Review of Cassava Bread Value Chain Issues for Actualization of the 40% Cassava Bread Production in Nigeria

Aims: Due to the combined effect of urbanization, increased population and changes in lifestyle, bread consumption in Nigeria has increased considerably. Nigeria has over the years been dependent on foreign nations, particularly the US for the importation of wheat, which has been detrimental on Nigeria's economy causing depletion of foreign reserve, trade imbalance and fueling food import dependency and unemployment. Hence, in 2012, Nigeria released cassava-wheat bread policy mandating flour mills to partially substitute imported wheat with cassava up to 40% in spite of limited success of earlier released wheat policies involving the partial substitution of wheat with 5-10% cassava flour. The aim of this study is to review the value chain issues for the actualization of the 40% cassava bread production policy in Nigeria. Study Design: Secondary data followed by in-depth analysis. Place and Duration of Study: Nigeria and July – December 2013. Methodology: This study relied on secondary data followed by in-depth analysis to present the challenges facing players (farmers, importers, processors, millers, and bakers) in cassava bread value chain and how the challenges could be tackled for the success of the 40% cassava policy. Results: The study found that implementation of the policy would alter the cassava value chain in the country. The flour mills have enough capacity (7mt/ annum milling capacity), but the high quality cassava flour (HQCF) processors would not be able to supply the 1.2mt of HQCF in the short-term. Conclusion: Using 40% cassava bread would require the use of bread improvers such as enzymes, chemicals, hydrocolloids and gums, emulsifiers, lipids and proteins. The bakers and flour mills would need to retrofit their machines to permit the use of cassava flour and bread improvers with the initial expense.