Beans farmers speak on using cement to preserve produce

Femi Fabunmi

The Cowpea and Beans Farmers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (C&BFPMAN) has denied claims that beans are being preserved with cement

The National President of the association, Mr. Kabir Shuaibu, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.

He was reacting to a viral video on social media that showed some boys mixing beans with a substance that looked like cement.

Shuaibu explained that none of the association’s members would ever engage in such harmful practices.

“We do not use cement to preserve beans. Our association follows international best practices in preserving beans and other products,” he said.

According to him, the association has already stopped the use of any harmful additives. Instead, farmers now use thick nylon bags inside sacks to store beans. The nylon makes the bags airtight, preventing insects and weevils from entering.

Shuaibu added that a safe additive known as “Topstoxin” is sometimes applied in small amounts to stop weevils from destroying old beans. In some cases, dried pepper is also sealed with the beans to keep insects away.

“The use of cement would be obvious and consumers would reject such beans. It does not make sense, and we will never use it,” he stressed.

He noted that using nylon packaging remains the safest and most effective way of preserving beans for the market.