Kogi to establish five cashew processing plants

THE Kogigovernment plans toestablish five cashew-processing plants in the state.Mr. Jerry Amadu, a director in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government,made the announcementon Friday in Ayingba, Kogi, in aninterview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).He said the plants werebeingestablished under a ``Special Project Intervention Scheme.''Amadu, who is also the secretary,Implementation Committee on the project,saidthe scheme was part of government's effortsto promote small-scale businesses in the state.He said that apart from the cashew processing plants,government alsoplans to establish 105agro-alliedprocessing plants to process cassava, rice, oil palm and other commodities.``Government plansto establish110 processing industries, including some clusters forcashew processing andiscommitted to establishing small and medium enterprises. To this end, we havegone into partnership with the Bank of Industries. Thebank will assistinthe provision of equipment,whilegovernment willprovideinfrastructure.''Amadu explained that the government was interested inboosting the production of cashew,because the crop thrived very well within the state. He saidthat most ofthecashewproducedin the statewere wasted due to non value addition.NAN reports thatthe Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), in collaboration with the Kogi State University, Ayingba establishedcashew processing plant in the school in 2010.Prof. Peter Onwualu, the council's director-general, said at theinauguration of the plant that itsestablishmentwas part of efforts to promote the development of clustersin the 774 local government areasinthe country.Amadu added thatRMRDC was also partnering with the state governmentto provide consultancy services for the establishment and smooth running of the plants. Hesaid that whencompleted the plantswould be manned by officials of cooperative societies.He explained thatthe feasibility studies conducted bythe officialsindicated thatthe project would be sustainable.``At the end of the day, if all of these projectscan take off, it will go a long way to reduce poverty in the state.''Commenting on the establishment of the cashew processing plants, Prof. Hassan Isah,the vice-chancellor,Kogi State University,expressed optimism that the statewould soon become a centre of excellence in cashew processing.
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