The Nigerian Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) has revealed that Nigeria is losing more than $200 million annually by not implementing the cassava bread scheme, which would incorporate cassava products in the production of bread.
Speaking at a conference on Tuesday in Abuja, the NCGA National President, Mustapha Bakano, noted that the country’s continued reliance on wheat flour for bread is costing millions of dollars in importation bills.
The cassava bread scheme was inaugurated in October 2012 by the former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Akinwunmi Adesina.
The scheme aimed to substitute wheat flour with cassava flour in bread production to save foreign exchange for the country. However, the initiative faltered after Adesina’s departure, contributing to Nigeria’s heavy spending on wheat imports.
Bakano explained that Nigeria, despite being the largest producer of cassava globally, generates less than $170 million in revenue from it, whereas China, producing less, generates over $2 million annually.
He criticized the change in policy direction for abandoning the cassava bread initiative, stating, “During the time of former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Akinwunmi Adesina, there was the cassava bread initiative. Had it continued, we would have been using 40 per cent of cassava in flour in the bakery. By now, we would not be saying we are suffering from depletion in our foreign reserve.”
The NCGA is now working on a resource development plan to address these issues and hopes that the government will provide policy direction to ensure national implementation of the cassava bread scheme.
Bakano emphasized the potential of cassava not only in bread production but also in the pharmaceutical and ethanol sectors.
“We want the government to give a policy direction so that when the policy becomes law, it becomes national and everybody will abide by it. 40 per cent of cassava can go into bread, and we will feel comfortable eating it, as it is more nutritious,” Bakano said.
