Director-General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Dr Gloria Elemo, has appealed to the National Assembly to pass a legislation on compulsory use of cassava in bread making.

In her paper on prospects and challenges of cassava bread, at a seminar in Ibadan, Elemo observed that the absence of a legal framework to drive the cassava bread policy constituted a big challenge to the implementation of the policy

The seminar was organised by the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER).

She stressed the need to form strong advocacy and lobbying groups towards realising the objective of the policy.

“Despite all the potential benefits of the cassava bread and confectionery policy, the nation is still struggling with the policy to give it appropriate legislation and legal framework.”

Elemo recalled that in December 2009, FIIRO had sent a memorandum for a bill on the 10 per cent cassava flour inclusion in wheat flour in Nigeria to the House of Representatives.

“The Federal Ministry of Agriculture in the same vein, sent a similar bill to the House but these bills suffered serious setbacks,” the director-general said.

On the challenge of acceptability by consumers, Elemo observed that there were still doubts about the nutritional value of cassava in spite of the fact that all scientific evidences, including sensory evaluation had proved that cassava bread was safe for human consumption.

Elemo said that 20 per cent inclusion of high quality cassava flour in bread and confectionery would save Nigeria N127 billion annually, generate three million jobs and reduce the cost of bread by 15 per cent.

On the political challenge, the director-general noted that more cassava was grown in the southern part of the country while the north had comparative advantage in rice, sorghum, and millet.

“The Federal Government should promote simultaneously the development of a crop of comparative advantage in the north like sorghum with cassava as a way of addressing the potential challenge that could result from this issue,” Elemo advocated.

She also recommended the adoption of a standardised national recipe for cassava bread and confectioneries.

Elemo called for government incentives for flour millers for possible plant re-configuration and the acquisition of additional equipment, if necessary.

She further recommended that the government should give incentives to bakers to expand their bakeries and set up new ones.

The director-general called for intensive public advocacy and awareness creation on the benefits of cassava bread in Nigeria.

NISER’s Director-General, Prof Olufemi Taiwo, Prof. John Akingbola from Bowen University, Iwo and Dr Taiwo Awoyemi from University of Ibadan were among the important personalities at the seminar.