Last Updated on December 16, 2014 by admin
The existing collaboration between the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) and Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), has recorded another remarkable dividend with the commissioning of an upgraded plant and equipment at the FUNAAB missioning of the latest equipment donated by RMRDC would usher-in the production of several varieties of cashew products on commercial basis, not only for the benefit of the University Community, but also for the entire good people of Ogun State and beyond”.
The Vice-Chancellor commended the generosity of RMRDC, saying the equipment donated would increase the University’s income-generating capacity. According to him, if the University could have more of the equipment, cashew products would have been better available for exporting. He, however, pledged that any money given to the University would be used judiciously, adding that the University was one of the foremost institutions in Africa.
Earlier, while calling the attention of the RMRDC Chairman, to the menace of the Fulani herdsmen on the University Research farms, the Vice-Chancellor, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), Professor Felix Salako, welcoming the guests, said that Nomads had been threatening staff and students of FUNAAB making it difficult for cashew farmers to perform experiments on their farmlands.
He added that the University had however, so far, been fostering peace with them. Responding, Senator Jibrin noted the symbiotic relationship existing between the Fulani herdsmen and farmers, advising the Nomads to respect the dignity of the various communities they passed through. Jibrin, who is also the Seriki Fulani of Nigeria, said that the situation was not peculiar to Abeokuta alone, as he had also been working assiduously to promote peace among the herdsmen in the country. He said that the devastation of farmlands was of high magnitude and required urgent attention.
The Deputy Director of DUFARMS and Head, FUNAAB Cashew Processing Enterprise, Dr. Akinpelu Ojo, expressed the optimism that the enterthe country. Mr. Ojo added that cashew production was a good source of employment in the agricultural value-chain, from the farmer to the supplier.
The RMRDC Chairman, Prof Jibrin, however regretted that only about 5 and 10 per cent of 594,000 tonnes of cashew nuts being produced in the country were processed locally, while the rest were exported in their raw form to India, Vietnam and Brazil, despite the huge local demand for the processed cashew. Senator Jibrin, therefore, said the donation of the Processing Plant to FUNAAB Cashew Processing Enterprise was part of efforts aimed at addressing the challenges of exporting raw cashew nuts in the country.
