Building the cassava bread value chain

Recent research shows that inclusion of up to 40 percent cassava flour in wheat for bread and confectioneries is not only safe but also improves the nutritional quality of bread by reducing the glycemic index, the factor responsible for diabetes. Yet Nigeria, which ranks as the number one producer of cassava in the world with over 40 million metric tonnes per annum, remains the world’s highest importer of wheat, a major component of bread consumed in the country, spending a massive N635 billion annually on imports of the product, according to statistics.

It was in a bid to change this ugly narrative that President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012 launched the composite flour cassava bread and made a bold statement that Nigeria would secure the livelihoods of local farmers by partially substituting imported wheat with cassava. That announcement was received with mixed feelings by die-hard sceptics.

The recent launch of the first commercial 10 percent composite cassava/wheat flour product, from Flour Mills of Nigeria and Honeywell, has, however, proved those sceptics wrong as it has signalled the fulfilment of the president’s vision.

At the event, which held in Abuja, Akinwumi Adesina, minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, also commissioned some equipment that will enable local bakers to raise the bar of inclusion to 20 percent and beyond as well as achieve the same high quality bread when using composite flour. Analysts say this will certainly expand the list of bakers who can produce cassava bread.

“With today’s momentous events, the landscape of cassava in Nigeria has been changed forever. No more will cassava be seen as a subsistence crop for household and village-level processing. Cassava has now become the raw material of choice for the burgeoning bread flour, sweetener, starch, and ethanol markets. With these strong growth markets, the teeming millions of our cassava farmers will have a market that will stabilise prices and provide strong incentives to invest in inputs and global best practices to increase their productivity and secure their livelihoods,” Adesina said at the launch.

This is indeed good news for Nigeria as the multiplier effect for farmers, processors into high quality cassava flour (HQCF), master bakers, the financial system, and the economy at large cannot be overstressed. As Sonny Echono, permanent secretary of the ministry, said, actualisation of 20 percent high quality cassava flour in wheat for bread and confectioneries would save the country about N127 billion annually, about 1.3 million jobs would be created, rural agro-industry would be developed through processing activities, cassava farmers’ livelihood would be highly improved, and the economy would surely be the better for it.

It is on this note that we commend President Jonathan whose commitment to the Cassava Bread Initiative ignited this positive fire. Following the pronouncement in 2012, the president approved the Cassava Bread Fund to support farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises, including master bakers and processors along the cassava bread value chain.

We also commend the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for following up with several interventions to build the cassava bread value chain. Only in September, the ministry reportedly secured the Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) approval for six medium-sized HQCF mills that will add 108,000MT to national HQCF production. These mills represent the first six of 15 mills that are expected to be built over the next 24 months, raising HQCF production to over 200,000MT/annum as well as providing sufficient HQCF to achieve 10 percent cassava flour inclusion by all wheat millers in the country. In addition, the ministry has upgraded 35 small mills from less than 1MT/day HQCF production to 3MT/day with support from the Cassava Bread Fund.

The ministry has also trained over 1,000 bakers on production of cassava bread, and continues to train another 4,000 bakers, according to available information. To make the cassava bread even cheaper, the ministry also embarked on a major effort to raise the production of cassava through the establishment of large mechanised cassava farms, thereby bringing mechanised cassava production closer to the locations of the cassava processors. Similarly, at least 10 new large-scale factories – two for starch, two for sweeteners, three for ethanol, and three for dried chips – are being planned for commissioning in 2015.

These initiatives are indeed laudable, and we encourage the Ministry of Agriculture and all those concerned to ensure that they are sustained. The ministry especially must push through with the development of the proposed composite flour policy, which seeks the use of 10 percent cassava or sorghum flour in all bread produced in Nigeria by December 2016, as this would further encourage and support the HQCF processors, flour millers, and master and industrial bakers.

Furthermore, we salute the patriotism, courage and enterprising spirit of flour millers, especially Flour Mills and Honeywell, as well as bakers who have taken the lead in this march to industrialisation of cassava, as we urge those who have not to key in. We are gladdened to hear that currently, over 32 industrial and small bakeries, including major supermarkets such as Shoprite, Park ‘n’ Shop, Zuma, Sweet Sensation, and several others are baking and selling hot and tasty cassava bread.

From what has been achieved so far, we are not in any doubt that with the right structures in place, and by pulling the right strings, Nigeria can indeed become the world’s largest producer and processor of cassava.