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FG Moves to Reduce N600 billion Annual Wheat Import

By on November 20, 2012

 

The Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) said the federal government has moved to cut down the N600b spent on wheat importation.

It said the Federal Government has stepped up the use of cassava bread in the country to cut down the N600billion spent on wheat imports.

This development was revealed by the FIIRO’s Director, Jide Olumeko, at a two-day training for Southwest Master Bakers on 20 per cent increase in high quality cassava flour in bread production.

Olumeko who was represented by FIIRO’s Desk Officer for Cassava Value Chain, Titus Efuntoye, called on bakers to embrace the cassava bread technology and increase the use of cassava flour in production to improve prices.

He said the use of cassava flour has the tendency of reducing bread prices by 65 per cent as well as boosting foreign exchange, adding that it would lead to lower cost of production and increase demand.

Olumeko said, “Government is trying to ensure food security in the country hence the initiative. Importation of wheat is weighing heavily on government’s resources as it spends over N600billion annually to import wheat.

“Efforts in research have discovered that we are able to substitute wheat flour with cassava flour which has a higher nutritional value than the former due to its lower glycerine index responsible for diabetes.”