Wednesday, June 17, 2009

In Sierra Leone, No More Overdependence On Imported Wheat Flour

by Aruna Turay - Jun 16, 2009

In Sierra Leone, the Ministry of Trade and Industry indicates that over 20 million US dollars of wheat flour is imported annually into the country for use in producing bread and confectionary products. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has partnered with USAID to help end that overdependence on the imported food ingredient. Previous research for development activities by IITA in other African countries had demonstrated wheat import substitution by High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) at up to 10% in bread and ... read more ...

Rwanda: Regional Scientists Move to Curb Cassava Pandemic

June 14, 2009
Kigali — Following the emergence of Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, scientists the great lakes region have moved to curb down on the root crop pandemic before it gets out of control. The disease seems to be the latest in a series of crop pandemics that have ... read more...

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Nigeria: Cassava stakeholders ask for subsidy to boost export

Stakeholders in cassava production, utilisation and development yesterday met in Lagos where they charged the Federal Government to provide subsidy and other incentives for the development of the crop as obtains in other countries, if Nigeria is to achieve set revenue targets in cassava production.

At the meeting were representatives of the Flour Millers Association of Nigeria (FMAN), Nigeria Cassava Processors and Marketers Association (CPMA), Cassava Farmers Association (CFA), Association of Small and Medium Scale Industries (NASI), Nigerian Institute of Food, Science and Technology (NIFST), Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation and the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, (FIIRO).

The stakeholders, who met at the premises of FIIRO, also asked the Federal Government to rescind its decision to strike out flour from the Export Prohibition List.

The meeting noted that the delisting last year had opened the floodgate for the importation of all sorts of flour into the country, most of which failed to meet laid down criteria, including the requirement that flour to be used in Nigeria must have 10 per cent cassava content and be fortified with Vitamin A.

According to the stakeholders, the high cost of producing cassava has made it difficult for the country to meet its cassava export capacity and the demand by consuming nations.

A participant who represented FMAN at the meeting, Alhaji Olalekan Saliu, cited the recent case of Chinese firms that wanted some high-quality cassava chips, which demand Nigeria could not meet due to high production cost.

Saliu lamented that the high cost has made Nigerian cassava products non-competitive in the international market.

Director-General, FIIRO, Oluwole Olatunji, said cassava was a magic crop that could yield as much foreign exchange for Nigeria as crude oil if conscious attention was devoted to its production and diversification by government.

According to him, one way government could aid the development of the crop is by elevating its cultivation from subsistence level to commercial farming by making low interest credit available to cassava growers.

Addressing the gathering, Project Manager, Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (CAVA), Prof. Lateef Sani, said while Nigeria was the largest producer of cassava in the world, Thailand remained the world's number one exporter of cassava products.

He therefore, called for concerted efforts among stakeholders and the government to overcome this discrepancy.

Representative, Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation, Mrs. Ijada Mckena, whose organisation is funding CAVA in five African countries including Nigeria, urged the stakeholders to do more to accelerate the realisation of CAVA's objectives.

Mckena renewed the pledge of the Foundation to continue to partner the private sector and other stake-holders in the overall interest of CAVA to ensure that farmers in particular and other investors involved in cassava revolution projects reap commensurate gains.

National President, NIFST and Vice-Chancellor, Bell University of Technology, Prof. Adeyemo Adeyemi, informed the meeting that the Bill on 10 per cent cassava flour inclusion in bread-making had scaled the second reading at the National Assembly.


Source: ngrguardiannews.com

Publication date: 6/9/2009

Friday, June 5, 2009

Cambodia: 1st cassava processing plant to be built

A DRY cassava processing plant is under construction in Banteay Meanchey's Svay Chek district, which local businessmen say will help cassava farmers and boost the domestic industry.

The 6-hectare facility, which began construction a week ago, will be the first of its kind in the Kingdom that is able to dry and store cassava, according to businessman Te Haing, who is funding construction of the plant.

"Cassava farmers will be happy when this factory is up and running because it will help dry their cassava and store it for the market," said Te Haing, who owns 1,000 hectares of cassava farms in Banteay Meanchey.

Previously, he added, Cambodian farmers have sold cassava directly to Thai businessmen who have dried cassava for export overseas.

Lacking processing facilities of its own, Cambodia was hit hard when the Thai government blocked the import of Cambodian cassava at the beginning of 2009 in order to protect Thai farmers. Only last month was the blockade lifted.

"I am very disappointed with Thai officials banning the export of Cambodian farmers' cassava into Thailand. It taught me that I should build this factory to help our farmers export their goods to other countries," he said. "When we have this factory, we can dry and pack cassava for export to China, South Korea and other countries."

He added that the plant would be completed in two or three months at a cost of US$1 million.

Banteay Meanchey provincial Governor Ung Oeun welcomed the construction of the factory, calling it "good news" for the province's cassava farmers.

"Before, farmers expected Thai businessmen to buy cassava, but the Thai government has banned Cambodians' cassava," he said. "Soon, they will not need to wait for Thai businessmen; they can dry cassava in Cambodia and pack it to sell overseas."

He said there were 20,000 hectares of cassava farms in Banteay Meanchey, capable of producing 750,000 tonnes of cassava crop. In addition, Battambang and Pailin provinces had the potential to produce another 1 million tonnes.

Farmer Seng Lida, who owns around 10 hectares of cassava fields in Pailin province, said the factory was an excellent idea and called on the government to build more processing plants - including canning factories - to help bolster the agricultural sector.

"When there are factories, people will plant trees and crops for them to produce. But there is not yet any factory for canning fruits," he said. "If the government wants to reduce poverty inside the country, they must find investors and build factories."

Source: www.phnompenhpost.com

Publication date: 6/4/2009

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Nigeria: ERA flays testing of 'Super Cassava'

Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and over 30 other civil society groups in Nigeria have condemned the alleged approval by the Federal Government for the Donald Danforth Plant Science Centre, United States, to conduct field-testing of a genetically modified cassava christened "Super Cassava" in Nigeria.

They described the alleged approval as trading away Nigeria's food future to modern colonialists hiding under the cover of agricultural biotechnology, and said the proposed test must be halted immediately.

ERA/FoEN's position is premised on the recently reported approval of the National Biosafety Committee (NBC) for the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike to go ahead with plans to conduct "contained" field trials of genetically-modified cassava on the banks of the Qua Iboe River, Abia State..

Details of the approval was revealed at the annual meeting of the American Society for the Advancement of Science, held in Chicago, U.S.A on February 13, 2009, where it was announced that Nigeria's NBC had given the Danforth Centre approval to carry out field trials for GM cassava in collaboration with NRCRI.

In its reaction to the development, ERA/FoEN warned that the back door approach of the biotech industry and its Nigerian allies to introduce GM crops in the country will not only endanger Nigerians but is also a "breach" of the

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which Nigeria is signatory to, which seeks among others to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.

"Nigeria does not need any super cassava. The genetic modification of cassava to produce Vitamin A is fraught with many dangers to the health of Nigerians who depend on cassava as a staple. Some years back the biotech industry engineered the so-called golden rice to be rich in Vitamin A, but one would need to eat 9 kilograms of that rice to have as much Vitamin A as one would have from eating just two small carrots! The golden rice was a golden hoax and the super cassava will turn out to be super fraud", said ERA/FoEN

Executive Director, Nnimmo Bassey in a statement issued in Lagos.


Source: allafrica.com

Publication date: 3/11/2009