Sweet potato bread introduced

Dar es Salaam. Consumers will soon start enjoying a new type of bread following the introduction of new orange fleshed sweet potato bread.

Afco Investment Company Limited executive director Ms Fortunata Mmari, told The Citizen that they are holding a discussion with International Potato Centre to help provide technical support.

The move will also link the company with appropriate farmers of orange sweet potatoes for making orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes (OFSP) bread.

The varieties of OFSP can play a key role in alleviating vitamin A deficiency, which is rampant among children in Tanzania, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

“We cannot just start enter into orange bread bakery without having proper supply of raw materials to make the bakery products,” she said.

“For a start we have identified two bakeries within the city we would be working with, by supplying such products into their bakeries.”

Ms Mmari further explained that this will be a pilot project and the extension will depend on acceptability of the product.

Ms Mmari added that there are other bio fortified crops varieties which have been introduced in the market by other partners in Tanzania.

They include iron beans which have introduced by Selian Agricultural Research Institute and pro-vitamin A maize varieties which have been introduced by Meru Agro Consultant Company Limited.

She said that the target people for the OFSP bread, beans and PVA maize are children and pregnant mothers though everyone can use them.

“The most important is to ensure the Nutritious food can be accessed by everyone at the reasonable price,” she said.