Murtalab Adedamola, who is the Food Basket Trainer for the Enable Taat Project at IITA, has revealed that Orange- Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) is a very important nutrition for children under seven years and diabetic patients.

Speaking to a group of Journalists who were being trained at a workshop on Research Evidence Dissemination for Intermediaries at the IITA Headquarters in Ibadan Nigeria, Murtalab Adedamola reiterated the need for African countries to focus on the production of Orange- Fleshed Sweet Potato, due to its nutritious value and how it can produce in the overall agricultural system.

“The OFSP are nutritious in value, they have been in existence for long, but its just that people do not focus on it,its different from the sweet potato out there, its rich with vitamin A, which is very good for children between the age of 0-6yrs”, he said.

He further added that Orange- Fleshed Sweet Potato is also very good for diabetic patients, due its low level of sugar and the water retention is very high.

Since OFSP is a rich source of dietary vitamin A, a required nutrient that is often deficient, particularly in the diets of under five years of age children and lactating women, there is the urgent need for it to be prioritized so that it can be produced in high quantities to address the deficiency among vulnerable populations at the community level.

Source: Esther Abankwah/newslinegh.com

 

Exclusively Newslinegh