Still waiting for cassava bread?

"Except at government functions, I have never
come across cassava bread anywhere on the
shelves of most sales outlets in the city where
bread is sold, so where and how do we get
cassava bread?" were the words of a media
colleague at a forum to appraise the cassava
bread initiative.
The same question will probably agitate the
minds of many who have become accustomed
to television or print images of the Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr
Akinwunmi Adeshina as he promotes the
cassava bread initiative at every public function
on cassava he attends.
Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo initiated
the cassava bread idea to promote the cassava
value-chain by creating demands for its
consumables. Obasanjo approved and pursued
the policy of 10 per cent cassava flour inclusion in
bread baking. The effort couldn't achieve the
desired result, forcing the federal government to
slash the percentage by half and eventually
jettisoning the entire policy.
But the policy made an audacious return with Dr
Adesina canvassing for a 40 per cent input by
2015, an expectation many close observers
considered too ambitious. The minister hopes to
cut the country's annual spending of about N625
billion on importing wheat by 30 per cent, which
will save some N200 billion annually in foreign
exchange.
Although the initiative has attained a 20 percent
input, a lot of ground still needs to be covered.
One of the reasons advanced in failing to capture
the remaining 10 per cent was shortage of flour
supply, though the country is the world's largest
producer of cassava, producing 34 million tonnes
annually.
The National Association of Nigerian Traders
(NANTS) recently conducted a survey to measure
the level of awareness of the policy among
beneficiaries, as well as bring the implementation
process to public consciousness with the aim of
correcting misapplication and ensuring continued
effectiveness
NANTS president, Ken Ukaoha, disclosed that
although the report showed a 94 per cent interest
among Nigerians interviewed, cassava bread
production level to date remains insignificant and
is domiciled largely among corporate bakers.
Mrs Toyin Adetunji, Technical Adviser to the
Minister of Agriculture on Cassava Value-Chain,
explained in her response to the survey, "We
have our teething challenges no doubt, but we
are creating market opportunities so that those
who can produce will come on board. We have
created a Cassava Fund of N2.4 billion and are
supporting 30,000 farmers to meet the demand
for high quality cassava flour (HQCF). We are also
upgrading the capacity of 35 small and medium
scale enterprises by providing for them a facility
that is 50 per cent grant and 50 per cent loan
with a single digit interest rate."
Nigeria