Ogun Government on Wednesday in Abeokuta said kolanut could boost the economy of the state if properly harnessed.
Ogun Government on Wednesday in Abeokuta said kolanut could boost the economy of the state if properly harnessed. The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs Ronke Sokefun said this at a one-day stakeholders workshop on “Matters Affecting Kolanut Economy.??
Sokefun said that the State Produce Inspection Service was being equipped for the task of quality assessment as an essential way of improving the marketing and pricing of the produce. She said the pricing and marketing of the produce would be enhanced if it was made to go through grading and quality assessment.
The Commissioner who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Lanre Bisiriyu, said the aim of the workshop was to revisit the contribution of kolanut to the economy of the state, the South-West and the nation as a whole. According to him, this can be done by showcasing the investment opportunities that abound in the production of the crop.
She said poor yield presently being experienced in kolanut farms was caused by the old age of the trees, poor storage facilities, unorganised marketing and poor funding of research institutes adding that the issue of pests was a major factor affecting the quality of kolanuts.
Still speaking, she stressed the need for adequate enlightenment campaign on the processing procedure of kolanut to guarantee proper care for the produce.
In her remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Mrs Tinuola Sopeju said 80 percent of kolanuts produced in the world were from Nigeria, adding that the economic essence of the produce in terms of enhancement of marketing and exportation value had not been properly harnessed.
