Posted on October, 23, 2023 at 11:28 pm
Millers will from November be expected to produce blended flours as part of a government campaign to strengthen the nutritional components of the product.
They will be expected to ensure that each packet of flour sold will have at least 10 per cent minimum content of underutilised but high nutrient crops like sorghum, cassava, millet and sweet potatoes.
According to the already-developed regulations and standards, maize flour will be blended with cassava, millet and sorghum while wheat flour will be blended with sorghum, cassava and sweet potatoes.
The push for the milling of blended flours by millers started in 2018, when the Ministry of Agriculture with the help from various development partners drafted guidelines and standards governing the blending of maize and wheat flour.
The main goal of the initiative is to make under-utilized crops more value-chain competitive, improve nutrition as well create employment opportunities.
“The flour blending initiative is good as it will ensure that all Kenyans will be consuming nutritious food while utilising our indigenous crops which are underutilised yet are nutritious. As development partners we are going to invest to ensure that we bring the right food to your tables,” said Robert Mwadime, Chief of Party for a USAID-funded Feed the Future Kenya Crops and Dairy MarketSystems (KCDMS) project. According to him, though currently we don’t have enough supply of these underutilised crops, once demand is there the supply will go up.
Currently, limited demand for these crops in local or international markets has made farmers find it not economically viable to continue cultivating them, especially when more lucrative alternatives are available.
Modern biotechnology
Apart from that, low productivity has also contributed to the low supply of these crops. The low productivity is because these crops have not undergone the same level of breeding and genetic improvement as modern, commercial crops. This has resulted in lower yields and susceptibility to pests and diseases.
“Pest and diseases have put so much pressure on these crops forcing farmers to abandon them. For example, we have seen farmers abandon sorghum farming because of striga which is a parasitic plant problem. Striga is capable of reducing yields, in some cases wiping out the entire crop. Cassava brown streak disease and cassava mosaic disease have also made cassava farmers abandon cassava farming,” he adds.
But what can be done to improve productivity? Dr Willy Tonui the Chairman and Executive Director of Environmental Health Safety (EHS) Consultancy Ltd says that the adoption of modern agricultural biotechnologies is the answer to this pressing problem.
Modern biotechnology according to him can help to ensure these underutilized crops are available by facilitating the development of genetically modified crop varieties that are pests and disease resistant.
“Pest and diseases have become rampant and they damage crops and reduce their yields. This aspect has been made worse by emerging pests that appear to be more destructive and unresponsive to traditional methods of management. With such biotechnological modifications, and decreased crop damage by pests, the yield will increase and ensure a steady supply of these foods,” says Tonui.
Wastages
According to him, since most of these crops are a preserve of a given geographical area. Their ability to withstand changes in environmental conditions is limited. As such, maximum productivity will always be limited to the productivity capabilities of their native areas.
However, with biotechnology, these crops can be manipulated to tolerate diverse environmental conditions, such as resistance to drought, while being productive. Here, biotechnology will introduce genes to confer the underutilised crop the capability to withstand climate change and environmental stress of interest.
He also reveals that since significant damage to crop yield happens because of poor post-harvest technology as most of these foods are perishable, biotechnology can also be leveraged to develop modern methods and techniques that can substantially increase the crops’ shelf life and thereby avail these foods in the market for longer periods while minimizing wastages.
Are there any examples of successful biotechnology interventions that have led to increased availability of these underutilised foods? Dr.Tonui says that successful interventions are already there. For example, the development of a cassava variety resistant to CBSD has seen production go up. In Uganda, researchers have reported genetic gains for CBSD upwards of 2.3 per cent per year. Revealing that the protection of the crop has led to improved yields.
Another example is the development of the pearl millet which is drought tolerant. Through biotechnological interventions, a drought-resistance variety has been developed. This variety is capable of coping with drought stress and has significant yield and grain-filling capacity as proven by the harvest.
“Despite all these successes, what I would like to say is that biotechnology is not a solution on its own. It must be used together with existing techniques for optimal outcomes. To optimise the availability of these foods, several approaches that amalgamate traditional practices and biotechnology must be encouraged,” he says.
Adding that “local communities must be involved in the development and application of biotechnology. This will create a sense of ownership and minimal resistance, if any, will be experienced during uptake. There is also a need to provide training and education on specific methods of biotechnology that are beneficial to a certain group. The relevance and applicability of biotechnology in a given context will help local farmers to scale up production of indigenous food.”
Compliance challenge
Apart from that there is a need for using biotechnology in a manner that does not compete with local traditional systems but in a way that complements it. For example, promote organic farming and biotechnology side by side. Also, biotechnological methods of pest and disease management that involve aspects of genetic resistance can be integrated with cultural practices.
Will millers comply with this new regulation once the country has enough supply? Mwadime says compliance will be the hardest nut to crack, especially for the informal market but for the formal market, this will not be a challenge.
According to him, informal markets will present unique challenges for compliance, as they often lack the same level of regulation and oversight as formal markets.
However, according to Mary Njeri from the Ministry of Agriculture, since they engaged the industry and stakeholders throughout the process, they expect little to no resistance.
Source: Peoples Daily