The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development (FMARD) has inaugurated a 16-man Oversight Committee on Cassava
Bread Fund, following an earlier presidential approval for the fund.
At the inaugural meeting, held at the
ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, met with representatives of Master Bakers’
Association of Nigeria, Cassava Growers’ Association of Nigeria, National
Cassava Processors and Millers Association of Nigeria, Dutch Agricultural
Development and Trading Company (DADTCO), Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture,
C:AVA, Budget Office of the Federation and officials of the ministry.
NaijaAgroNet
gathered that in his remarks, Dr. Adesina noted that the approval of the fund
will reduce the huge expenses incurred by the federal government on importation
of wheat, estimated at N635 billion annually. He stressed that research by Lake
Chad Research Institute has resulted in the release of three tropical high-yielding
wheat varieties with yield record of 5.0 to 6.2 tons per hectare.
The minister, stressed the need to be
transparent and accountable in judicious use of the fund by the committee,
which had the tasks of building robust fresh roots supply chains for cassava
processing plants; supporting large/medium High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF)
mills, SMEs producing HQCF and masters bakers on 20 per cent HQCF cassava bread
production; social marketing of 20 per cent cassavas bread and pre-emptive
measures against cassava brown streak disease.
At the meeting, it was decided that a
total of 5,000 bakers will be trained and supported at six bakers per local
government area across the 774 LGAs.
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