with loose watery texture) are most common (Opara, 1999).
Consumer preferences might account for some of the predominance of certain cultivars in some region, in addition to agro-climatological impacts on the growing attributes of the species. In parts of West Africa, yams, which have loose texture, are often mixed with gari and pounded with gari to prepare fufu of ‘soft’ texture
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