CSIR wants bakers to patronize local flour

Dr. Nanam Dziedzoave, a Research Scientist, at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research of the Food Research Institute (CSIR-FRI), has asked Ghanaian bakers to patronize locally produced flour to boost the economy of the country.

He said last year, the CSIR-FRI developed cassava, sweet potato, cowpea and corn flour as suitable substitutes for wheat flour in bakery and pastry products.

Dr. Dziedzoave, who is the head of the use of alternative flours baking project, indicated that the development of the flour would facilitate the absorption of the national surplus of roots and tubers crops and generate more income for local farmers, which would ultimately lead to the reduction of poverty in the country.

Addressing bakers in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region at a day’s workshop on “the use of alternative flours for baking” at Agona-Nkwanta on Wednesday, Dr. Dziedzoave, said the project was designed to develop the capacity of bakers, processors and matrons in the country.

The workshop is being organised in Mfantseman, Dangme East and Ahanta West districts in the Central, Greater Accra and Western regions in that order, for selected bakers, processors and matrons.

Dr. Dziedzoave noted that in pursuit of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing poverty by half in 2015, the World Bank designed the Africa Action Plan (AAP) as a centrepiece of its strategy to help Africa and its regional groups such as ECOWAS achieve the MGDs.

He noted that ECOWAS in response to the AAP formulated the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) as the implementing instrument for achieving the objectives of increased agricultural productivity and sustainability.

“Considering that agricultural productivity and sustainability is directly dependent on the existence of viable markets, the training in the use of alternative flours for baking is timely.

It seeks to build the capacity of bakers and other pastry producers to use these flours in their business operations, with a view to opening up markets in technology bakery and pastry industry as well as generating income for farmers”, he added.

“With Ghana importing almost 300 million tonnes of wheat flour annually, while the country produces over 10 million metric tons of cassava annually, of which 30% has been consistently recorded as national surplus, it will be appropriate to create awareness for Ghanaians to patronize this locally produced flour to reduce the country’s import bill,” he said.

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) is collaborating with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to steer the WAAPP programme to ensure food security and generate income for farmers in the country.

Source: GNA