Ajayi Folashade (52) is a Fufu seller who has been in the business for over ten years, serving the Osogbo community. As an expert who has mastered the art of making fufu from scratch, Folashade was doing well. This was until she soaked cassava she had bought from a farmer and it became a liquid substance after the third day and nothing to show for it
The cassava without any alternative was thrown away and the money she had spent on it wasted was unreturnable because the Fufu was useless and unsellable.
According to Folashade, "Fufu business can be annoying and non-profitable sometimes, that's because of too much fertilizer on the cassava during its stage of germinating and growing. This is caused by the farmers, because of their unending desire to make the cassava grow before the due time, maybe because they need urgent money or because of a reason I can't even ascertain.
Without our prior knowledge of how the cassava was processed before it grew, we'll buy it and it will squander our money without anything to show for it. We all know too much of everything is bad, that's also in the case of cassava and application of fertilizer. If the fertilizer is too much it affects our market excruciatingly" Afolashade Lamented
As if that's not enough, Folashade despite being a skillful fufu producer carelessly cooked a saturated fufu, without dewatering it, after a day she normally cooks it after it has been sieved. Unfortunately, her expectation for that period wasn't met as she had planned to make up to 20, 000 on it but the fufu was not starchy because the liquid substance was not well removed from it.
"Fufu selling is a profitable business like I've always been doing since the past 10 years, but it was a tragedy the day I made the mistake and earned nothing from it, and that's the ugly part of the business.
In every work, there's always a challenge and there is profit also, there are days like that and there are days we also make huge profit on it" she noted.
Fufu is one of the popular fermented products of cassava that is consumed generally in Nigeria. Like other products of cassava, Fufu is consumed and the process is stressful and time-consuming.
Farming is a major work in Osun state, with special preference for Cassava farming and which later breed different products, like garri, fufu, amala and others. Nigeria is the world largest producer of cassava, and as such Osun people have venrured into the business.
According to research, Nigeria hosts a large array of cassava farmers, from small scale farming to large scale farming. Fufu nein5tb3 second most consumed product of cassava after garri
Fufu in some parts of Nigeria is called utaraakpunor Akpu, the research demystified that fufu has a higher profit and a better monetary prospect than other products.
Also, it is inferred that in the 20th century, 60% of the cassava harvested in Nigeria is used for fufu and just 5% for garri, but the reverse is the case now as fufu is strenuous in its processing stage.
Some residents in Osogbo use Fufu making to meet their daily financial needs and also to provide food for their households.
Fufu is produced by first peeling the cassava after it has been carried from the farm, and soaking it inside the water till it get soft depending on the season, it normally last spend 3 days of fermentation in water and if it's during harmattan period it spends more than that, line 4 days or five days.
After it has become soft, the cassava will be sieved and the unneeded part which includes tiny stick from cassava will be separated and thrown away while some spray and dry it, then use it as cassava flour.
The method of soaking/steeping of roots varies from states and processors in South-East Nigeria. Soaking, steeping or fermentation of the cut roots may be carried out either by continuous soaking of chunked roots for a period of 3–5 days of fermentation or by washing and grating of the soaked root after 48hrs of fermentation, followed by re-steeping of grated roots.
The fermented roots or mash are finally sieved, and dewatered to obtain the wet paste. The sour taste, flavour, appearance and texture are mainly recognised as determinants of fufu acceptance and quality. The variations in processing methods and differences in physico-chemical properties of cassava varieties alter the texture of the cooked fufu.
Research has shown that Fufu supplies lots of energy to the body, it is an excellent source of carbohydrates.
Being a high-carb food, there are a lot of benefits to gain from eating and part of it is that carbohydrates help in supplying the body with adequate energy while also fueling the brain, kidneys, heart, muscles as well as the central nervous system to boost their overall functioning.
Interviews with some fufu consumers also disclosed that Fufu is very soft to take and last in the body.
Babayemi Temilola said "Fufu is very soft while taking and it stay a while in the body before it digest"
Also, It was discovered that Fufu is low in cholesterol. Medical experts also suggest that consuming low-cholesterol foods like akpu can help regulate cholesterol levels in the body and shield against heart diseases. You can find out about some other Nigerian foods with low cholesterol.
It is as well. It is rich in potassium. Fufu contains a good amount of potassium. The potassium in Fufu is again linked with fluid balance regulation, improved bone mineral density, lowered formation of kidney stones, reduced risk of loss of muscle mass, and the host of other benefits.
It also has high fiber, high benefits. These are health benefits which cannot be undermined, thus, people resorted to making it for tbe benefits of everyone.
In an interview with Lagos local news, Deborah Adedokun, 42 who asserted that she has been in the fufu making business for over 20 years explained that despite the stress in the work, Fufu making is very lucrative and good in sponsoring any financial needs including sponsoring children in school.
She said, " fufu is lucrative and helps in sponsoring children in school, no one can do the business and complain of going bankrupt. This fufu business can feed the whole family and we will still spend money out of it, I have achieved a lot in this work, we sponsor our children in school and we are about to build our houses''
She explained that there's always time to cook fufu, and there are times the water should not be too much.
"There is an appropriate time to process and to cook fufu because if someone lacks the basic knowledge, money can be wasted on it, you don't know the appropriate time. There's time if someone is not perfect, you will lose if you don't know about it but if you are an expert you will know how to go about it.
While talking about the stress in the work with the current economy of Nigeria, Mrs Deborah explained that Fufu passes through different stages, and the laborer will always collect money and the country's economy is not favourable.
She said, "The cassava is expensive now, and those people that will uproot it from the farm will still collect money." She pleaded with the government to empower the farmers and make sure things are not expensive so things will be easy for them as well.
"If there's enough cassava it will not be expensive and it will make it easy for us. the Government can provide caterpillar for the farmers to make the work easier for them"
Ajayi Afolashade in her words also beseech the Government to empower the farmers so everything will be easy for them.
In her own plight, Ojo Rebecca expatiate that Fufu making work is good and is very lucrative, "Fufu work is good, it is a work of tranquility because you can easily give the food to children and also use the money to sponsor them in school even after sieving it, we can still use it for cassava flour"
She said, "There's no work that is not stressful, even those that work in offices, and that's where god has destined us to be, we have no choice. The ways Government can help us is to empower the farmers and also give us a little money, because we need money to buy those things, we bought it in osogbo, ifon, and other farms.
While explaining the stress she passes through, Rebecca said, "During the rainy season, cassava is easy to uproot but now it is hard and some are even running away from us and we'll still need to put additional money before they can carry out the Job"
Mrs Afolabi Idowu, a Fufu seller said who explained that Fufu is a lucrative business said it not easy to do for an individual. "Fufu is good because we are able to survive through it, and I do other things as well, it is very profitable though it is stressful, and it's not something someone can single handedly do, some help me to filter it and some help me to pack the cassava from the village.
She narrated that when she started the work 11 years ago, it was very hard until she became an expert. She explained that the country's economy has made everything difficult for them as it is not like that. "When we started, 11 years that was hard but now it's becoming easy for us. It is different from what we are selling and buying, though we are selling it but not as before because the country's economy is not helping the situation."
"It's not affecting but depends on the cassava and fuel because they will add the transport fare to it . Government can't intervene or else they help the farmers. If we drive it today we'll cook it tomorrow, and put it in a bag, the water will remove itself. It's not compulsory to put stone on it.
A trader, Tiamiyu Abosede who started the work 2 years ago noted that she fell sick one day after she finished cooking the fufu.
"I just started 2 years ago and it's very stressful, if we see cassava we will peel it and soak it in water, then remove it the third day. There was a time I was sick and I later recovered and started the work again."
She explained that it was sold for 1,000 before it became 3,000, urging the government to find something to do. "When I first started in the last two years, it was 1,000, till it reached 3, 000. If the government can help us it will by providing money for the farmers.