Ghana cassava is safe for consumption - MOFA

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) on Thursday said the improved cassava varieties being introduced to rural communities under the President's Special Initiative (PSI) for agribusiness is safe for human consumption.

The Ministry said the cassava is safe when boiled or processed into various cassava food items such as gari, agbelima (cassava dough), konkonte, baking flour and confectionery and starch.

Mr Akwasi Adjei Adjekum, National Programme Co-ordinator of the Root and Tuber Improvement Programme of MOFA, gave this assurance at a press briefing on the status of the implementation of the PSI in Accra on Thursday.

It was also in reaction to a publication in an Accra newspaper, Weekly Insight, of Wednesday, January 16, which claimed that: The special variety of cassava to be cultivated under the PSI may turn out to be a killer. Experts say that the new high yielding variety is far more toxic than existing varieties of cassava."

Mr Adjekum said all the three improved cassava varieties - Afisiafi, Abasa fitaa and Tekbankye being distributed under the PSI, were suitable for human consumption under any form of production. In addition Abasa fitaa and Tekbankye could be used for ampesi and fufu.

"It is untrue that the improved cassava varieties are extremely toxic and could kill a few hours after consumption as claimed by the newspaper."

Mr Adjekum said it was well documented that cassava consumption was associated with toxicity due to the crop's ability to produce cyanogenic compounds stored inside the cells, which could react with enzymes in the cell wall and capable of hydrolysing those compounds to produce cyanide. However, as a gas cyanide did not accumulate in the cassava plant.

He said due to the steps involved in the processing of cassava the accumulation of toxic levels of cyanide was not possible. "We wish to assure the public that the improved varieties of crops including those introduced into the country were subjected to intensive research and adapted to local conditions before being released to farmers and consumers," Mr Adjekum said.

The National Programme Co-ordinator said the improved cassava varieties being promoted under the PSI were released by MOFA in 1993 to farmers, who had recognised their potentials for high yields, resistance to pest and diseases and had been widely accepted by consumers.

"They are, therefore, suitable for human consumption and for processing into various food forms," he said. Concerning the problem associated with genetic modification of local cassava varieties by the new variety on a large scale, Mr Adjekum said cassava's propagation was vegetative planted with cuttings and not seeds.

"The tendency of genetic modification has no scientific basis and is untrue," he added.