FG to release N10 billion cassava bread development fundABUJA- THE Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, hassaid the federal government will soonrelease N10 billion for cassava breaddevelopment fund and to further boost thecassava production.Adesina who was represented the SeniorTechnical Assistant to the minister ofAgriculture, Dr. Adetunji Oredipe disclosedthis in Kogi State at the Cassava GES Roll Outat Agbadu Staple Crop Processing Zone, SCPZ,in Kabba Bunu Local Government Area ofthe state.He explained Government established theCassava Bread Development Fund, whichwould be funded through the tariff onwheat flour.He further said that the Cassava BreadDevelopment Fund would also be used tosupport research and development effortson cassava bread, training of master bakers,support for master bakers for theacquisition of new equipment forproduction.*African leaders share 40 percent cassavabread. The Goodwill Ambassador for theInternational Institute of TropicalAgriculture (IITA), former Nigeria’s PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo (left); former Presidentof Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa (next toObasanjo from left); Tanzania’s President, DrMrisho Jakaya Kikwete (dressed in red tieand holding cassava bread); and IITADirector for Eastern Africa, Dr VictorManyong (far right); having a taste of the40 percent cassava bread during theinauguration of IITA Science Building in Dares SalaamSpeaking on the Growth EnhancementScheme (GES), the Minister said that the GESwill allow the farmers to produce additionalfood because the farmers will receive theirimproved cuttings and fertilisers.“This year we are taking cassava GESprogramme to scale, we have designeddifferent levels of support to differentcategories of farmers and we arecommitted to making this work.“This marks another major milestone in ourdrive to ensure that the modern cassavafarmers adopt the best available agriculturalpractices starting with the use of improvedinputs; cuttings and fertilisers. In doing this,we will ensure that our farmers, the realcassava farmers who should be the realbeneficiaries of government policy are welltargeted by government programme”, hesaid.According to Adesina, to assure sustainablesupply of high quality cassava flour, asecure of low interest and long termfinancing from the China Exim Bank for theimportation of 18 large scale high qualitycassava flour processing plant was made tobe owned and operate by the privatesector.In his address, Commissioner forAgriculture, Kogi Sate, Dr. Olufemi Bolarinnoted that the Governor of Kogi State, IdrisWada has keyed into the ATA in Agricultureby encouraging and assisting Kogi Statepeasant farmers in all facets of agriculturalproduction.He said that the state government hassubsidised agro chemicals, Fertilisers to thefarmers to enable them participate fully inagricultural production, stressing that thestate government had earmarked in all the 3senatorial district huge area of land foragricultural activities such as cassava,maize, etc, to employ the services of theteeming youth.According to him, cassava has beendiscovered to play a vital role in the federalgovernment ATA in agricultural sub-sectorof the economy, adding that in agriculture,there were various sector that should beencourage and educate the youth toindulged to assist in reducing youthrestiveness and unemployment such asfisheries, etc.He therefore advice the youth to takeinterest in agriculture, saying that theemergence of mechanised system ofagriculture has made it easy and conductivefor the graduates to imbibe the culture offarming in order to be self- reliant anddrastically reduce unemploymentenveloping the whole world.