To curb the challenges of vitamin A deficiency in Nigeria, the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and SANO Foods are advocating for Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OSFP) flour and puree to be a substitute for wheat in confectioneries and bread.
Both organizations stated that the adoption of biofortified crops like maize, cassava, and potato with their byproducts is less expensive, locally available, and widely accepted.
According to both organizations, adopting the crops as a wheat substitute will help Nigeria save foreign exchange that would have been expended on the importation of wheat, as Nigeria doesn’t have a comparative advantage in grain production.
Between 2011 and 2015, there was a huge investment in the production of high-quality cassava with prominent producers in the confectionery industry subscribing to the policy either through outsourcing or backward integration of cassava flour production from emerging producers.
Cassava breeders, agricultural entrepreneurs, and Agronomists have called on the Federal Government to review its import substitution policy that advocates for adding 20 % of cassava flours in wheat flour.
Agricultural scientists say Nigeria’s cassava yearly production is unstable which is between 50 and 60 million metric tonnes.
Both companies further stated that this will drive the local production, processing, and enhancement of livelihoods of farmers who cultivate the Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato and other bio-fortified crops.
The acting general manager of SANO Foods, Solomon Ojeleye, at a program aimed at solving Vitamin deficiency in Nigeria, says “Nigerians have easy access to organic, healthy, and nutritional products to reverse widespread malnutrition as inflation bites harder and conventional vitamin-fortified foods become too expensive for most Nigerians.”
He added “SANO Foods has invested so much in research and development to get the new products available and affordable. Bakers nationwide can now use the OFSP puree and flour as a substitute for wheat flour to ensure consumers have access to healthy bread.”
At the program, IITA under the Basic II initiative presented the new improved varieties of cassava species that will provide farmers higher yield and better nutritional value for consumers.
In the keynote address of Kenton Dashiell, deputy director-general – partnerships for delivery, IITA, he stressed the importance of cassava to Nigeria’s economy and emphasized the need for farmers to adopt the new varieties.
The development was an association with SANO Foods Limited – an Abeokuta-based agricultural value chain player, which was attended by key players in the food and agro-allied industry.
At the event, some selected value chain products of the bio-fortified crops were on display, including OFSP garri (garri with Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato), lemongrass juice, OFSP bread varieties (bread with Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato), turmeric garri (garri mixed with turmeric), varieties tea, lemongrass juice, and several other products.
Other critical players at the event were Professor Lateef Sanni, project manager, BASICS II, IITA; Alfred Dixon, director -development &delivery, IITA; Paul Ilona, managing director, Harvest Plus; Michael Abberton, director, West Africa Hub, IITA; and Sola Olunowo, managing director, Agro Park among others.
