Nigeria: FG moves to revive cassava production to save N40 billion annual sorbitol import

The federal government has said its initiative on cassava productivity boosting programme will encourage local production of sorbitol and check the over N40 billion being spent annually to import the product. Sorbitol is a sweet-tasting crystalline compound found in some fruit. It is less commonly known as glucitol – a sugar alcohol with a sweet taste which the human body metabolizes slowly. It is said to be useful for diabetes patients. It is a sugar alcohol (polyol) with six-carbon atoms and six hydroxyl groups. Sorbitol occurs naturally in fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, apricots and nectarines. Other natural sources include dried fruits like prunes, dates and raisins, and in some vegetables. But mostly, it is being produced from cassava, one of the tuber crops that can be massively produced in Nigeria. But according to the Director General of the Raw Material Research Development Council (RMRDC), Professor Hussaini Doko Ibrahim, despite the fact that Nigeria is a major ...