Amid rising global energy prices and pressure on foreign exchange reserves, the government of Nigeria has begun steps to scale up the production of fuel-grade ethanol for blending with petrol in an effort to reduce the countryтАЩs fuel import bill, Nigerian Tribune reported.
The initiative is being driven by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which is promoting the use of cassava to produce ethanol that can be blended with premium motor spirit (PMS).
Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, said the move is expected to lower energy imports, reduce pressure on foreign exchange reserves and support the stability of the national currency, the naira. He spoke during a capacity-building workshop on the Cassava Bio-Ethanol Value Chain Development Project held in Nasarawa State on March 11тАУ12.
In a statement issued by ministry spokesperson Julie Osagie-Jacobs, Bagudu -represented by Economic Growth Department Director Muhammed Auwal -said the project also aims to reduce post-harvest losses in cassava production, which currently account for about 40 percent inefficiency in the value chain.
Officials said the plan involves establishing aggregation hubs and faster processing technologies to shorten the time between harvest and processing. This will help preserve starch quality and ensure ethanol output meets standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials for anhydrous ethanol.
Permanent Secretary Deborah Odoh said the ministry will continue to coordinate policies, monitoring and evaluation to ensure the programme delivers jobs, income for farmers and economic resilience.
Representatives from several agencies, including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, also expressed support for the initiative. The agencyтАЩs Director General Mojisola Christiana Adeyeye, represented by Oyedele Olusegun, said it would collaborate with the ministry to ensure quality and regulatory compliance.
Meanwhile, Ochanya Okoh, Technical Adviser on Food Security and Agriculture to the governor of Benue State, said the state plans to expand cassava production as part of the project, noting that it is already one of the countryтАЩs leading cassava-producing regions.
The workshop forms part of the governmentтАЩs broader economic diversification efforts under the agenda of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and aims to transform cassava from a subsistence crop into a major industrial raw material for bio-ethanol production and export.
