Cassava Bread: Association Criticises Reps For Stalling Bill

The Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) has criticised the call by the House of Representatives to stall the legislation to make cassava a compulsory ingredient in all flour products.

Mr Segun Adewumi, the President of the association, who led the farmers on a protest to the National Assembly in Abuja on Monday, said that the decision was not in the interest of the nation.

Our correspondent reports that the farmers had earlier met with the Mr Ezekiel Oyemomi, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, during which the president explained that many jobs could be created through the cassava Value Chain programme.

“Cassava is one of the crops that can industrialise Nigeria and there is the need to transform Nigeria from oil dependent to cassava dependent.’’

He said that the action of the legislators came as a surprise to the association.

He advised that the National Assembly should listen to the opinions of stakeholders to understand the role of cassava in food before discarding the bill.

It would be recalled that some media reports had quoted the legislators as saying that compelling bakers to include cassava flour in bread would amount to compelling Nigerians to eat products injurious to their health.

Earlier, Mr James Awoniyi, a member of the Cassava Value Chain programme in the ministry, noted that cassava production had been the key farming activity for many years.

In his contribution, Mr Olatunji Bandele, the Publicity Secretary of ‘Agbekoya’ Farmers Association of Nigeria, urged the National Assembly not to make decisions that would be detrimental to the growth of the nation.

Responding, Oyemomi, assured the farmers that the National Assembly would not make any decision that would derail the agricultural transformation agenda.

He told the farmers that the Minister, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, had said at a world press conference on Friday that the decision to stall the legislation was uncalled for.

Oyemomi appealed to the farmers to conduct themselves in an orderly manner, and assured them that all stakeholders would be carried along on ways to turn around the sector.

Our correspondent reports that the farmers could not gain access when they arrived at the National Assembly.

Mr Dennis Ma’aji, an administrative officer in the Department of Sergeant-at-arms, told the farmers that the Honourable members were not available and Ma’aji advised them to pick a later date to see the members.