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· *FIIRO, NCAM, Fabricators react
The use of crude implements and methods
in agricultural production and processing have negatively impacted on Nigeria’s
agricultural practices such that there is low productivity and a lot
of wastages resulting in high import
bill on various types of food crops and
livestock to the tune of 50 billion dollar yearly, thereby hindering the
country’s development and job creation
efforts.
In the recent time, the federal government recognizing the
role of agriculture in national economy, has made effort towards mitigating the
challenges of drudgery in agricultural production and processing of food crops into
various derivatives of the foods for both local consumption and export, with
many of its agencies researching into and developing simple, efficient and
ecologically adapted tools and machines that can remove drudgery. But
inefficiency and sub-standard equipment is very visible in the whole process
which is a great concern to many stakeholders.
The recently concluded Science, Technology and Innovation
for Nigeria’s economic Diversification organized by the Federal Ministry of
Science and Technology unveiled with high hope many innovative agriculture
production and processing, proving that Nigeria has what it takes to surmount the
challenges that are frightening away our youth from the farm, even as both the
public and private stakeholders at the expo agreed that the country had what it
takes to move from subsistence farming to commercial farming through simple, efficient and adaptable
machines.
Director General of
Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Dr. Gloria Elemo
revealed that many industrial food processing equipment are available waiting
for investors and entrepreneurs for replication in commercial quantity saying a
lot has been achieved by the Institute in the past 50 years with about 500,000
active entrepreneurs across the country using her technologies in the
processing of locally sourced raw materials to exportable products.
Dr. Elemo elaborated some of the achievements of her
Institute even with the fund dwindling for research in the face of economic
situation saying “FIRO has achieved so well in the last 60 years using its
mandate to assist in accelerating the industrialization of the Nigerian economy
through utilization of nation’s raw materials and upgrading indigenous
production technologies to develop several food derivatives for further uses.
Some of the vivid R&D achievements of FIIRO are on sorghum-malt production
which led to the ban placed on barley-malt in the brewing industry in Nigeria.”
She pointed out also that the institute’s research in
cassava processing has made it a golden crop today with inclusion of 10% flour
into bread and other confectioneries thereby reducing import bill on wheat
adding that the proliferation of instant pounded yam flour production companies
in the country was as a result of effort
of the Institute with over 5,000 jobs created alone on this just one crop
through value addition and called for substantial support be given to research
because of what it take before a research work could be brought to product.
The narrative of National Centre for Mechanization (NCAM)
through the Acting Executive Director, Engineer (Dr) M.Y Kasali at Ilorin
confirmed what the Institute has in stock to mitigate farmers’ drudgery with
simple, efficient and ecologically friendly machines and tools made available
for small, medium and big commercial farmers thereby addressing the issue of
affordability to agricultural productivity from clearing, harrowing, planting
and harvesting.
Engr. Kasali pointed out that there a lot of simple,
efficient and ecologically adaptable tools and machines the Centre had adopted
and fabricated for reducing drudgery in agricultural activities that are gender
friendly saying the small, medium and large scale were all considered for
affordability.
Taking Food Farm News
round the NCAM workshop, Engr. Kasali said that partnership with Nigeria
Association of Fabricators in Nigeria has really assisted in the transferring
of these improved technologies to the end users thereby advised that support
should be given to the association because returns on agricultural equipment is
not as fast as any other business.
He said:“Most entrepreneurs find it difficult to embrace
agricultural equipment manufacturing because there is a very low rate of return
due to farmers’ disposable income. Farmers have low disposable income, and an
investor will like to put his money where there is a high return than
production. As a result of low investment government needs to bridge the gap,
which I think is what is being done through the Bank of Industry, to help the
manufacturer entrepreneurs with loan support. The entrepreneurs need to be
encouraged in agro-business because of the low return associated with sector as
most people want quick money, and agricultural equipment does not fall into
this category. So, government needs to do more.”
He said a lot have been achieved with many other improved
manually operated and motorized simple machines and tractor of small and medium
sizes that would soon be released into the market.
Continuing, he said:“Most
of our machines are gender friendly whereby we put into consideration tools and
machines that can be easily handled by both men and women with less stress. We
have low cost machines like cassava peeling tool that can easily peel without
sustaining any injury. We have cassava planters which is a tractor mounted device
that has the capacity of planting five hectares per day. It is a Brazilian type
that has been adopted.
There are multi- purpose thresher that can thresh
different types of crops like cassava and the rest. We have cassava mounted
harvester that can also uproot about five hectares per day. The rice trans
planter machines will soon be available as it is ongoing, and as soon as is
completed, it will be tested and certified for commercialization. There are
both the motorized ones and the manually pushed ones”
The National Financial Secretary of Agricultural Machinery
Equipment Fabricators of Nigeria (AMEFON) and Director, S. Adiss Agricultural Engineering
LTD. Engr. Segun Bolaji was very passionate about Nigeria having her own
certified standard that will be mainstreamed into the global one saying
“government should be thinking through Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON)
on how Nigeria can have her own standard that will key into the international
standard. What is SON doing as regards this? When you go to a country like
China, she has her own standard, why can’t Nigeria have one?”
Engr. Bolaji said the machines fabricated in Nigeria are very
durable and pointed out that “people are mixing two issues. There is difference
between good finishing and durability. There could a machine with good
finishing without durability. As far as Nigerian machines are concerned,
fabricators are making very durable machines, but our problem is access to
equipment that makes our machine neater”
The FIIRO exhibition stand had a quite numbers of
technologies waiting off takers which included Fish smoking kiln, Tapioca or
cassava peeler, okro slicer, Ginger splitting machine, Extruder flash dryer,
rice DE stoner, gari fryer, Beni-seed oil Ex peeler and Electro planting
equipment.
Interview
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