Ni gerian TribuDe 15 Tuesday.
J~ _ Novem~r.
2012
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Agri.cu..Itu..re
'FG's cassava flour pollcy'll encourage fanners, agro-investors' Despite reluctance and opposition (railing the Federal Government's cassava nour Inclusion policy. tl has been
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expressed that the policy has the potential or positively affecting the economy. Feml Ibirogba writes.
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IE l"«Jeral Go~mment 's policy IncluSion of about 40 pcr «:111
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of cassava n our b y n o ur manufactun:r and In the pmduc uon of brad and other confec Uonerk:s M.s. no d o ubt . been applauded locally a nd Inu~ maUonally
lkspltc challt-nges a nd opposlUo n
from manufaclun:n. bakers and the National Assembly. admlni5tralo TS , agro -cqulpmcnt manufacturer•. a catkmk::5 and other stakeholders hav(' expres5Cd Ihe vtew that the policy. a ll lhln~ tx.lng -=qual. will ha\"t; multlph,.r clTttb 0( lnt"rca!tCd cassava produc tion. agricultural prottSSlng 111\'a~na . job c reallo n . poycrty a llcylatlon . amo ng othcrs. on thc ttono my Provost . Fcdcra' Collcge of Agrtculture. Moo~ Plantation. lbadan. Ot- (Mrsl Foluke OIuwatoylnbo, has said If the goyernmenl succ ccds In ImpkmmUng the: policy by at IcMt 10 per ccnt . a reyolutlo n In cassaya produc Uon wtl1 emc:rgc. Investors will find ca55<lVlII nour producUon attracth~ and there will be c heaper food for Nlgcrlans According to her. the goycrnment must work on 8CCC'ptablllty and Wldc utilisatio n by all bakers and nour manufactu~ to tncludc at}easl 10 ptt cent of cassava flour . saying the law of demand and su~ will force (anncn to produce morc cassava, and mo~ Inyestors Will be attracted to produce flour, because there would be a ~ady markCl In Nigeria and other A(rlcan countrtes She urged the government to, however. disallow Importation or c ..saava flour to aYOtd being counlerproduct~ .
·It Is going to boost commerc ial production of cassava., but we must nrst work on acceptability so thai IXOple would _Icome the Idea And as we encourage (anners. we must encourage cassava flour millers, as well Il& ba)tttlJ and end USCf'S. ·1 bell~ thai soon. WIth gradual acccpta.ncc of the InlUaUve. and wtth the law 01 demand and supply. 1ft will be begging fanners to mass -produce ~ c;as.saya. and agro-lnYClilors wtll come: In. Just like In the producuon of sachet and botlle water It Is a whole chain that will create Jobs. ensure sustainable food sccurtty and eNl the economy.· Or OIuwaloytnbo scud She said the college wu test· running caM8va brc:OiIod In Ita bakery. adding lhal. ·1 ate U1c: 20 per ttnt cassava ~d we produced and It was very good. We an: trying here to train bakers and small scale cnt.rqxl!neurs 10 produce and use cassava nour We have trained about thn:e: sel5 cI bokem. • Technical AdYlser to Minister o f AgJ1cuItun: on Ol55avalTradlUonal Food Value Chain. Mr Tony Egba In all interview \\,th the Nigerian 1"ribune, aaJd Ihe Inltlatlye presents unllmltcd opportunltIaJ to commc:n:ial fanners. ~ equipment manufaclun:r.s. flour mllkn and othem InIO-.1lng to join tJx Induwy In the value dlllln am walth CI'!:a~ 'Our farmers ha\'e bcc:n lotllng OYer Ihe years to product' cassava a. a kea becaus e of lack of market for their prndu~ . tllgh price oI'wheat will aeatt' d e mand pull for cas.sava produc tion . whc.~ the IImrkel would be available for rool5 prodm:ut by rannu5 and thIS will CllCOUnlge Ulem 10 produce more.· he. said.
ACC'Of"dlng 10 him. an Illcn:asc In tht' price o f wl1(' al will a c tuall y develo p cassava production. and by aten,locl. develop cassava nou r producuon f-Ie said tilt" Inltlattft' \\'as a wake -up call for all !'Jlakehokkrs In the Industry Farmers . agri c ultural c.qulpmcnl fabncato rs . c assaya nour produ("t'rs. master bakcr" . enl:ymc produ c er• . rcsearch Inslltutes and unlyersltles . among others. al'C'Of"dlng to him. s hould JOin hands with the goyernmcnt and Ihlnk c n:allycly o f how 10 produce caMava flour profitably ·Thls Is the lime that all stakehoklcrs must join hands loRcll"ICr and think 'out 01' box' to creallvt'ly look for II way 10 dcvelop our agrtcullural Industry and Illcn:a!IC pmduClJon and prodUCUVIty, which wll1lcad to abundant food and food sccurtty: Egba added It will be recalled lIlAl the Mlnlstt'T 01' Agncullure and Nalurnl Resources. Dr Ak.lnwuml Adcslna. had said anCT". Federal Executlyc Council IFEC I m«tlng In June that the caMaYII ~ad was cheaper. as It cost 60 per cent 01' lhe cost 0( wheat flour bread. adding that U's better al.d healthlcr bread, which the government walltcd all NIgCrt.an5 10 have the opportunity to do -To do lIlat. Ihen: an: a numlxr ol things thai a~ necdm Maslcr bake" rcqutn: new equlpmcnt _ They haY'C 10 ship some equipment. some of their haklng facllttles. and that Is Yery Importanl They n:quln: training TIleY also require some enl:ymes. TIlia Is anothc.r tndJc.. Uon that Nigeria will not be II slave to wheat ImporterlJ We lu...~ an economy to grow. ranners to put to work and jobs to create It Is not a
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political maller It 15 an economic Issue: Mesilla stated To help rca lise lite objectives of the InIUatJ~. the IlltemaUonallnstitule ro.Tropical Agr1t"ullu~s urrA'sl production procaa model • ..-hkh minimises cap'tal IIlYC8lmc.nt requirements by making usc of simple equlpmc:llt alrcady used for god procuslng, has almpllfled prodUCing high quality unrermenttd cassava flour TItc model Includes peeling cassaYII tubers In ptelers. w;lshlng, grallng. prcsslng, cxtrudlng. drying and packaging.. The IrrA technique enables small scalc primary prOCea.50rs to produce high quality cassa\1ll flollr lIlat meeu the specifications of Industrtal uscrs
"It is going to boost
commercial production of cassava ... and as we encourage farmers. we must encourage cassavajlour millers. as well as bakers and end users. "
(WlC day. Drytnghas been ldenunnt by ltwo IITA as the majo r tool fo r expa lld l n t proccssmg of casaan tnto high qu .. Ut· tassava nour. making It to des ll:!,n <I nash dryer TIle nash dryer ItllfCC' lonnes / day capadty). Is wcllinsulated wltll tile pnxIuct contact surface: Inade of stalllle~s ateel and a s emi automated fcct.ler . It can be operated with combined kelUM:nC / 5ptllt 011 The dryer Is user fr1cndly and Will el1C."OU~ greater cassava flour produc tion Abo. a bread baker at Ode ·Omu. Osun State. 111 a telephonc 1ntcrvlew said the policy was a welco me deydopment . lie added that 8 Genmm had tl1lllned him and somc other bakn.. on how to U.!IC cassava flour In bread since: tile fonner Pr"uldeflt Olu!legull Obasan,lo led administration OpeutlOI1S lIead o f Ca p s rctd Engmeenng. an agrt>-<qulpment flrm . Mr Amos Fakullk:. supponed others on the likely benefitS of the pollc)' If Impkmented meticulously He said. 1"he poIlcy,..,tII he a mora le boostt'T for the ClI$S8va ramlt'n It l, a life line for cassava. proc't'SSOf"S and tht fear of ~ and whom to ~II 10 _'III be: removed. Farmers will bt" m o re flnanclally buoyRnt and It will provide Jobs (Of" youlhs ·~aln. morc people wll1 lito Into farmIng This will Itad to IhC' establlshmenl of cassava pr()(·t"!';-!l lnJl Induslr"ic"'l a nd allters It ('Ould ma ke' bread and o ther b y produc", m o r e' affordatMc alld \\'aStlnfit falkrw la nd ",.,11 be: culUvaled In fact. It·s a "I,::n of hC' lIe'r tlllnWl 10 come' IIC" SOlid Individuals. groups alwl k1t"a l goyernmenl could produce fl(lC' .I 1 ullfemlCfllt"ll e'a.'l.S3va flour for lornl .ul(l InlenlaUonal markcls. saylll,l! Ih(' p"Ik"\' mllst be Implcmcnted In delall-!l a til(' <liarllng polnl In Ihc a l!,fl cu llurit l lransfonnalkm al!,end .. or Ih(' F" d"r-al C ()\ff"mmC'nl ·Equlpm('nl needed Indude" welghlll~ s c ale s c a s sava pee'kr . cassava grlnd"r. dewatering m a ("\IIIIC'. bkJwln,!: failS . nash drier. bunter . "IA('r pulyerlser . hydraulic litter !! a nd packa¢rtg machine EsUmate. tllcJ udh~ Ins~tlaUon and tnlJnlnf!,. 15 a ll(l\II N:l3 million .· Il(' ~kl
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