By Praise Chinecherem
Anambra State Government has expressed its readiness to enhancing agricultural development through strategic partnership with the Raw Materials Research And Development Council (RMRDC)
Commissioner For Agriculture, Dr Forster Ihejiofor who stated while hosting State Coordinator, Raw Materials Research And Development Council, Dr Uche Arinze Nwosu said the move is anchored on necessity to source, process and enrich local raw materials to maximize their value.
He said that synergy with the Council to ensure effective raw materials exploitation and development was important to also assist the state government achieve her goals in the agricultural sector.
The Commissioner outlined potential areas of partnership to include expired palm tree trunks harvesting and processing,banana trunks,bamboo, harvesting/processing of grasses to feed ruminants, donkey ranching value chain addition among others.
“I have been thinking that we can harvest all these expired palm trees,pulverise them, either use them as raw materials for mushroom or use them as substrates for black soldier fly or edible African weevils or convert them to paper.What is left will become organic fertilizer for regular crop production,” he stressed.
While urging the Council to consider real project implementation and discourage pilot projects for maximum impact, Ihejiofor expressed optimism and looked forward to the Ministry collaborating with the Council to achieve positive results.
Earlier, RMRDC boss told Commissioner that she considered it proper to familiarise with the Ministry and to discuss areas of meaningful collaboration.
“So we have come to interface with you,see areas of meaningful collaboration with the Ministry and see how we can be of technical support,any kind of collaboration that will help our people,” she noted.
Nwosu described the Ministry as one of their core collaborators especially on key programmes developed by the Council to support states such as pilot plant projects for pharmaceutical and industrial grades as well as crop boosting programme.
“Under the crop boosting programme,we identify the particular crop or plant that the state has comparative advantage.We try to push that of the state to enter to the crop boosting plan of the council.
“What we do is to source and supply free of charge hybrid seedlings of the plant. It is a yearly programme. It is in line with the Council’s mandate to promote the development and utilisation of the nation’s raw materials for sustainable growth,” she added.
The Coordinator assured of the Council’s commitment under her watch to upgrade the Raw Materials Display Centre in the state to showcase all available raw materials to industrialists, investors and other stakeholders.
