Arusha — FARMERS in Tanzania should shift from planting maize to
growing cassava, since the latter will soon overtake the
former's demand on the continent. Scientists meeting here have
pointed out that cassava is on the verge of replacing maize as
the main staple for the nearly one billion residents of the
African continent and that the 'roots' value is clocking to over
two billion US dollars per year, it was observed here yesterday.
"Cassava is currently the most drought resistant crop which can
also thrive in lownutrient soil and scientists have come up with
new varieties that are resilient to diseases," explained Dr
Nteranya Sangina, the Director General for the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture. His organisation, the IITA is
hosting the 12th International Plant Virus Epidemiology
Symposium, which is taking place here. The event has gathered
scientists from more than 40 countries worldwide. With the
threats of global warming and the related climate change, the
scientists attending the symposi