July 4, 2025 by and Juliana Agbo

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said the Federal Government is planning to save more than N3 trillion each year by reducing fuel and ethanol imports through a new cassava bioethanol initiative.

Shettima said cassava is not just a staple but a strategic driver of Nigeria’s industrial development, import substitution, and energy transformation under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Shettima spoke yesterday at an event commemorating this year’s World Cassava Day.

The Vice President said the Tinubu administration has repositioned cassava as “capital for reengineering the nation’s economy,” placing it at the heart of food and energy security, agro-industrialisation, and rural revitalisation efforts.

He announced that the cassava bioethanol project is a strategic pillar of the government’s broader efforts to cut Nigeria’s dependence on imported refined fuels and industrial ethanol, a move projected to generate significant fiscal savings and stimulate rural economies.

Shettima said it is no longer acceptable for Nigeria to lead in cassava production but lag in value addition and exports.

The Vice President noted that the new cassava roadmap is aimed at transforming the industry through large-scale mechanisation, the establishment of agro-processing zones, and the deployment of innovative technologies to unlock cassava’s full economic potential.

He lauded Nigeria’s growing partnerships with countries, like Brazil, renowned for converting its once-barren Cerrado region into one of the world’s largest food baskets, and Ethiopia, whose cluster farming models are now inspiring the integration of Nigerian smallholder farmers into commercial cassava value chains.

Reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to repositioning cassava as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s economic diversification and industrial development agenda, Shettima said: “The administration is scaling up financing for young agripreneurs through the Bank of Agriculture, the Bank of Industry, and the National Agricultural Development Fund.

“Under the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme, more than 2,000 advanced tractors, 50 bulldozers, and 9,000 specialised implements are being deployed across major cassava-growing areas. The intervention aims to cultivate over 550,000 hectares, with support from partners in Belarus and Denmark, and generate thousands of jobs.”

The Vice President hailed Nigerian farmers and processors for their resilience.

 “The cassava sector does not require more declarations. It requires disciplined execution, transparent coordination, and consistent delivery,” he said.

Also, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, reaffirmed the Tinubu administration’s commitment to unlocking the full potential of cassava.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, Dr. Kingsley Uzoma, noted that the real opportunity lies in value addition and market access.

The Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), described cassava as a “transformational economic asset with more than 50 known derivatives”.

Also,  Vice President and Executive Director of Government and External Affairs at Cavista Holdings, on behalf of the Chairman, Niyi John Olajide, described this year’s theme: Farm to Global Markets: Driving Industrialisation, Food Security & Exports, as timely and aligned with Cavista’s vision.