LAGOS – Mr Jacob Adejorin, Chairman, Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter, on Tuesday expressed worry over the scarcity of quality cassava flour in Lagos.
Adejorin told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that scarcity of the product could frustrate the Federal Government’s 20 per cent cassava flour inclusion in bread making.
He urged the Federal Government to invest more in the cassava value chain if the country must achieve the target by 2015.
“Bakers travel as far as Oyo and Ogun states to get good quality cassava flours. [eap_ad_2] “The Lagos State Government also needs to invest more on its cassava farmers if we don’t want our aspirations for eating cassava bread to be a mere paper work.
“When I mean cassava flour, I don’t mean the ones you use in making garri or fufu, but high quality one, just as the name implies.
“The cassava flour that the shelf life would be long without growing mould.
“So the things to put into consideration are especially the quality of cassava tubers themselves, harvesting, processing and packaging.
“All these are capital intensive and that’s why we want to call the attention of the government to it now,” he said.
He lauded the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi and the various flour mills for offering master bakers trainings on cassava bread making.
NAN reports that a research carried out amongst bakers in 2014 revealed that Nigeria would need cassava flour worth N16 billion annually to achieve the 20 per cent inclusion.
The worth of the cassava bread needed to meet the target is put at 550 million loaves annually.
The Federal Government in 2012 officially launched the cassava bread initiative.
The government said that by 2015 it would be illegal for bakers to bake bread without including 20 per cent cassava flour.
Although the bill legalising this is yet be sign into law, trainings have been held for bakers all over the country in preparation for the initiative. (NAN)[eap_ad_3]
