LAGOS (SUNDIATA POST)- The Country Lead, United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC), Mr Foluso Alabi, on Wednesday said malnutrition and hunger should be tackled through the usage of soybean.
Alabi made this known during the Nigeria Soybean Stakeholders’ Coalition (NSSC) meeting held at the Marriott Hotel in Lagos.
He said that Nigeria’s potential had not been fulfilled, adding that the coalition would make that possible by ensuring good nutrition.
“What we are doing today is a call to action. We have this strong belief in USSEC that good nutrition must be secured to everyone.
“We see malnourished children everywhere and this is part of why we are here today to put our minds together to be able to address the shortage in supply and have nourished children.
“The coalition is aimed to address some key agenda which will transform the nutritional landscape in Nigeria,” he said.
He believed that soybean would be a game changer that can produce affordable protein for all households in Nigeria.
“Right now we have a lot of calories and carbohydrate that we consume. We want to be able to have children with better brains when they consume protein.
“We also want to have adults that are very much productive than what they are so they can live to their full potential so when we push soybean to the market, we will be able to maximise the benefits of soya which is one of the reasons why the coalition is here today,” he said.
He added that the USSEC would support Nigeria with the coalition to
“In the United States of America, we have seen what soybean is all about which is a source of nutrition and energy.
“We want Nigeria to be able to also get to that level where we don’t only consume the soybean food but get to the industry and energy aspect of it.
“We have fuel in the U.S. that are 30 per cent made of soybean oil but before we get to the industrialisation aspect, we want food to be the first thing we want to address,” he said.
The Chairman, Nigeria Soybean Stakeholders’ Coalition, Mr Joe Dada, during his address, explained the coalition’s agenda stressing that Nigeria had a lot to offer in promoting growth in Africa.
While talking about the agenda of the coalition, Dada said one of the aims was to promote the benefit and value of soybean as a reliable source of nutrition and energy in Nigeria.
“We as a coalition will be focusing on the importance of soybean as we look at the gap between demand and supply.
“No doubt that there is a gap and how do we fill this gap with over 200 million population because we have all gaps that have crippled the various utilisation in the consumption of soybean in our various industries.
“So, our agenda is to try and bridge this gap, to see how to bring about full support in the utilisation of soybean across our various industries,” he said.
He added that with this, the coalition would be talking about job creation to reduce unemployment rate.
“This coalition will help to improve job creation and security which is a laudable mark.
“Protein consumption will also be one of the things the coalition will be looking at. We want to ensure that there is protein security.
“Also, trade policy formulation is part of our agenda because the government cannot do it alone,” he said.
While speaking with journalists, Dada also stressed that the core agenda of the coalition was to promote protein sufficiency, adding that people thought soybean was just for livestock.
“It has over 357 uses. It is good for baby food, confectionery and even adult food. So, we want to promote that knowledge and also facilitate trade.
“What we see over the years was that our soybean cultivation has not been anything to write home about, so we want to put it in the forefront of the agenda for Nigeria.
“This is a baby step which we believe it will grow and quickly so within the next five to 10 years, we will be where we will be,” he said.
He envisaged that soybean would be important in the nation’s food value chain in the next five years.
Earlier, Dr Chinyere Akujobi, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, in her remarks, commended the coalition for the laudable initiative.
Akujobi was represented by Dr Modupe Hambolu, the Deputy Director, Ministry of Livestock Development.
“Nigeria is the second largest African producer of soybean after South Africa.
“This new ministry, tasked with boosting livestock productivity to enhance food security, is working on developing an effective management between herders and farmers,” she said.
While speaking with journalists, Hambolu said that the coalition was in support with the Federal Government’s goal to enhance food security.
“What I want the coalition to do is to create more awareness about soybean because it has a lot of values,” she said.
She added that the ministry would continue to support the coalition’s initiative.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the highlight of the event was the inauguration of the new executive for the coalition.
There was also some lectures on mitigating malnutrition through soybean and egg consumption in Nigeria.
Present at the coalition meeting were captains of industries and top brass in the agriculture and livestock sector.(NAN)
