Keying into Cassava Production as Solution to Nigeria’s Economic Woes

Keying into Cassava Production as Solution to Nigeria’s Economic Woes

 Cassava remains one of the most popular staples in Nigeria and has several uses which if properly keyed into can become the solution to the nation’s economic woes says the Cassava Growers, Association Ruth Tene Natsa writes on the many uses and benefits to cassava as propounded by the NCGA

For Mbonu Emeka a businessman who eats garri on a daily basis“ eating garri or eba is a must for me every day. I take it in the morning and it keeps me going for the whole day. Any day I do not eat garri, it is as if something is missing, in fact it is not possible for me not to eat garri because it is a compulsory meal for me”

On the other hand, Alhamdu Bege is a northern trader who does not like eba but soaks garri on a daily basis. In his words “I am a bachelor and cannot make soup every day, but I love garri and it saves me from the stress of looking for food. So I buy for N50, buy groundnuts and I am good to go”

The love for garri is not restricted to the men as Mrs Ogbona says garri is easy to prepare and saves one the stress of cooking all the time. “Besides it is affordable, so I make my pot of soup once a week and with garri I can serve any one without feeling embarrassed”

Such are the many benefits of garri as experts in the staple have said “If garri had been discovered in the West, it could have been a world class food in the class of Rice and Bread”.

Sadly the 2013 annual report from the Ministry of agriculture and rural development has revealed that Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world, with a total production of 36.8 million MT in 2009 and yet contributes close to zero percent in terms of global value added for trade in cassava based product.

Meanwhile the National President Cassava Growers Association(NCGA) Pastor Segun Adewumi,has said “this ought not to be as the staple if well utilised can generate as much as N 10 trillion Naira annually, guarantee food security, full employment, generate electricity and sustain the Nigeria economy with Ten (10) trillion naira annual income”

According to him “Cassava can be used to generate power” and solve the challenges of power generation that had long befuddled the nation.

“most Cassava Processing Industries especially in Brazil generate electricity for themselves and their immediate neighboring communities which is to say Cassava Industrial Revolution can also solve our challenges in Electricity” he said Recalling the High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) programme by the previous administration, the Cassava grower said the programme was expected to be financed from the 15% increase in the import duty of white wheat flour. It is expected that a substantial amount in billions of Naira must have accrued into the fund.

“We believe that if part of this amount was used to establish a 500,000Ha modern cassava farm that can deliver 40MT per Hectare we would have had 20 million MT of Cassava Roots for HQCF Programme”.

The implication of the above is that only half of the fund generated from the 15% extra import charges on white wheat in the past four years was enough to provide 5 million MT of HQCF yearly.The volume of HQCF required to add 40% is only 2,336,000MT. We can as well export the excess which is 2,664,000MT to the neighboring Countries. The fund also has the capacity to finance enough Processing Factories that will Mill the Cassava to HQCF.

What the above means is that if the plan of those that initiated the programme had worked, we would have been able to achieve 40% inclusion of Cassava flour in bread and exported the excess 60% to the neighbouring African countries. But unfortunately, we have not met even 1% inclusion as at today

Annalysing the income generated from the programme, he said “15% of 650billion Naira for four years is about 390 billion. All that we need to achieve 40% HQCF inclusion and 60% HQCF export as stated in the above analysis is less than 200 billion Naira of the 390 billion Naira believed to have been generated from the fund”

If the cassava development program is driven by Agency, Board or Commission with majority of its membership drawn from Captain of industries, Financial experts and Reputable Nigerians from the Private sector the result would definitely have been different.

“Cassava is that wonderful crop that can be cultivated in all parts of

Nigeria as it has a high level of resistance to harsh weather, can grow with rain but can also survive with dews adding that over 20 local food types are derived from Cassava including Lafun, Fufu, Tapioka, Eba, Starch, Pupuru, Gari and others. Gari is the most popular Cassava local food products. Gari is an instant food that can be eaten dry as it is. It can be soaked into water and eaten.

The Cassava grower noted that Cassava could be made inviting and coloured yellow and has a compelling aroma that creates appetite even when the eater is full. Adding that “Garri can be preserved and will remain fresh for over four years”.

He added that “cassava also has commercial value with its content of some major Industrial Products among which are Ethanol, Industrial Starch, Cassava Flour, Glucose Syrup, Sweetners among others Pastor Segun added that the products are also raw materials to numerous Industrial items with limitless domestic and export market potentials which means Cassava can trigger massive Industrial Revolution in Nigeria to the extent that every Nigerian Village will have viable Cassava Industries.

According to him “if from the over 84 million hectares arable land available in Nigeria, 5million is devoted to the production of Industrial Cassava and if we are able to reap 40 MT of Cassava from an hectare of farmland, it implies that we shall have 200,000,000 MT per year”

The above 200 million MT of raw Cassava can be milled into 50 million MT of industrial starch. At present, Industrial Starch sells for over N200,000 per ton which means we can generate 10 trillion Naira yearly from Cassava.

He added that “Our cassava trade with China can fetch us over 5 trillion Naira yearly and that is enough to fully employ millions of Nigerian Job seekers as skilled and unskilled labour”.

He said for Cassava prosperity to happen, there has to be two cassava programs to include “Cassava for food security and Cassava for Industrial uses”

This according to him.is because the cassava that we cultivate now across Nigeria cannot be used for Industrial purpose if we consider the yield per hectare, the Starch content, transportation cost to the mill after harvesting, among other constraints. Cassava Industrial Processing mills that will use 400MT of Cassava daily cannot depend on the small holder peasant farmers’ cassava, for adequate, regular, affordable and all year round supply of her cassava”.