Cassava flour policy saves Nigeria N127bn annually

The Federal Government’s policy on the use of 20 per cent High Quality Cassava Flour, HQCF, for baking bread saves the nation N127 billion annually.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development., Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.

The Minister who was represented by the Regional Director, South- South, Mr. Martins Odeh, at the training conducted for Master Bakers at Garden City Bakery, Port Harcourt, River State, on the inclusion of 20 per cent HQCF, said the use of HQCF will create more jobs for the youth and assist farmers to build up domestic wealth.

Akinwumi also stated that the training was to empower the participants on the inclusion of 20 per cent HQCF in making bread. He urged the participants to make use of the opportunity and learn how to use the recipe as Nigeria has been the world’s largest producer of cassava and not leading in its consumption.

Earlier in her speech, the representative of the Cassava Value Chain Desk Officer, Mrs. Olajumoke Adewulu, said the Federal Ministry Of Agriculture was doing its best in improving the life of the Nigerian farmers and also to  make Nigeria self sufficient.

Adewulu also said six high cassava processing plants were approved by the National Assembly that was capable of producing 40 metric tonnes of High Quality Cassava Flour per day in the six geopolitical zones.

She assured that the Federal Government will do its best to sustain the 20 per cent inclusion of High Quality Cassava Flour by clearing 530 hectares of land in 40 locations throughout the country.

She also added that the participants that the cassava bill before the National Assembly will be passed into law for cassava farmers to have all the incentives required.

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SON to review cassava flour standard to benefit SMEs

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on Thursday said that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) would play major role in the newly drafted standards for cassava products in the country.

Dr Joseph Odumodu, the Director General of SON, said this in Lagos at the conclusion of  the work of a technical committee set to up to elaborate and review standards of cassava products.

“It was not the first time SON is elaborating standards on cassava products. It was just a combination of review and elaboration of new ones,” he said.

Odumodu, who was represented by Mr Louis Njoku, Head of Laboratory in SON, said that cassava had been adopted by the African Union as one of its focal crops.

He said that standardisation of cassava bread was on the agenda of the African Regional Organisation for Standardisation Agenda.

“The benefits of our deliberations today go beyond Nigeria and will