President Bola Tinubu’s administration has reintroduced the cassava flour policy, mandating the inclusion of 20 per cent cassava flour in all wheat-based products.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, announced this on Monday in Akure during a training session for 50 master bakers on the use of cassava flour in bread and confectionery. The programme, themed “Support to Cassava Processors and Master Bakers on Utilisation of High Quality Cassava Flour in Bread Production and Other Confectionery”, brought together stakeholders in the agricultural and food processing sectors.
Kyari, represented by the Ondo State Coordinator of the ministry, Mr. Akeem Ogundeko, said the policy aligns with Tinubu’s agenda to build an agribusiness ecosystem that addresses food security, economic diversification, job creation, and export substitution.
He explained that promoting 20 per cent cassava flour inclusion in bread and confectionery would significantly reduce Nigeria’s wheat importation bill. However, he stressed that the success of the policy depends on the collective commitment of all stakeholders.
“To achieve widespread adoption, we are intensifying training for bakers on cassava flour inclusion, ensuring acceptability, market expansion, and sustainability nationwide,” Kyari said. “This will create a multiplier effect across the cassava value chain, boosting local production and the wider economy.”
According to him, the initiative would equip master bakers with practical skills to improve efficiency and cascade knowledge to their members, thereby increasing cassava root demand and supply.
In his remarks, Ondo State Chairman of the Master Bakers Association of Nigeria (MBAN), Alhaji Jimoh Iyiola, commended the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda for reviving the policy. He recalled that the cassava flour initiative was first introduced under former President Olusegun Obasanjo and implemented during President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration but faltered due to unfulfilled agreements with MBAN.
He urged the Federal Government to avoid past mistakes and support bakers with grants instead of loans.
The cassava flour inclusion policy, first enforced in 2012, had boosted local cassava production and positioned Nigeria as the world’s largest cassava producer. To strengthen the revival effort, the Senate in November 2024 initiated a bill backing the renewed policy.
