Nike Akande, others recommend cassava industrialisation as the way forward
By Olayinka Ajayi
Adequate industrialisation of the cassava is the only way the country can fully benefit from the commodity as the largest producer in the world, experts and actors in the cassava value chain in Nigeria have suggested.
The webinar, organised by NEPAD Business Group Nigeria, NBGN, with the theme, “Enhancing the Cassava Value Chain as Nigeria Seeks Alternative to Oil Revenue,” featured five papers presented by stakeholders in the cassava value chain in Nigeria.
More specifically, the presenters are Dr Nike Akande, NBGN Chairman; Dr Richardson Okechukwu from International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); Mrs Yemisi Iranloye, MD, Psaltry International Ltd.; Mr Kayode Pitan, MD/CEO, Bank of Industry Ltd. (BOI); Dr Agnes Yemisi Asagbra, Ag. DG, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) and Prof Lateef Sanni from FUNAAB.
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The speakers reaffirmed that for Nigeria to fully reap the rewards of being world’s largest producer of cassava, it must embark on aggressive and adequate industrialisation of the product.
The stakeholders noted that necessary value addition to the crop will not only bring about the desired jobs and wealth but foreign earning to compliment dwindling revenue from oil.
Other take-aways from the webinar with respect to communiqué and recommendations include the following: “Cassava, apart from being consumed locally, serves as important raw materials to processing companies with different derivatives.”
“Nigeria still remains the largest producer of cassava with 59 million tonnes (20.4% world’s share) per annum. The cassava value chain in Nigeria is largely weak, highly fragmented and dominated by very small scale payers.”
The post Nike Akande, others recommend cassava industrialisation as the way forward appeared first on Vanguard News.
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