An agriculture expert, Tony Bello, has urged Nigeria to industrialise its cassava sector to unlock greater economic value, create jobs and enhance export competitiveness.

Mr Bello, chief innovation and commercialisation officer, Matna Foods Ltd., made the call on Tuesday in Lagos.

He said Nigeria, despite being the world’s largest producer of cassava with over 60 million metric tonnes annually, had yet to maximise the crop’s economic potential through value addition.

According to him, the country’s challenge is no longer increasing cassava production but transforming it into industrial products that generate sustainable revenue and prosperity.

“Nigeria has already won the production race. The challenge is industrialisation. The challenge is transforming production into value, value into revenue, and revenue into sustainable profitability,” he said.

Mr Bello noted that many developed economies had transformed staple crops into drivers of industrial growth, employment and exports rather than relying solely on them for food security.

He cited wheat and potatoes in the United States, potatoes and corn in Europe, maize in Latin America and rice in Asia as examples of staple crops successfully integrated into industrial value chains.

According to him, cassava occupies a similar strategic position in Nigeria, supporting millions of households through products such as garri, fufu, lafun, flour, tapioca and starch.

He, however, said much of the crop’s value was lost because of inadequate processing capacity and weak commercialisation.

Mr Bello said prosperity could only be achieved when production was linked to processing, markets and sustainable demand. He observed that although significant investments had been made in cassava production and processing, less attention had been given to market development, innovation, commercialisation and integration across the value chain.

According to him, many cassava processing factories currently operate below installed capacity because of inadequate feedstock supply and other value chain constraints.

He stressed the need for improved technology, mechanisation and supportive policies to raise productivity and strengthen feedstock security.

Mr Bello said feedstock security must be deliberately developed to ensure sustainable industrial growth in the sector.

According to him, Nigeria must begin to see cassava not merely as a food security crop but as an industrial platform capable of driving manufacturing, exports and economic growth.

He added that agriculture should be approached as a business capable of attracting investment, promoting innovation and meeting domestic and international market demands.

“The challenge before Nigeria is not simply to produce more cassava. The challenge is to create more value from cassava,” Mr Bello said.

(NAN)