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By Adaora Adibe
An international Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Pipeline of Hope based in the United States of America, dedicated to agricultural development and food security, has expressed its desire to collaborate with the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) to enhance the production and value addition of tomatoes, onions, and cassava in Nigeria.
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The NGO made this known during a recent visit to the Director-General of RMRDC at the council’s headquarters in Abuja.
The delegation, led by Pipeline of Hope’s President, Lisa Brooks, highlighted the organization’s commitment to empowering farmers, improving agricultural yields, and boosting local agro-processing industries.
She observed that Nigeria is richly blessed with natural resources that needs to be harness and provide wealth for the people. She said her organization focuses mainly on empowering women and youths.
Lisa emphasized the need for innovative approaches to enhance the productivity and marketability of these key crops. Like providing process equipment around those agro-raw materials thereby preventing post-harvest losses. She also mentioned the effort of her organization in sugar beets development.
Responding, the Director-General of RMRDC Prof. Nnanyelugo M. Ike-Muonso welcomed the initiative noting that the raw materials of focus has many derivatives. He expressed the Council’s willingness to partner with the organization but must first put necessary actionable terms in place.
“The Council is willing and ready to collaborate with you, but we have to be clear on the partnership to know what areas our mandate can handle because we are not the Ministry of Agriculture. We can start with the Onions, tomatoes and cassava which are widely cultivated in Nigeria. Managing post-harvest losses is very important to us. For example, 50% of onions is lost annually and tomatoes. For food security, post-harvest losses are very fundamental”, the DG stated.
He said the organization will work with the department that is responsible for Agro-raw materials development in the Council, the Agriculture and Agro Allied Department (AAD) headed by Dr. Seb Ebierekwe after the transitionary stage.
The proposed partnership is expected to focus on research support, post-harvest management, and value addition through agro-processing. Both parties expressed optimism that the collaboration would lead to increased productivity, job creation, and economic development.
Pipeline of Hope and RMRDC are expected to formalize their partnership when everything is put together through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), outlining specific areas of cooperation.
Present at the event were some RMRDC management staff who made meaningful contributions and commended the step, the Director, Directorate of Corporate Services, Mr. Chukwuma Ngaha; the Director, Industrial Chemical and Pharmaceutical Department, Mr. Abubakar Kolleri; the Director, National Competitiveness Strategy and Special Program, Mr. A. Mohammed, the technical adviser to the DG, Dr. Chi Ihionu, the Special Assistant to the DG, Prof. John Eket and the Director of Pipeline of Hope NGO, Mr. Mohammed Nasir.
