WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO BE MYOPIC; IF NOT, WE SHALL REMAIN UNDERDEVELOPED; OUR CASSAVA OPPORTUNITIES
Dear All, may you kindly indulge me to read this to the very end and equally share.
For introductory purposes, I'm the Cassava Chips Priest and I had the opportunities of trading, supplying and processing Cassava across regions in Nigeria with pronounced Cassava activities in Kogi and Benue states.
My readers and mentors alike have repeatedly drawn my attention to a write-up making the rounds for whatever purpose as attached above, where the writer was complaining of Cassava supply, shortage as food and food insecurity due to Cassava being used for Alcohol.
Initially, I had wanted to ignore due to vested energy on some other things, it appeared to me, it was an articulated way to exhibit ignorance, myopic view and personal sentiments but when a dad like figure sent me the message at nearly midnight, I felt it was inevitable I educate ourselves.
First, the writer failed to understand that ethanol as an alcohol is not only consumed for drinking but for other great industrial uses, which includes pharmaceuticals and medicine, ethanol is of use when producing sanitizers for a quick example, so why the noise?
The writer who is definitely not broad minded enough needs to understand that before and early part of the Buhari administration, Nigeria spends $480 million on importation of Ethanol and as at 2023 still imports 350m litres of ethanol despite having 3 of the 4 largest ethanol companies in West Africa and largest ethanol producer in Africa currently. Nigeria have just 3 functional ethanol companies currently for clear mention.
It is painful to know that the writer is quite articulated to propagate negativity with the belief that all that has to do with Alcohol is drinking, let me educate a bit, there is a process in Ethanol production call; Denaturing, where the Ethanol produced is not safe for human consumption and more than half of Ethanol produced in Nigeria is denatured, which directly means they cannot be used for beverages or dry gin. Ethanol uses are numerous and that includes refining of petroleum products and that's in force in Nigeria.
The man should be smart enough to know food insecurity does not in anyway comes from Industrialization. Rather it is from bad government food policies and the inconsistencies in it.
It so saddening that the article failed to recognize that the Jamata community and that Lokoja axis which I know very well and would describe as a typical rural setting being a typical Alimosho Lagos breed has suddenly become an area worthy of attention and witnessed development except for the unstable telecommunication network, where the inhabitants of the area have found great business opportunities and income being Cassava Chips suppliers. Not only that the particular company employs about 2000 Nigerians, majorly Kogites, do we think a commercial farm of 20,000hectares would employ that much at the age of agro-technological advancement? Do we think those 2000 would want to farm at age of insecurity in the North and non attractive look of agriculture particularly crop farming in Nigeria lately? Those of us in it is as a result of passion and purpose.
What the writer should have said is that the government needs to intensify efforts for Cassava production just like we saw with "Rice and Maize" before the MMM-like crash of the Anchor Borrowers' Programme, that has left hundreds of people and growing businesses like mine in deep business mess.
As at 2022, the ABP planned cultivation for 500,000 hectares of Cassava they said. Thank God, the ABP Cassava person who said it is on this Broadcast in one of their sessions then. Nigeria would had nothing less than 5,000,000 tons of Cassava in 2023 and would been sustained for 4-6 years at least, would there have been Cassava shortage or threatening food insecurity?
Nigerians needs to understand that the world is an age of Agrienergy. What's Agrienergy? Agrienergy is the interwoven relationship where food crops are usable, required and equally compete for industrial and energy uses.
Maize also falls in this category, which is prominent in Maize Starch production, a frontline industrial raw material and why has the writer now complained about the huge cost of Maize. Maize is over N750,000 per ton in the open market, it takes just four months to cultivate and harvest, it is in short supply and twice the price of Cassava, which sells at about N140,000 - N150,000 per ton and takes 8-9months to cultivate.
Interestingly, we have Maize in the National Food Reserve, we can't have Cassava except as deriatives.
The writer is just myopic, one sided thinker, who has brought personal sentiments and insensitivities to present this matter.
Industrialization is needed in Nigeria, it brings about employment, development and revenue to governments at all levels and not the problem of insecurity either food or social except he is trying to say we are not ripe or good enough for Industrialization, which I disagree.
On the overall, we need to buckle up, face the realities and opportunities agriculture and agrienergy is bringing to our doorstep, it is a catalyst for a good life and we can't sit around complain and spread negative socio-economic energies.
That socio-economic positivity begins with you and I.
© CASSAVA CHIPS PRIEST 2024.
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