A group of nutritionists led by a Nigerian Nutritionist, Olapeju Phorbee have recommended that the consumption of “wonder crops” which have been biofortified with required and essential vitamins and minerals for human body would provide the lasting solutions to the lingering problems of malnutrition particularly amongst the Nigerians who
just consume what they see not minding whether they are balance diet or not, due to socio-economic hardship in the country.
According to Olapeju, the Country Coordinator, Building Nutritious Food Baskets (BNFB) Nigeria while speaking at the media briefing in Abuja yesterday, “Current statistics has shown that more than 2.5 million Nigerians are experiencing “Hidden Hunger” (lacking major micro nutrients in their daily meal), placing Nigeria in the Category A of Countries with severe cases of Malnutrition in the last five years”.
Speaking further on the meaning of Wonder Crops or Biofortied Crops, “They are crops that have gone through the biofortification process at the planting
and growing stages”.
“Biofortification is the process of increasing nutritional value of food crops by increasing the density of vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, Beta Carotene, and other caroteniods in a crop”.
She added that currently the three major wonder crops in Nigeria are Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato, PVA Maize and Yellow Cassava which are staple food in Africa.
“These wonder crops can be made into wide varieties of food, for instance Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potatoes can used to make bread, chin-chin and be crushed for juice extract” she said.
Speaking further on the negative effects
of malnutrition, she stated that Children are mostly affected at the early childhood when adequate nutritious foods are not being provided for them which often leads to “Hidden Hunger”.
“Malnourished children or persons are prone to wide range of illnesses and diseases. And these diseases could cause irreparable damages in human body if they are no essential vitamins in the body fight back”.
This is why it is expedient for the Federal Government of Nigeria to speed up on her implementation plans in tackling the challenges of malnutrition across Nigeria particularly those living in the marginalized and rural communities said Olapeju.