The Sweet Potato Forum has appealed to government and organized private sector to strengthen farming, marketing and processing of orange flesh sweet potatoes (OFSP) to lessen the reliance on wheat, and attract investment across the value chain.
Dr Abdulkadir Hassan, President of the Sweet Potato Forum, has stated that the Forum was a Pan African Platform for the promotion of opportunities across sweet potato value chain. OFSP is very rich in fibre, beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, minerals and phenolic compounds amongst others.
OFSP is very rich in over 12 essential nutrients used in boosting the immune system and management of ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, infertility and stress related ailments. Adequate investment in OFSP value chain could help the country to minimize over reliance on wheat in the production of bread and confectioneries.
According to Hassan, OFSP can be used to produce a wide range of products such as pastries, biscuits, chips, crisps, pickles, juice, soup, stew, herbs and cosmetics.
Source: nnn.ng
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