By Giwa SHILE
The demand for Nigerian-made cassava `chin chin’ by foreigners and other visitors increased on Wednesday at the ongoing Lagos International Trade Fair, the TBI Africa report
TBI Africa at the trade fair reports that the cassava `chin chin’ was produced by a 25-year-old Nigerian, Mr Casimu Eneyo, who became an entrepreneur after a degree in Food and Nutrition.
Chin chin is counted among the most popular snacks in Nigeria and made from the combination of flour, milk and sugar.
The foreigners expressed satisfaction and were amazed at the product.
Mr Xinjiang Lei, a Chinese, said he loved the taste of the `chin chin’, saying it had a delicious taste.
A Togolese, Mr Gnassimbe Houngbo, said that he only knew that Garri and cassava flour were made from cassava.
“I didn’t know that cassava could be turned into flour to make confectionery.
“Using cassava for `chin chin’ is highly innovative. It must have taken some intelligence to come up with this idea,’’ Houngbo said.
A Ghanaian, Mr Francis Oliwe, said the product being sold at N500 per 500 grammes was good.
He urged African youths to make good use of their countries’ resources.
Eneyo, the producer of the product, who labelled it as “The Child’s Foods’’, said eating delicious, locally-made cassava breads, cakes and side dishes had their nutritional contents.
“As a tuberous root vegetable, cassava is gluten, grain and nut-free. It also contains vitamin C, calcium and healthy carbohydrate.
“I have been in this business for four years and I have been distributing to companies.
“I am making huge sales from confectioneries made from cassava produce. I am now my own boss,’’ he said.
In 2001, the Federal Government directed the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) to find ways of including local raw materials in the production of confectionery.
The outcome of the research is that cassava flour can be used to make confectionery without adverse effect on the taste and texture of the product.
Many did not embrace this idea until recently when some entrepreneurs tried their hands on the innovation.
Cassava production is vital to the economy of Nigeria, as the country is one of the world’s largest producers of the commodity.
Garri, fufu, starch are some of the by-products of the commodity but some entrepreneurs carried out some research and discovered that the commodity can be used to make confectionery like bread, chin-chin, among others.
