The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Local Consumption organized, on July 7, 2022, at the Sarakawa hotel in Lomé, a local bread tasting day on the theme ” Promotion of breads made from local flours”. This day is part of the promotion of local products, through the concept of ” Consuming local month » instituted a few years ago by the Togolese government. An initiative that aims to highlight the quality of bread and its derivatives made from local tubers and cereals and to arouse people’s interest in their consumption. The ceremony, chaired by the Minister in charge of Trade, Mr. Kodjo Adedzé, was attended by various personalities, as well as representatives of various consumer associations.
Today, the coronavirus pandemic has had a lasting effect on wheat production and supply chains. This situation has worsened with the war between Ukraine and Russia, the two largest suppliers of this commodity. This new deal has further weakened all economies around the world, including that of Togo.
To this end, the Ministry in charge of Trade organized, yesterday in Lomé, a local bread tasting day for consumers and actors in the bakery sector. This initiative, which supports the actions of the government in the effective and efficient implementation of the concept of ” Month of local consumption, enabled the organizers to raise public awareness of the importance of consuming bread and its derivatives made from local flours, and to inform them of their nutritional values. This, in order to boost this sector providing jobs, wealth creation and economic growth.
Bread and its derivatives made from local products on display
Allow the country to depend less and less on wheat
On the occasion, the president of the bakers of Togo, Mr. Boma Atta Bonaventure, indicated that bread is a very consumed food in Togo and it is made from wheat flour, an imported product. However, for him, there are techniques for incorporating local bread-making flours from cereals, tubers or even legumes into wheat flour, to make composite bread, which is nutritionally richer. ” By using local bread flours to make bread, we allow our country to depend less and less on wheat and local businesses to emerge. The production of bread flour from sorghum, cassava, soybean or others, is a benefit for the local economy which will be better off. This will make it possible to develop value chains of local products, thus creating jobs and income for actors in the sector”, he explained, before adding that in Togo, some bakeries had already taken the lead before the current context, to value these local cereals and tubers to produce bread.
Consumers urged to favor local products
By opening the work, the Minister Kodjo Adedzé in charge of Trade, let it be understood that through this tasting initiative, the government encourages, more, the various flour producers, the bakers to intensify the incorporation of these flours made from local products such as cassava, corn, soybeans, etc. in their productions. He invited consumers to favor these products for their richness and the nutritional benefits they provide.
« From now on, local bread, its derivatives and others, will have to be served in supermarkets, on flights departing from our capital. The government, for its part, will spare no effort to encourage local consumption.”, he pointed out. He said that as part of the promotion of local consumption, an orientation law is being finalized. He noted that awareness sessions for bakers on the processes and the use of local bread-making flours are planned following this day. They will thus mark the beginning of a series of large-scale communications and training for flour producers throughout the national territory.
Firmin DEFALEONA