The International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and SANO Foods Limited have adopted bio-fortified foods like potato, cassava and maize, as well as their byproducts for the production of bread and other confectionaries, saying they are cost-effective, widely accepted and locally available.
They also advocated the use of orange-fleshed sweet potato puree and flour, saying this would help in confronting vitamin A deficiency in such confectionaries.
They also said it would save foreign exchange for the country via reduced importation and consumption of wheat. It would also stimulate production, processing, productivity and prosperity of farmers through crop industrialisation.
Solving vitamins deficiency in Nigeria was the major focus of the product display programme, held at the IITA campus, Ibadan, Oyo State, last weekend.
The initiative, which was in collaboration with SANO Foods Limited, an Abeokuta-based agricultural value chain player, was attended by critical stakeholders in the food and agro-allied sector.
Several value chain products from the selected bio-fortified crops were on display, including turmeric garri (garri mixed with turmeric), OFSP garri (garri with orange-fleshed sweet potato), OFSP bread varieties (bread with orange-fleshed sweet potato), lemongrass juice, varieties tea and many other products.
Speaking at the event, Solomon Ojeleye, the acting general manager of SANO Foods, said the vision of the company was to ensure that “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.”
He further said, “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 substitute for wheat flour to ensure that consumers have access to healthy bread.’’
The IITA, under the Basic II programme, presented the new improved varieties of cassava species that would give farmers higher yield and more nutritional value for consumers.
Mr Kenton Dashiell, the deputy director-general, Partnerships for Delivery, IITA, emphasised the importance of cassava to Nigeria’s economy and why farmers need to embrace the new varieties.
Present at the event were Michael Abberton, director, West Africa Hub, IITA; Alfred Dixon, director, Development and Delivery, IITA; Professor Lateef Sanni, project manager, Basics II. IITA; Mr Paul Ilona, managing director, Harvest Plus; Mr Sola Olunowo, managing director, Agro Park).
