Manchie women at forefront of development

Accra, April 8, GNA - The women of Manchie in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, are in the forefront of the development process in their community through their income generating ventures.

Their earnings from cassava cultivation, which they process into gari and other cassava product, facilitated the execution of projects such as the construction of a primary and junior high School (JHS) and the provision of electricity and potable water.

Madam Comfort Dzormelo, Assembly Woman of the area led the women to achieve the feat most despite the many challenges including lack of funds and encroachment of their farm lands.

The Manchi Women Cassava Processing Group benefitted from a training programme in processing of quality cassava products.

With a grant from the Council for Technical Vocation Education and Training, the Food Research Institute (FRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research held three months training for them in the processing of high quality cassava flour, soya, gari, starch and tapioka, a local cereal.

At the closing ceremony, Dr Nanam Tay Dziedzoave, Director of FRI asked the women not to wait for funding before performing basic hygienic tasks such as cleaning their work environment and also put into practice what they have been taught to improve their products and income.

In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Sam Nii Atukwei Quay, Municipal Chief Executive lauded the women for their achievements and urged them to put in more effort to enable them employ more of their colleagues to reduce unemployment in the area.

Madam Dzormelo appealed to the assembly to help secure the land that houses the structure they use for their produce against encroachers.

Mr Ofei Nkansah, General Secretary of Ghana Agriculture Workers Union said the body is delighted that the shed the union provided for Manchie as nursery had metamorphosed into a JHS despite the myriad of challenges the women face.

He charged the women to away with acts of corruption and self centredness to make Ghana a better place.

The diversity of secondary products cassava offers makes it a very useful root crop.

However, once harvested, cassava roots are highly perishable and signs of deterioration begin to appear after a few days.

Apart from its use as food, cassava is very versatile and its derivatives and starch are applicable in many types of products such as foods, confectionery, sweeteners, glues, plywood, textiles, paper, biodegradable products, monosodium glutamate, and drugs.

Cassava chips and pellets are used in animal feed and alcohol production.

In an interview with Ghana News Agency, Head of Commercialisation and Information of the FRI, Stephen Nketiah said because of the high perishable nature of cassava, early processing of the roots is an inevitable option once they are harvested.

Processing involves different combinations of grating, dewatering, drying, soaking, boiling and fermentation of whole or fragmented roots to remove cyanogenic compounds which imparts toxicity to the roots.

According to him the food industry has a legal and moral responsibility to produce and prepare food that would not harm the consumer and must therefore rely on modern quality management systems to ensure the quality and safety of the products they produce.

The FRI is of the view that food manufacturers and entrepreneurs must should aim to produce products which consumers would prefer to that of their competitors and should adhere to processing procedures that would ensure highest quality he noted.

Consumers also like to know or have an idea as to what they are always buying, and it is therefore important that food products that the consumers buy from the manufacturer are of the highest quality,' he said.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a perennial woody shrub with an edible root which grows in tropical and subtropical areas of the world.

It has become the most important root crop in Ghana and is becoming an increasingly important staple food.

Its production is increasing due to its ease of cultivation, low maintenance requirement, drought tolerance, and ability to provide a root yield over an extended harvest period.

It is a root crop of choice to subsistence farmers because it provides food security and cash income when required.

It is rich in carbohydrates, calcium, thiamine, riboflavin niacin, vitamins B and C, and other essential minerals. Unfortunately the protein content of cassava is very low.

GNA