His Excellency President Goodluck Jonathan has hinted that Nigeria may soon have a new policy on bread content, following the successful development of bread containing 40% cassava flour by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Speaking at the presentation of the bread before the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in the State House, Abuja on 30 November, the President directed his cabinet to come up with new policies to encourage the production of cassava bread in the country.
“The coordinating Minister of the Economy will meet with Ministers of National Planning, Trade and Investment, Agriculture, and the Chief Economic Adviser to the President to come up with policies that we will adopt to encourage those who use cassava flour for their manufacturing processes,” Jonathan said.
“For us, as a nation, to move forward, we must tame our taste for exotic products. Some of the things we bring from outside are not even as good as what we have,” he emphasized as he praised the product.
The president added that after he tasted the bread about a week ago, he told himself that it was only such bread he would eat from now on. “I thought it proper for us in the council to formally present this bread to Nigerians.”
President Jonathan said the effort to increase cassava content in bread was initiated by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which wanted at least 10% cassava content. He added that achieving 40% cassava content in bread was indeed a major development.
“This project is one that the Federal Government started some years back under the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to encourage Nigerians to use cassava as part of the ingredients of producing bread and other items that we need because of the cost of wheat,” he said.
Also speaking, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture, said that this IITA-developed cassava bread offers myriad of opportunities for the country.
“This will create a lot of jobs, create markets for our farmers, stabilize prices, and give us pride in the fact that we have actually eaten what we produce,” the minister stressed.
He also noted that Nigeria was the highest cassava producer in the world, producing 34 million tons of the produce annually, but the country accounted for zero percent in terms of added value.
Under the agriculture transformation strategy, the current government will be working actively to create new markets for cassava-growing farmers.
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