Nigeria to save US$ 2.1 billion, using cassava flour for bread - Nigeria's Agriculture Minister Akinwumi Adeshina, said if bakers adopt 50 per cent cassava flour inclusion in bread bakery, the country, which is the world's largest producer of cassava, would save more than 315 billion naira (about US$ 2.1 billion) annually.

A statement from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan, South West Nigeria, made available to PANA here Thursday, quoted Dr. Adeshina as expressing optimism that the country, apart from conserving foreign exchange from the polity, would also create more jobs in the sector by embracing the use of cassava flour for bread as against the use of wheat.

“The spending on food imports is unacceptable,” the minister was quoted as saying during the launching of the Cassava Transformation Agenda at the IITA.

Currently, Nigeria imports wheat, worth 635 billion naira annually, hurting its foreign exchange earnings and worsening the rate of unemployment. The inclusion of cassava flour in bread is expected to cut the importation of wheat by half.

“Apart from Nigeria saving 315 billion naira, it will also create jobs and encourage farmers to produce more,” Adeshina added.

The loaves of bread baked by researchers from IITA were presented to the Nigerian Federal Executive Council on Wednesday and the cassava bread is also patronized by staff and visitors to the institute.

According to the statement, a recent survey recorded positive perception on the product.

Rich in carbohydrates, cassava is a staple to more than 600 million people in the developing world.

Under the new transformation agenda, Nigeria plans to double its current cassava production from 37 million tons. The critical areas the government is focusing on are value addition to make production demand-driven and the improvement of yield among others.

In 2002, Nigeria adopted a policy compelling flour millers to implement 10 per cent cassava flour into wheat flour.

However, nothing concrete has come out of it, as most flour millers and bakers are yet to key into the new policy.

However, one good thing about the policy backed by improved varieties from IITA, is that it raised cassava production by 10 million tons between 2002 and 2008, making the country the largest producer of cassava.