An agro-industry expert, Mrs Onyinyechi Onyembi (nee Egbu), has said that technology holds the key to ensuring food security in the country, asserting that its use in food processing and packaging was the major driver in transforming farm produce into acceptable export goods.
Onyembi, who is the Managing Director of Daa Rhoda Foods, a food processing and packaging company, stated this while speaking with newsmen: the approach, if adopted, would save time and reduce cost, leading to increased productivity to meet the increasing demand for food products.
The agro-industry expert, while noting that high-tech processing and packaging were emerging as key tools to improve agriculture in Nigeria, added that the approach had already been embraced by her venture by transforming “farm products from their earth form into ready-to-use products.”
“For us at Daa Rhoda Foods, we use the right technologies to add value to farm products through processing, and we transform farm products from their earthly form into ready-to-use products.
“Our products are uniquely processed and packaged to meet international standards, and this has made it possible for us to significantly break through in the international market, thereby promoting export diversification and international trade opportunities for Nigeria.
“As a food and beverage manufacturing firm, we are determined to push Nigerian indigenous soup condiments into the international market. We process and package dried ground food produce, such as egusi, ogbono, crayfish, prawns, and pepper,” Onyembi stated.
Onyembi, while explaining the role her firm was playing in revitalising the agro-processing and packaging sectors to reverse the negative food import trend in Nigeria, said the answer rested on the twin engines of using the right tools and deploying trained personnel.
She stressed that utilising the right set of equipment and skilled labour ensured an increase in productivity, which in turn reduced production costs and maintained premium quality. She urged the federal government and private investors to invest in the agro-processing and packaging sectors, which should be geared towards the purchase of modern equipment and adequate infrastructure.
“The Nigerian government and private investors should invest in the agro-processing and packaging sectors, which should be geared towards the purchase of modern equipment and adequate infrastructure.
“Machines are much faster and guarantee increased productivity and minimal production costs. It is pertinent to facilitate access to capital, build the capacity of agro-businesses, and position agro-processors for efficient food output delivery,” she said.
The Daa Rhoda Foods boss further recommended reforming the agricultural curricula in Nigerian universities to address the gaps in industry skills, as well as harmonising food standards with international benchmarks and supporting processors to achieve global certifications.
On challenges facing the agro-processing and packaging sectors, the Daa Rhoda boss listed inadequate infrastructure, poor road networks, electricity, and water supply, noting that these factors drive up costs and limit productivity.
According to her, others include limited financing, high-interest rates, and collateral requirements that hinder access to credit for processors to upgrade and expand; low technology adoption on account of minimal automation; and inefficient equipment that affects quality and safety, among others.
“Again, we contend with inconsistent raw material supply; seasonal gluts and scarcity of inputs, like fruits, undermine processors. Not forgetting poor skilled labour, as few food technologists and engineers lead to low efficiency and poor innovation,” she said.
