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FRID,AY, MAY 18, 2012
inqustrx_~_ Cassava bread will save Nigeria N300bn annually - NAFDAC Buko la
Ad ~baro
HE Direct Ir-General of th,· "latiooal Agency for roold and Drug Admirist -aliol! and Control Dr Paul Orb ii, has said Nil-eri I fWilI save N300bn annu Illy from the usc 01 C 1$S3\'8 as bakery proc:l.ucts. instead of wheat . Orhii,altheln3uguralion of lITC Pic Hi;h Quality Cassava-bas4:d bread in Lagos on Thwsday, said the use of ca..<;s:3\ a in breadmaking would 'e duce the qUllntit} of wl leat being imported yearly He said, ' We lIlust reduce our reliance on raw male ials from abroad. especil llv if we ba\t(' it in Nigel!&. We will save Naoobn i f we 5l.art manufacturing cassavabased bread. In !!o 10 alone, Nigeria impofled wheat worth more than N636hll. rice worth n Ofe than N356hn and retwed sugar worth more t bal N217bo -Apart froln saVing the Fweral GO\'erumenl N300bD, if "~ l egin to eat bread made ofca is] Va()our. it will creat£ Oll re jobs for fanne~ the nallufacturing
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sector and also save our foreign exchange.. E\'ell I:n\nsporters and the whole VlI.lue chain will benefiL ~ Orhii said the agency would encourage manufacturers to use 20 per cent conlent of cassava
flour for most bakery products. He said, "To decrease our dependence on whel.ll imports, and encourage the use of ~.ssava for bread making. companies should key into the casS3Vl1.
revolution initiative like the Vii A fortification .· Also, Ihe Managing Din:clor, tITC Nigeria Ph.:, Mrs. Folunsho OJaniyan, said the country had encounlered 5e1o-e.ral setbacks.
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she said Howe,.. er, after 92 trials and other challenges, the company was able to achieve the commercial production of the cassa~1I·based bread in February. Olaniyan also said that
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HEhdeUl(O\'ernmenl has Wlthl! raWll its ill the invoh-ement distributioll of el tilise.r w order to cha k t Ie lopsided paltem of ~ up )1:1 of the product to the e' ld users. This dbcloiure was Ii aelan 0 11 made III Thursday 1)) the National Coominator Channel Dc<.-e.lopment. Tak Agro and Chemical! Umited, Gideon Negl'du He stated .his while addressing iournalists after a traIllwg crganised for agro-al1ied products dealers in Ibndm, 0)'0 State. Negedu said b<oJore the deciSIon o f LJ e Federal Go\-e.rnment to hands off the distnbution less than 1I per cent of th{' furmers in the COWIlr)' Ilelldited from the scheme.. H·owe.ver. he said thai with tht' tmnsfer of the distribution to private coocetn:·. about 9~ per cent oflhe fimllers no\, benefited.. He explain!:'.! that the decision of the ~ovemme.nt to allow the tlli:tributioo of the colllmodlt)' to pass through the private sector
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Macleans to raise awareness on oral hygiene ACLEANS M..iIk Tee..UI has eondOOed plans to host a three-day fUnpacked outing for children and mothers during the Ollldn!n's Day to sensitise them on the need for proper oml hygiene.. It said the e\~t 'hVllld be used to a-eate awareness th:I.t children Ila'd the right land d toothpaste for- their milk
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In a statement on Thur.day, the Senior Brand Manager eX Madeans, Mr. Emcka Ucbeuna. said thai the eYelt would be a t\\oU-in-one package to educate mothers 011 properly managing their dtikIren's delicate milk teeth and also 10 ghoe the children a fun experience they would not
·L-R: Managing Director, Agriprojects Concept International, Dr. fila Lakorok; Regional Director, Ajrir;:r.1II Food Secun'ry Vestergaard Frandsen, Mr. Thomas Ilall$#!n ; and Regianalltrea Manager, Vestergaard Frandsen Nigeria, Mr. boac Ayobami, during the official uIII.reiling a/7.eroj/" l.iuestocJc ill Abuja•.•on Thursday. Photo: Sam Adelro.
FG hands off fertiliser distribution Akinwale Ab •• Iuwad e. Iha dan
lITe had successfully replaced wheat flour not just in bread but in doughnuts, cakes and other pastries.
was part of the agricultural reformation agenda of President Goodluck J lJ nathan He said . -It is the d e\'elopmelll thai informed the training lilled 'Fertiliser knowledge and handling for increased cr'lp prodUctio n" fo r the fl>r1iliser dealers. Our company is one o f the
major ferti liser producers in the enunlr)' and we are ensuring that the needs of the farmers , who are the final consumers are mel.~ Negedu recalled thai Ihe- fornler S\'Stem of distrilmliOI1 in which only few fanners in the country had access to fertm:zer did not au~ur well for agriculture.. He said. ·Since
the Federal Government left the procurement and distribution of fertiliser, we are now left to market our products. ·We are now conscious of the need to get our products to the common man; we are. concerned about howlo bring fertiliser closer 10 the ramlers. To achieve tltis, we are setting
up 12 depots across the country: Negedu adVised the participants to give the right information 10 farmers 00 the proper use of fertiliser He said, ·Always use recommended dosage as too little will not beeffecth-e. and too much will affect productio n adve rsely."
30 foreign firms to invest in Ogun Segun Olalwui , Abeokuta
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fewer than 30 foreign inVl5tors ha\'e indicated interest to invest in Ogun State. TIle state Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Bimbo Ashiru, disclosed this In Aheokuta on \\iednesday during a ministerial briefing organised to mark the rlrSt anniversary of Ibikunle Amosun-Ied administration. "As a fallout of the forum, a total number nf 30 genuine in\'e.sting companies ba\'e expressed ' nterest in committing l'tSCUn:e5 to invesl in Ogun State." The commissioner said
that about 400 companies aClually indicated interest to invest in the state. but she said · the state pencilled in 30 genuine investors." He listed the areas of investment to include the establishment of II world class shopping mall, steel manufacturing, cement manufacturing and agriculture and food Processing. Ashiru, ....·00 declined to reveal the identity of the companies, however, assured that the ill\-estors were reputable.. To further boosl industrial d~lopmellt in Ule state, Ule commissioner said the gO\-crnmenl had already approved the eslablislunent of
t .....o industrial parks to complement the existing one in the state. He also disclosed that a Memorandum of Understanding had already been signed with the Bank of Industry and Access Bank to enable the state provide the necessary infrastructure at Ihe parks through PublicPrivate Partnership arrangemelll. Ashim stressed that while promoting large scale investmelllS, small and medium scale businesses would not be neglected.. '1t is also our concun that ~-e implement policies and programmes that will promote the growth of smnll 81ld medium scale enterprises, thereby
encouraging indigenous entrepreneurship." the commissioner said. He rea.lled that the state had entered inlo a Nlbn counterpart funding with Ule HOI to put in place n lo.'tn scheme for small and medium scale business entrepreneurs. The Commissi"ller who said that 127 individuals from 13 1.:0 -0perative societies had benefited from the gesture, explained tlJatlheventurewasopen 10 artisans like bloclt makers, saw millers and furnilure makers. tie assured that the government wascommiued 10 providing conducive business atmosphere to facilitate industrial gro ....-th in the state..
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... UChCllll3 explained further that because chiIdren's milk teeth are de.lic:ale, MacIeans Milk Teeth toothpaste ......is specially formulalbi for caring for them from the time they cut their \U)' first tooth till age six. (-Ie sUd. "\\'e are embarking on this project primarily to cn!ate awareness that children's toothpastf' needs a~ different fmm adulls' because we realised thai most parenls are nol aware of this. n~ Madeans Milk Teeth Olildren's Day cdebration IS a I....u-m-one package to educate molher.> whiJe giving thedtiklren a fun eKperience the.y\\iJl not forget inahuny. -rh~ ....ill be games for the children to play and gifts to be won and a chance to see Ule Macleans Milk Teeth fairy land. Most imporlllntly, the children will have a dl3nCe 10 experience a fun visit to the Paedotontist - tile dentist who specialises in managing the dental needs of children. ~Macleans Milk Teeth is specially fonnulated for caring for childn:n from the time they cut their \'t':r)' first tooth Illl age .six. We ~ looking ~;ml to connecting and inleracting with at 1east 2.,000 dliklren. II is free but "'eI}' bcneftcial to both du1dren and their paf'ellls. We encourage pan!'llts to bnng their dilldren around for the relebration: