By Chika IzuoraEfforts of government to improve cassava yield through cassava bread making is still at its lowest ebb, even when its promoter, the Federal Institute Of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Lagos claims to have achieved 20 inclusion.
Efforts by the federal government to reduce wheat flour in bread dates back to the 1960s.
The whole idea was to improve on agro-output to make Nigeria self-reliant in production of certain staple food crops and subsequently save huge foreign exchange (FOREX) committed to flour importation.
The advocacy heightened in 2004 when former President Olusegun Obasanjo visited the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Lagos.
The visit prompted government to initiate a policy towards achieving 10 per cent cassava inclusion in a short term; 20 per cent in the medium term and ultimately 40 per cent.
The ongoing cassava bread campaign aims at achieving 20 per cent cassava flour inclusion in bread which is also considered healthier for consumption.
So far, FIIRO has complemented the efforts of the federal government on the cassava bread project which the institute claims, if fully developed, has the capacity to generate over three million jobs to reduce the rate of unemployment in Nigeria.
FIIRO explained that due to economic factors that have made it impossible for the common man to have convenient food on his table at the right time. In terms of price, quality and quantity, bread has remained the only staple food affordable to Nigerians.
The director general of the agency, Mrs Grace Elemo, said that before the evolution of the cassava-inclusion-initiative, bread was 100 per cent produced from wheat flour and as such, huge amount of hard-earned foreign exchange is used every year for its importation.
The DG said, importation of wheat/ wheat flour for bread making and other confectioneries costs the nation a whopping sum of N635 billion annually.
Elemo pointed out that with the cassava bread initiative, especially the production of composite bread in commercial quantity, local farmers would have opportunities to experience high returns.
But in a bid to redress the country's undue dependence on 100 per cent wheat flour for bread-making and other confectioneries, the federal government came up with the policy of gradually increasing the substitution of high grade cassava flour from 10 per cent to 40 per cent
Prior to the introduction of this policy, FIIRO has not only perfected the technology of 10 per cent high quality cassava flour (HQCF) inclusion in wheat flour but also transferred the technology to numerous flour millers and bakers in the country.
FIIRO has also gone further to introduce baking laboratory where it produces composite (cassava/wheat) bread which it sells to staff on a daily basis, as a demonstration of the technical feasibility and economic viability of the technology.
The composite bread produced is adjudged by all those who eat them to be of very high quality and in tandem with the institute's sensory evaluation reports on cassava bread consumption
In addition to baking bread with the 10 and 20 per cent composite cassava, FIIRO has also successfully baked various acceptable confectioneries with over 20 per cent cassava flour inclusion in wheat flour.
Current Efforts
The head, baking and milling division of FIIRO, Mrs Osibanjo Adetokumbo, told our correspondent that the institute has made concerted efforts to mobilise bakers and millers to embrace the initiative.
Adetokumbe confirmed that the current effort has yielded results and confirmed that 20 per cent inclusion has been achieved.
According to her, the cassava flour is available, the technology is available; it is it is workable and profitable; the bakers are ready, they are not putting up opposition and we have gone across the country training bakers and it is very positive.
She further stated, "We have achieved 20 in FIIRO and our bread was personally launched by the minister of agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, here in FIIRO this year. It contains 20 per cent of cassava and we bake it on a daily basis.
She however said, initially, the millers were reluctant but gradually they have begun to mobilise themselves after seeing the benefits and from a mere five per cent, they have moved to 20 per cent.
Among major millers in the country, Honeywell has achieved a mixture of both wheat and cassava flour in their production.
Challenges
Adetokumbo observed seeming apathy on the part of bakers. According to her, like in every clime, change is usually resisted except when people begin to feel the impact.
Apart from the challenge the little resistance from master bakers, availability of the product is also a serious issue.
She said that some of the bakers who have been convinced and 'converted' often complain of scarcity of the product.
She however said that the challenge would be surmounted as such is usually the case with a new initiative. She added that if demand is high, farmers would be persuaded to grow more.
She advocated enactment of a law to support the policy and in that case, all stakeholders will be compelled to be part of the exercise.
She also said that with the intervention fund of the government to boost the medium, small and micro enterprises, the Bank of Industry would be on hand to give loan to farmers at single-digit interest.
She stated that trained bakers are still reluctant to include cassava in baking bread and the institute cannot ascertain the extent of compliance except it is commissioned by government to evaluate the extent of compliance.
Also, a bill to legislate on the cassava bread has suffered a set-back in the House of Representatives when FIIRO first took the initiative.
For the Senate committee on science and technology, nothing much is known about the initiative.
According to Senator Chris Ngige who is a member of the committee that recently visited the institute, the marketing strategies of FIIRO are weak and there seems to be lack of interface with the committee.
"This is a very wonderful initiative but I can say that the committee is not aware of any presentation about this initiative in the Senate and as such, was not in any position to provide any support," Ngige said.
He said the media strategy of the institute is very ineffective and as such, the drive was not getting the desired result.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Robert Ajayi Borofice, who led his committee to the agency recently, requested that FIIRO should forward to the committee, a comprehensive report, outlining research on the cassava flour as well as the economic and health benefits to enable it take a position that would facilitate its adoption.
Bakers' Challenges
Some bakers who spoke about the initiative confirmed it is smart and an improvement on local content.
A baker and chief operating officer of APOTEC, Mr Tunde Esho, said his company started with five per cent inclusion of cassava flour and later moved to 10 per cent and subsequently 20 per cent.
Esho however said the company had to revert to 10 per cent because of the commercial purpose of the bread.
"We have to make sure the shelf-life is longer; one has to be very careful about the shelf-life to avoid wastage and loss," he said.
He explained that cassava flour does not give the same shelf-value like wheat flour. In other words, cassava content shortens the nutritional value of the bread.
"Our bread lasts for 10-12 days but with high cassava usage, it will come down to about 8 days," he said.
Speaking on their experience, Mr Adeko Adeyinka of Kings College Royal Loaf said, "we produce bread for our students to eat and also train them to be entrepreneurs in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). By the time they finish, they will not need to look for work; they can establish something on their own."
Adeyinka also said the bakery is complying with government's policy on cassava inclusion.
"We started with five per cent. Our bread's shelf-life is as long as 10 days and people are really patronising us and they like our bread," he affirmed.
Meanwhile, most confectionery outlets visited in Lagos have faint knowledge of the cassava bread initiative. One Mr Ede who operates a local bakery in Ikeja admitted knowledge of the initiative but claimed the cassava flour cannot be accessed in the market.
"I don't use it because I don't know where to get it from and nobody has come here to ask for it," he said.
Another baker, Mr Ifeanyi, who owns the Bread Winner Bakery Surulere, said cassava bread is not popular and customers have not complained about the wheat-flour bread.
"Except we have it in the market, there is no way I can use it and my customers prefer what I do at present he said.
Consumers Reactions
Results from field survey on the consumption and awareness of the cassava bread among consumers is very insignificant. Most respondents our correspondent asked were partially ignorant of the existence of the bread.
Mr Kayode Iyalla is the state programme officer (SPO) of the State Accountability and Voice Initiative (SAVI), a DFID-funded programme in Nigeria.
He said, "I can't say if I have eaten the bread before. I don't know how it tastes and even whether I have taken it unknowingly, I don't know. However, I remember the president demonstrated something like that on the television sometime ago but there is no much awareness about that. I have not specifically asked for it anyway because I don't know its nutritional value."
Barr Vincent Ehi in his response said he tasted "bean cake" mixed with cassava flour but it was very strong and upon enquiry, it was confirmed that cassava was used. So, I didn't like it and will not buy it".
The coordinator of Lagos Civil Society Partnership (which promotes good governance in the South West), Barr Ayo Adebusoye, said he has not deliberately bought the bread.
"I have heard about the policy but I don't know whether it is pursued or not. No one has approached me to say this is cassava bread," he said.
On her part, Ms Titi Akosa responded that she is aware of its existence as she has heard of it but alleged that the campaign for its adoption is weak.
Health Fears
Dismissing concerns raised by some people on its possible health challenges, the DG of FIIRO, Elemo allayed the fears of Nigerians concerning the health implications of consuming cassava bread.
She explained that cassava bread is safe for consumption and does not cause or aggravate diabetes as indicated by Glycemic Indices study carried out on 10 and 20 per cent cassava bread at FIIRO.
She said, in consideration of Nigeria's status as the largest producer of cassava in the whole world, the inherent advantages and health benefits of cassava in flour for bread-making and other confectioneries, Nigerians owe it to themselves and posterity to embrace this policy, which can effectively unleash Nigeria's dependence on imported wheat/ wheat flour, create job opportunities and propel the country's drive to employ cassava for industrialisation.
Opportunities
Elemo informed the committee that FIIRO projects three million jobs could be created from cassava bread production
She projected that the use of cassava flour for the production of bread would create the jobs within three years if enabling environment for the implementation of cassava inclusion in bread-making is provided.
By her estimation an average of 25 bakeries will be established by entrepreneurs per local government area in Nigeria over a period of three years.
She said, cassava bread has high potential for job creation through processors and producers of high quality cassava flour, farmers, suppliers, bakers and researchers.
Similarly, many will take advantage of the new regime of incentives for bakers and processors on bakery equipment and reduced tariff on all equipment for processing of high quality cassava flour and flour blending.
She stressed that this implies that the cassava bread policy could lead to establishment of about 19,350 additional bakeries in all the 774 local government areas within the next three years.
With an average employment of seven workers per bakery, this implies that about 135,450 jobs can be created in these bakeries within the next three years, Elemo estimated.
Also, considering the multiplier effect on the downstream industries, the cassava bread policy, if properly implemented, has the capacity to generate about three million jobs in three years, she maintained
The director general said that cassava was being cultivated in Nigeria mostly by peasant farmers with average land holding of less than two hectares.
She stated that if an average land holding of two hectares was cultivated per farmer with an average national yield per hectare of 10.6 tons, then farmers could have an average output of 21.2 tons per annum.