L-R: Minister for Agriculture, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina; Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; and Commissioner for Commerce, Industries and Cooperatives, Otunba Reim Bodunrin, at the official launch/Demonstration of Cassava Bread Initiative In Ekiti State, in Ado-Ekiti... on Monday
Apparently miffed by the high cost of importation of food items into Nigeria, the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina have vowed not to relent efforts in agriculture revolution aimed at enhancing the nation’s sufficiency in food production.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti at the launch of Cassava bread initiative, the duo expressed worry that despite the great agricultural potentials the country is blessed with, it still spends #635 Billion every year importing wheat.
Governor Fayemi said his administration is taking steps to reverse the worrisome trend as the state government is encouraging youths to go into commercial agriculture while life has been injected into the once moribund farm settlements in the state with the coming of Vegafresh and AGCO among other investors in the agric sector.
He explained that the decision of the state government to tap into the many economic and nutritional advantages of Cassava Bread after the recent launch by the Federal Government was borne out of an obvious policy option to exploit all available opportunities that would be of immense benefit to the people.
While assuring that cassava growers in the state would get adequate financial support from the state government, the Governor said this would go a long way in encouraging cassava revolution and ignite the passion of farmers to produce more for the sustenance of the cassava bread initiative.
Fayemi who reiterated the commitment of his administration to creating 20,000 jobs from the agric sector by 2014 said the cassava revolution and cassava bread initiative have the capacity to ignite industrial development which would invariably expand economic activities and create jobs for the state’s teeming populace.
While commending the federal government for its support for Ekiti state agricultural development drive, Governor Fayemi urged the federal government to expedite work on the 100,000 metric tonne capacity silo being built in Ado Ekiti, the Yam conditioning factory, and begin work in earnest on the promised cassava and rice processing mills so as to complement the agricultural drive of the state government.
In his remarks, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said the launch of the cassava bread initiative by the federal government was one of the steps to stop government’s spendings on importation of wheat and other pastries and refocus attention on encouraging local production of alternative food items.
The Minister who disclosed that Nigeria spends #635 Billion annually on the importation of wheat said the rumour that cassava consumption could cause an increase in diabetes was baseless as the glycemic index of cassava is lower than that of wheat.
Dr. Adesina added that unless government invests and encourages made in Nigeria products, importation of wheat and other food products may continue to increase by the day.
Last modified: August 8, 2012