The federal government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bank of Industry (BoI) for a N4.3 billion cassava bread fund that would support small and medium enterprises (SMEs), master bakers and large industrial cassava flour mills.
This is even as the managing director of the BoI, Ms Evelyn Oputu, who signed on behalf of the bank has pledged that the bank would work closely with the stakeholders to ensure that the fund was properly utilised.
The MD said that the nation would save a lot of money in foreign exchange from the implementation of the federal government's policy of 20 per cent cassava substitution in bread and other confectioneries by the year 2014, adding that the bank would continue to drive the nation's agriculture transformation policy.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, who signed on behalf of the federal government, said Nigeria's revenue from cassava production would increase exponentially, following how output has been doubled in the last one year to ensure the nation continues to retain its position as the largest producer of the crop in the world.
Adesina disclosed that a total of N1.5 billion has been set aside for the upgrade of the capacity of 35 existing small cassava flour mills in the country.
This support, according to the minister, would be provided in the form a 50 per cent loan and 50 per cent grant, while the BoI would provide a working capital of N425 billion as loans to SME cassava flour processors at single digit rate.
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