African governments urged to tap opportunities in soybean

Increasing the use of soybean in diets has a lot of nutritional benefits and will also create the critically needed demand to drive local production and boost farmers’ income.

Researchers and soybean processors say expanding the consumption of the "golden bean" would have a positive impact on the nutrition of women and children in Africa.

“To tackle malnutrition, we need to promote the use and consumption of soybean,” said Dr. Kenton Dashiell, Deputy Director General for Partnerships and Capacity Development at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

In Africa, malnutrition, particularly protein deficiency is widespread and animal protein is, often times, too expensive for most populations. Many legumes provide some protein, but soybean is the only available crop that provides an inexpensive and high-quality source of protein comparable to meat, poultry, and eggs.

According to Dr Dashiell, Africa needed to take advantage of the crop to drive sustainable development and agricultural transformation.

Dr Marilyn Nash, Program Coordinator, National Soybeans Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, US, described soybean as a ''miracle bean'' because of its high nutritional value.

She said that Nigeria has the potential of becoming a global leader in the cultivation and processing of soybeans.

Dr Gbassey Tarawali, Head of IITA Abuja station urged food manufacturers to harness the potential of the crop.

"Africans only know about production of soybean and we do not understand that it is an excellent source of micronutrients," he said.

Tarawali added that blending soybean with maize, millet, and sorghum is good for consumption. This can help increase the protein quality of the food consumed.

In Africa dry soybeans are used to produce milk substitutes and flour. The bean curd is fried and eaten as a snack or breakfast food.

There have been calls on African governments to accord the "miracle crop" priority under the agricultural transformation agenda.

Researchers are of the view that the nutritional value of soybean made it an important crop, which governments should invest in for the attainment of food security as well as raising the health standard of the people.