Fed Govt spends N600b on wheat import

The Federal Institute of Industrial Research,Oshodi (FIIRO) has explained that part of the reasons the Federal Government stepped up the use of cassava bread in the country was to cut the N600billion spent on wheat imports which is eating into the foreign reserves of the country.

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, called on bakers to embrace the cassava bread technology and increase the use of cassava flour in production to improve prices.

Olumeko, represented by FIIRO’s Desk Officer for Cassava Value Chain, Titus Efuntoye, said the use of cassava flour could reduce bread prices by 65 per cent and boost foreign exchange.

He said increased use of cassava flour will help bakers as 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 glycerin index responsible for diabetes.”