Nigeria-Brazil Agriculture Bilateral Project Can Boost Food Security In Nigeria

The ambassador of Brazil to Nigeria, His Excellency, Ricardo Guerra de Araujo, said an agricultural bilateral project between Nigeria and Brazil will help achieve food security, and address unemployment among Nigerian youths.

Ambassador Araujo spoke at the fourth edition of the Brazil- Nigeria Trade Forum, which took place September 6, 2023 in Abuja, and focused for the first time on Agriculture, Banking and the Creative Industry in Nigeria.

Describing Nigeria’s mono economy, heavily reliant on crude oil, as a blessing and a curse, Araujo said it is time Nigeria diversified her economy through investment in the development of the agriculture, banking sectors and creative industry.

Initiated during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the billion dollar worth bilateral project is aimed at modernising and mechanising Nigeria’s agriculture sector, through technology transfer, job creation, capacity building and training of Nigeria’s unemployed population.

In a presentation at the forum, Silvana Saraiva, a representative of Fecula Na Industria, a cassava byproduct producing company, currently working with ECOWAS, demonstrated how to harness cassava starch, a by-product of cassava crop, in the production of food – flour and food starches, chemicals – fabric gum, paper, yeast, ethanol and, modified products like glucose.

Silvania noted that Nigeria wastes about 51 per cent of its cassava byproducts. Nigeria, she said can maximise her cassava byproducts through the production and processing of a cassava specie developed by Fecula, in large quantities to ensure food security and reduce poverty in the country.

Source:https://leadership.ng/nigeria-brazil-agriculture-bilateral-project-can-help-boost-food-security-in-nigeria/