• Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • About us
  • Contact Us
  • Staff Email
Saturday, July 5, 2025
  • Login
TheMattersPress
  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Thematterspress
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Photo
    • Video
  • About us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Thematterspress
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Photo
    • Video
  • About us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
TheMattersPress
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Potato Forum urges Nigeria to rely less on wheat

Wheat

The Matters Press by The Matters Press
July 18, 2022
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Flour millers to establish wheat procurement centres in 15 states

The Sweet Potato Forum has appealed to government and organised private sector to strengthen farming, marketing and processing of Orange Flesh Sweet Potatoes (OFSP) to lessen reliance on wheat, and attract investment across the value chain.

RELATED POSTS

Atiku’s mockery of Nigeria over Trump’s invitation to 5 African nation, a display of poor knowledge of global affairs

Nigeria’s new flood insurance policy laudable, needs quick application, says TMSG

Nigeria’s approval of dual NCE, B.Ed degrees in 15 colleges of education a good omen

Dr Abdulkadir Hassan, President, Sweet Potato Forum, said in Zaria on Monday that the Forum was a Pan African Platform for the promotion of opportunities across sweet potato value chain.

OFSP is very rich in fibre, beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, minerals and phenolic compounds amongst others.

Hassan said OFSP was very rich in over 12 essential nutrients used in boosting the immune system and management of ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, infertility and stress related ailments.

He said adequate investment in OFSP value chain could help the country to minimise over reliance on wheat in the production of bread and confectioneries.

According to him, OFSP can be used to produce a wide range of products such as pastries, biscuits, chips, crisps, pickles, juice, soup, stew, herbs and cosmetics.

“The leaves can be used as vegetables in making soup, salad, healthy drinks and can also be processed as rich-nutrients tea.

“Beside bread and confectionaries, the commodity can be used in the production of dying materials, coloring agents; it can also be used as active and non-active ingredients in food and pharmaceutical value chains,’’ he said.

Hassan explained that OFSP bread, biscuits and snacks could be made through its puree which made bakers to save over 25 per cent of the cost of producing conventional wheat bread

He added that few facilities in Abuja, Lagos and Nnewi were currently producing potato bread stressing that in most cases, one had to make a booking ahead of time before obtaining such bread due to high demand.

He, however, lamented that in spite of its health, economic and nutritional benefits, the crop was yet to be widely cultivated in farms.

Hassan said the commodity had very high yields, resulting in enormous economic benefits to the farmers, especially when adopting good agronomic practices.

He added that currently the global average yield per hectare was 13 tons, but in Nigeria, the yield was averaged between six and seven tons per hectare.

He, however, said the forum conducted a pilot scheme in Jigawa, Kaduna and Niger states where farmers realised between 30 to 50 tons per hectare.

He said many farmers cultivating a hectare of the potato earned up to N2m or even higher per hectare per cycle in the pilot states as the crop could be cultivated up to three times per year.

The president said developing the OFSP value chain might attract foreign investment and enhance FOREX in the range of hundreds of millions of dollars, across all the segments of the value chain.

“The demand for the orange flesh potatoes is still very high and we still have some processing plants across the country complaining over inadequate production of the commodity in Nigeria.

“Some of these companies had to enter into contract with farmers on the production of the commodity which they used in the production of confectionaries and so many other products within the food supply chain,’’ he said.

According to him, the forum is into strategic partnership with key players in the sector with a view to enhance OFSP production in Nigeria.

He, therefore, appealed to the government to include OFSP into the school feeding programme and other social intervention programmes as obtained in Ghana, Rwanda and other African countries.

He said inclusion of OFSP in social intervention offered multiple benefits such as access to adequate and quality nutrition for healthy life, stimulation of grassroots economy and poverty reduction.

Tags: Wheat
ShareTweetPin
The Matters Press

The Matters Press

Related Posts

Drop your frustration, let President Tinubu be, Group picks on Atiku
Economy/Technology

Atiku’s mockery of Nigeria over Trump’s invitation to 5 African nation, a display of poor knowledge of global affairs

July 5, 2025
Veritas Kapital’s total assets hit N21.4bn
Economy/Technology

Nigeria’s new flood insurance policy laudable, needs quick application, says TMSG

July 4, 2025
Salvaging basic education from ruins of Boko Haram war in Borno
Economy/Technology

Nigeria’s approval of dual NCE, B.Ed degrees in 15 colleges of education a good omen

July 3, 2025
Group hails Presidential Council initiative, welcomes President Tinubu’s N2tn stabilisation package
Economy/Technology

Nasarawa showcases efficient use of fuel subsidy savings, exposes futility of Tinubu’s opposition’s mischief – TDF

July 1, 2025
Property owners besiege FCT office to pay ground rent
Economy/Technology

Transformational in FCT in line with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda

June 30, 2025
China’s agricultural wholesale products prices continue to drop
Agriculture

Ignore Atiku’s claim to dilute historic mechanised farming deal with Belarus

June 29, 2025
Next Post
China’s agricultural wholesale products prices continue to drop

Nigeria deploys digital tech to enhance agriculture

NIWA explains new waterway regulation

NIWA explains new waterway regulation

Recommended Stories

Nigeria to promote digital innovation, entrepreneurship – Pantami

NCC begins training on digital technologies for Igbinedion varsity staff

April 17, 2023
SON alerts on second hand gas cylinders

Price of 5kg cooking gas peaks at N4,189.96

October 27, 2023
Marketers hail unveiling of new NNPC

NNPC in moves to resolve Addax’s dispute

November 2, 2022

Popular Stories

  • Rising prices of goods cause protests in Morocco

    Rising prices of goods cause protests in Morocco

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • NLNG not responsible for gas supply shortfall, price hike

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • NCC sets fresh operational fees, spectrum prices for telecom operators

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Hoarding causes hike in prices of grains

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Prices of Petrol, diesel increase in November

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
TheMattersPress

We bring you the best news update in Nigeria

LEARN MORE »

Recent Posts

  • Atiku’s mockery of Nigeria over Trump’s invitation to 5 African nation, a display of poor knowledge of global affairs
  • Nigeria’s new flood insurance policy laudable, needs quick application, says TMSG
  • Nigeria’s approval of dual NCE, B.Ed degrees in 15 colleges of education a good omen

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Economy/Technology
  • Energy
  • Entertainment/sports
  • Features
  • Foreign
  • Multimedia
  • Natural Resources
  • News
  • Oil and Gas
  • Photo
  • Politics
  • Security
  • Thematterspress
  • Uncategorized
  • Video

© 2025 Domo Tech World - Powered by Thematterspress.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Thematterspress
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Photo
    • Video
  • About us
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Domo Tech World - Powered by Thematterspress.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Call Us