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According to the Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA), Nigeria has the ability to produce over 10 trillion litres of ethanol, and generate trillions of Naira from export of ethanol to other countries.
National President of the association, Segun Adewumi made this claim in Abuja at the Cassava Africa Expo and conference, anchored by BKG Exhibitions Nigeria Ltd.
In Adewumi’s remarks, 100,000 hectares of arable lands are presently used to produce 400 million litres of ethanol in the country, and Nigeria can utilise more lands from the 84 million hectares available.
“This is to say Nigeria can reduce her import bill on the listed product by N12 trillion. At the same time, we can earn several trillions of naira in foreign exchange from cassava products.”He noted.
Adewumi spotted that most pharmaceutical industries across the world prefer cassava industrial starch to corn starch. Noting this, he said Nigeria uses 1.7 metric tonnes of cassava starch sold at N200, 000 per tonne amounting to N340 billion.
The NCGA President also stated that the estimated industrial item derived from cassava and imported into Nigeria, is said to be about N1.2 trillion annually and the mass production of these items could generate over N10 trillion for the country annually.
He said, “Nigeria is the only country that is left behind in the practice of modern agriculture, food is produced more cheaply even in neighboring countries than in Nigeria.”
He further called for more focus on the cassava value chain and an end to the three-year circle of the glut in the cassava market, while also adding that the country must ensure regular, adequate, affordable and all year round supply of cassava to the processing factories in the country.
SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA