Nigeria embarks on Food Revolution

In bid to revamp Nigeria’s food sector, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDG-F) has partnered with Kaduna State government on Food security Project.

The Project is an initiative set to revolutionize the food industry in Kaduna and Nigeria at large. It will introduce more sustainable practices in the value chain, reduce crop waste and improve smallholder farmers’ profitability.

The State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, represented by his  Deputy, Bala Bantex, launched the project today at the State House in Jere, Kaduna.

It will also create new jobs for young people and support Nigeria’s self-sufficiency food policy. , officials said.

Food Africa Project is a joint partnership among UN Goodwill Ambassadors, brothers Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca of restaurant, El Celler can Roca, UN Agencies, the Sahara Group and Nigerian government authorities.

UN Goodwill Ambassadors Master Chefs Roca Brothers will contribute their valuable knowledge in sustainable conservation, food preparation and distribution techniques.

The Rocas will provide skills training for young women and men as well as providing technical oversight and sharing best practices.

The renowned chefs will play a key role in showcasing how local food production can be cultivated for new markets and consumers.

“It is an honor for us to be part of this vibrant, promising and collective project and contribute with our cooking, our imagination and our passion to advance the sustainable development goals,” Josep Roca said during the launch of the project.

He added “we are doing this on behalf of all chefs, not only ourselves.”

Several specialized UN Agencies will provide expertise on food production (FAO), labour and employment (ILO) and international trade (ITC). An early warning Geographical Information System (GIS) will also be available to connect farmers with agricultural extension services and provide real time market data.

Sahara Group, a leading African energy conglomerate and member of the SDG Fund Private Sector Advisory Group and major co-financer of the project, will bring its business perspective to the programme to ensure the viability of the facility’s operations.

“We are excited to showcase this new project which will go a long way to shine the spotlight on the links between agricultural training, food security and improving nutritional livelihoods in our communities” said Tonye Cole, Executive Director and co-founder of the Sahara Group.

The Kaduna State Government will provide the land for the constructed facility as well as farmland and personnel. The state government will collaborate with other state-level stakeholders to improve local infrastructure including rural roads to allow greater access to the facility and farmland.

“The commitment of the state government to this project is unwavering. We are expecting nothing but the best from this collaborative effort which resonates with the aspirations of the government with regards to empowering our people and ultimately achieving the SDGs in Kaduna State,” said the Deputy Governor Bantex.

It is expected that 5,000 women and men of Kaduna will be directly impacted with new job prospects, increased income and additional skills to compete in the thriving food industry.

In addition, an estimated 500,000 residents will indirectly benefit from the Food Africa Project which is designed to be scaled-up in the region and eventually replicated in other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Corn Flour: Africa's Oldest Confectionery Flour

Corn, commonly known as maize, is one of Africa’s dominant food crops and the most important cereal crop. It was introduced into the continent in the 1500's and indigenous cultures have long list of menu made form maize and other corn products to help bolster the nutrition of their foods.

According to 2007 FAO reports,  158 million hectares of maize are harvested worldwide and Africa harvests 29 million hectares, (with Nigeria, the largest producer in SSA, harvesting 3%, followed by Tanzania and Africa still imports 28% of the required maize from countries outside the continent).

The grains are rich in vitamins A, C and E, carbohydrates, and essential minerals, and contain 9% protein. They are also rich in dietary fiber and calories which are a good source of energy.

It has about 50 different species and consist of different colors, textures and grain shapes and sizes. White, yellow and red are the most common types. The white and yellow varieties are preferred by most people depending on the region.

Corn: Beyond Beauty

Over the centuries, Maize has been a staple in many African ethnic cuisines but recently, gained popularity worldwide as a substitute for wheat flour.  It can be processed and prepared in various forms depending on the country.

Maize is quite simply an integral ingredient in many foods and daily products. For example maize is used in plastic products, paper products, for fuel, and for animal food as well as food that is produced for human consumption. 
 In regards to food, maize is a key ingredient in products like canned corn (which is made from freshly harvested corn), tortillas (which are made from dried corn) hominy, breads, and many other common food stuffs.

Ground maize is prepared into porridge in Eastern and Southern Africa, while maize flour is prepared into porridge in West Africa. Ground maize is also fried or baked in many countries. In all parts of Africa, green (fresh) maize is boiled or roasted on its cob and served as a snack. Popcorn is also a popular snack.

The beauty of the crop lies in its parts, all of the crop are being used for food and non-food products. 

• Though corn may not appear as itself in many foods, it is often used in foods for its starch, which helps to thicken things like soups, and can also help to add nutrients to otherwise bland foods. 
• Maize or corn flower is often used in industrial applications in place of grain or wheat flour because it is often more stable and inexpensive than grain flour. 
• Cooking oil is extracted from Maize 
• Maize is generally used for animal feed  and the by-products are often used for bio fuels.
•  It is also the preferred animal feed in many regions as it gives a yellow color to poultry, egg yolks and animal fat.

Fresh maize have limited windows of opportunity before it goes rancid, to prevent these African dry Maize. This makes it far easier to process, store, and use in large scale applications. There are dozens of uses for maize and they are certainly not limited to holiday decoration. 

Corn Flour vs Corn Meal

Both are milled but corn flour is a fine white powder separated from the protein and other components of maize flour.

Corn Meal is the flour milled from corn . It is coarse in texture and the colour may vary from light yellow to dark yellow. It is generally used to make unleavened flat breads (called roti in Hindi).

Maize is an incredible thing and has a place in just about any application you can dream up. It is incredibly versatile and will continue to be a main ingredient in many of the things that we take for granted. We will explore over 50 indigenous homemade corn flour recipes on this site.

No food in Nigeria, open the border – Sultan

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III has enjoined Nigeria Government to remove the embargo  placed on importation of rice and consider the high rate of starvation in the country.

Speaking at his palace in Sokoto, He appealed to the Comptroller-General of the Service, Col. Hameed Ali (retd) , who visited the Sultan to open the borders to allow rice importation and reduce the hardship  in the country.

According to the Sultan, “The policy should be revisited with a view to make amends and ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians. There is no food in the country hence the need for the borders to be reopened for rice importation.”

However he commend the effort of the Federal Government at boosting the domestic production of rice and assured that the traditional institution would continue to sensitize the people on the need to support the policies of government at all levels.

‘Nigeria spends $11bn yearly on food importation’

The Lagos State Government says Nigeria spends $11bn (N3.1tn) annually to import wheat, rice, sugar and fish.

The government stated this on Wednesday at a capacity building workshop for heads of agriculture department in the 57 local government and local council development areas of the state in Ikeja.

 At the event, organised by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Olayiwole Onasanya, said Nigeria’s importation rate was worrisome.

Quoting from a Central Bank of Nigeria report, Onasanya said, “Over $11bn was spent to import four consumable commodities–rice, wheat, fish and sugar– annually. Nigeria’s food import is growing at an unsustainable rate of 11 per cent per annum.”

He said relying on importation of expensive food from global markets fuelled domestic inflation, adding that excessive imports had put pressure on the naira and hurt the economy.

Onasanya said, “The Lagos State Government has, however, taken the bull by the horns to boost food production at the grass roots. We are organising capacity building for LG workers to increase farm size and productivity.”

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, Jafar Sanuth, observed that involvement of departments of agriculture at the LG level in food production had been minimal.

The Director, Community Agriculture, Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, Dapo Olakulehin, said the aim of the workshop was to bring about diversification of the agricultural sector.

Culled from Punch Newspaper

‘Africa spends $35b on food importation yearly’

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has said Africa spends $35 billion on food importation yearly.

IFAD made this known in a statement to reporters in Abuja. The statement quoted its President Mr. Kanayo Nwanze as saying this at the opening of a three-day ‘African Union-European Union Conference of Ministers of Agriculture’.

The conference tagged: ‘Investing in a food secure future’ was convened by the Government of The Netherlands to discuss how to deepen cooperation between Africa and Europe to mutually invest in food and nutrition security.

Nwanze said investing more in Africa’s rural areas will stem the flow of economic migrants and minimise the acts of desperation that makes the continent’s newspaper headlines.

His words: “People are leaving the rural areas of Africa because they can’t find jobs or feed their families and the ripple effects are felt here in Europe. The irony is that Africa spends $35 billion a year on food importation; it is time to stop creating jobs in other countries and redirect that investment to their own agricultural transformation.”

Nwanze added that Africa had enormous potentials and contained half of the world’s uncultivated land suitable for growing food crops, and that only five per cent of it was irrigated.

The IFAD president said Africa could easily double its productivity in the next five years simply by making better use of its existing farmland.

He explained that this could turn farming into a sustainable and profitable business and lift millions of rural Africans out of poverty.

Nwanze added that lifting millions out of poverty would make migration a choice rather than a necessity.

Culled from The Nation Newspaper 

Before the bite: How safe is that pastry?

We all love to snack…

Every morning, we rush into that fancy building to get bread, sandwich and pie, to start the day light we think. But how light is the snacks?

Before you rush in tomorrow, hold on! And take a quick review of your snacks.

Yes it might contain low-calorie, but is healthy for you.

· Breads, baked goods (pie, rolls, small chops, cookies and others), pasta and cereals are made commonly made with wheat, triticale and rye flour (confectionery flour).
· Malt, Food colouring, soups, malt vinegar and beer are made with barley
· Wheat (durum, emmer, spelt, farina, farro, Kamut and einkorn), rye, barley and triticale contain a protein called GLUTEN
· Gluten can also be available in other foods such as chocolate, vitamins and some kind of toothpasteBefore you rush in tomorrow, hold on! And take a quick review of your snacks.
Yes it might contain low-calorie, but is healthy for you.
· Breads, baked goods (pie, rolls, small chops, cookies and others), pasta and cereals are made commonly made with wheat, triticale and rye flour (confectionery flour).
· Malt, Food colouring, soups, malt vinegar and beer are made with barley
· Wheat (durum, emmer, spelt, farina, farro, Kamut and einkorn), rye, barley and triticale contain a protein called GLUTEN
· Gluten can also be available in other foods such as chocolate, vitamins and some kind of toothpaste

Why reduce Gluten produce?

· With the significant increase in our gluten intake over the past 50 years due to the ubiquity and over-consumption of products made with highly refined wheat flour, we are in a state of "gluten overload," and millions of people of all ages and all walks of life are suffering as a result of a condition that was recognized only a few years ago, called gluten sensitivity.
· When people with gluten sensitivity eat foods containing gluten, it triggers unpleasant symptoms: stomach pains, bloat, heartburn, joint pains, headache, skin rashes, fatigue, insomnia and brain fog, to name some of the most common.
· For some people (about 1% of the population) gluten can be a matter of life or death. These people have a condition known as celiac disease.
· Gluten damages the lining of the small intestine in those with celiac disease, it can lead to a host of health problems ranging from chronic diarrhea and abdominal cramping to osteoporosis and even the risk of some cancers
· Also, it is a major cause of a skin disease called dermatitis herpetiformis, which has symptoms like itchy, red rash with raised blisters. It is more popular with people in their 20s.






Saying NO to Gluten already? Wait!

Unless you are part of that 1% (and only special tests will let you know if you are), it's unlikely that you will need to live a completely gluten-free lifestyle. All you need is to CUT BACK and stick to low gluten diets.

Introducing AFROBUNS… The home of African Pastries

Afrobuns will introduce married recipes from different cultures, to present a delicious and savory taste, gluten-free and low gluten pastries.

Our ancient home-made recipes will be refined into culinary arts patisseries.

100% Gluten free recipes

Low Gluten free recipes

Nutritious and healthy drinks

Hummm………it’s a whole new experience!!!