The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is sponsoring  that National Root Crops Research Institute, (NRCRI) Umudike, to research into the production of bio-fortified cassava.Dr Keneth Nwosu, the Executive Director of the institute, disclosed this  in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

He said that bio-fortified cassava would help in improving the nutrition of 40,000 children who died annually in Nigeria from vitamin `A’ deficiency.Nwosu said that though cassava was rich in calories, it offered limited nutritional value.

He said the institute had succeeded in fortifying cassava with three vital nutrients — vitamin A, iron, and protein.“The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation  is providing 100 per cent funding and they have also trained some of our scientists.

“Right now, we have four of our scientists working in laboratories in the U.S. to fashion out how best to achieve the concept,’’ he said.

Nwosu said that two other countries in Africa — Uganda and Kenya — would also benefit from the grant.

He said the grant would be used to support research into the development of different varieties of cassava appropriate for small farmers in Nigeria and Kenya, where cassava was widely consumed.

Nwosu that said the institute was also collaborating with a consortium called `Harvest Plus Research’, to increase the pro-vitamin `A’ content of cassava.

He said the institute had also produced high quality cassava flour for baking bread.