By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The African Development Bank (AfDB) in partnership with Synergos Nigeria and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has inaugurated a prototype maciine for conversion of High Quality Cassava Peels.(HQCP) into feed ingredients for animal feeds.(HQCP)
The Country Director of Synergos Nigeria, Mr Victor Adejoh, in his opening remarks at the inaugural ceremony at HQCP centre in Ejule, Ofu Local government area over the weekend said the innovation was aimed at addressing issues of environmental pollution and income support for women.
The Country Director who was represented by Mrs Lydia Oyewole, Synergos Project Facilitator, hinted that Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation’s (TAAT) developmental objective was to scale up agricultural technologies with Livestock component as one of the key compacts to achieve the objectives.
Adejoh said that Synergos Nigeria was implementing the project in partnership with ILRI with funding from AfDB as part of the bank’s implementation of its “Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT)”.
He said that the prototype waste-to-wealth innovation to be run by Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria (SWOFON) would be enable production of high quality cassava peel (HQCP) feed ingredients thereby, circumventing cassava peel drying constraints.
The prototype machine according to him waa the second in the state with the first, located at Ojapata, Ankpa Local Government according to him, is based on principle of grating; dewatering, fermentation; pulverizing, sieving and drying.
Adejoh noted that the machine would produce dried high quality cassava peel mash (fine and coarse) feeds with four to six months shelf-life and suitable for poultry, fish, pigs, goats, sheep and cattle.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture Mr David Apeh, the state called on the women to utilise the prototype pricessing facilitie at their doorstep to increase their livelihood support and better their lives instead of idling away.
Apeh who was represented by Ichaka okolo, Director, Agric Services, also called on AfDB, Synergos, ActionAid and other partners and agencies to increase their interventions in Agribusiness initiative for overall development the state.
Earlier earlier in her address, Hajia Sefiya Yahaya SWOFON Coordinator in the state called on the Federal and and State Governments to accord women farmers their rights and make land available to them as a right rather than privilege saying, “Our land is our right.”
