Maravi

Cassava milling plant to be installed, says Siame

Cassava milling plant to be installed, says Siame
By Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Sunday August 17, 2008 [04:01]

LUAPULA Province acting permanent secretary Clement Siame has said the cassava milling plant donated by World Food Programme (WFP) will be installed at the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) building in Mansa.

And Siame said there was a setback in launching the plant last month because the landlord at the place where the plant was initially installed evicted them as he wanted to use the premises for his businesses.

In an interview, Siame said the cassava milling plant was a great boost to the people of Luapula Province who had been producing large quantities of cassava that had no market.
“People in Luapula have been producing cassava largely for consumption because no one buys it. The Food Reserve Agency has been buying a bit but not so much, a lot of it goes to waste,” he said.

Siame said once the plant became operational, it would avail people an opportunity to choose whether to buy cassava meal or maize meal.

And Siame said if it was not for the eviction, the milling plant would have been launched last month.

“We have found a new place (FRA building) and we are relocating there and by the end of September, the new mill will be functional,” said Siame.

He said the cassava milling plant will be producing fortified cassava meal that would be packaged in the way as maize-meal.

Scientists have advised Zambia and other African governments to increase investment in research and development to boost farmers’ cassava yields as a promising industrial crop.
The scientists said cassava could help protect the food and energy security of poor countries now threatened by soaring oil and food prices.

Labels: CASSAVA, CLEMENT SIAVE, FRA, LUAPULA PROVINCE

posted by MrK @ 3:30 PM