Three federal institutions are currently working on a collaborative effort aimed at enhancing growth in the agricultural value chain in the country.
They include the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending and Petroleum Technology Development Fund.
A statement from FIIRO quoted the Director-General of the institute, Prof. Gloria Elemo, as saying that the most beneficial effort of the partnership would be to enhance the agricultural value chain.
She said, “I would like to say that the most beneficial objective of this partnership would be partnership that brings agricultural value chain development to the fore, especially enhancement of agricultural value chains, where Nigeria has upmost comparative advantage.”
According to her, the targeted value chains are rice, cashew and cassava, where the institute has the competency to fabricate and install processing machinery and equipment at micro, small and medium levels as well as rendering technical consultancy services to large-scale enterprises in the value chains.
He disclosed NIRSAL’s readiness to adopt the FIIRO Tomato Catalytic Model Plant already in operations in Kano as a model for enhancing agricultural value chain in the country.
The Executive Secretary, PTDF, Bello Aliyu, was quoted as saying that the agency was going into the partnership in order to develop human capacity so that the country would be transformed industrially through indigenous technology
“I have seen the waste generated and losses recorded on agricultural commodities. That is why we are collaborating to check this colossal waste,” he stated.
By: Anna Okon
Punch News
