Earn more cash from millet bread

Agricultural scientists in various research institutes across the country are now adopting a hands-on technology by engaging in breeding agricultural commodities right from the laboratories to product development in farmer fields and processing the products as an industrial good.

This way they are looking at integrating their research work to benefit the farmer and the consumer who must receive the final product in a better form where value has been added.

One such initiative is by scientists at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) in Namulonge who are processing millet and cassava bread.
The scientists led by Dr Ephraim Nuwamanya in charge of the biochemistry laboratory at NaCRRI have started commercialising the millet bread.

Value addition process
The team is processing fine quality cassava and millet flour where they modify it by reducing the starch and sugar content.
The cassava flour is mixed with millet flour and mingled into bread. This can be wrapped in foil and kept in refrigerator or any clean place and kept for one week without it fermenting.

One will then simply cut a piece warm it on any cooking gadget and consume with the appropriate sauce.
In modifying the flour the starch is reduced and converted into protein and other relevant minerals such as zinc, iron thereby making minerals needed by the body.

This means people will consume millet bread with better food nutrient. The normal millet bread usually ferments after one day because the starch contains lots of sugar which when reduced will keep the bread soft for one week.
The team has done research on the bread for one and half years now and the results have been proved to be working well.

They began by modifying plain cassava flour but realised most people love cassava mixed with millet and they embarked on modifying the millet flour. The next step is to cater for the interest of those who like mixing cassava flour with sorghum and they will modify the same.

They have already filed for the patent with Naro intellectual property team who are charged with approval of such scientific innovations. They are waiting for the approval and thereafter make an application to Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) for commercialisation to commence. Dr Nuwamanya is very confident Ugandans will embrace the shelf millet bread.
“We will also train other farmers who want to benefit from this innovation,” he said.

Purpose and benefits
The purpose is to encourage people to engage in the entire value addition as a business where they can be able to earn income in trading in shelf-long millet bread.
Instead of obtaining the usual starch content from the normal millet bread, people will be able to consume food with various food nutrients, which is good for human health.

It is time saving, especially for the working class. Instead of walking into a super market to purchase bread made from wheat or cake, people will be in position to purchase traditional ready-made millet bread.

Marketing strategy
The team is set to work with a private firm who will be involved in processing the flour on large scale to be sold in supermarkets in major towns across the country.
It will be labelled as modified flour with reduced starch which people will be advised to purchase for purpose of mingled long shelf-bread.

People dealing in catering business will be encouraged to mingle the bread which they can sell to consumers who may not have the time to mingle the same due to their busy schedule. This can be sold as a traditional fast food in super markets and restaurants.
The target will be regional based especially in east, north and some parts of western Uganda where people consume millet bread.