The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kolawole Salako (6th Left) in a group photograph with members of RMRDC Governing Council and Officials of the Industrial Park Unit (IPU).
The Governing Council of Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has paid an on-the-spot assessment visit to the University’s Industrial Park Unit with keen interest in the Cashew Processing Unit as a major area of collaboration.
Speaking during a facility tour of the University, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kolawole Salako disclosed that FUNAAB Industrial Park Unit is a conglomerate of the different ventures which include Cashew nut processing, Palm wine, Palm oil, Odourless Fufu, Gari, High quality Cassava flour and other root tuber products, bakery among others.
According to the Vice Chancellor, the University has the experience of well over one decade in Cashew processing, as well as the skills and human resources to promote the partnership with RMRDC.
“The whole of this place is an Industrial Park for production, hopefully we can upscale to commercialization but as I kept telling people even on radio. If we are going to really commercialise, we have to take it away from the civil service bureaucracy”, he said.
The RMRDC Governing Council Members inspecting the Cashew Nut during the facility tour
Earlier in his Remark, the leader of the delegation, Dr. Alofoje Unuigboye disclosed that the collaboration is billed to be between the business arm of RMRDC known as Global Techno Innovation Limited (GTINL) and the business arm of the University, adding that GTINL would also be interested in identifying other ventures within IPU where a possible collaboration can be achieved such as in the Palm Oil Production Venture.
Reacting to the partnership, the Director, Directorate of University Farms, Mr. Joseph Olobashola described it as commendable, particularly with the donation of a Cashew Shell Nut Oil Extractor Machine by RMRDC soon.
According to him, “cashew plant has many products that can be derived from it. From the apple, you can extract the juice, from the seed, you can get the nut, then beyond that, the shell contain a very valuable industrial product which even attracts more money at the export level than the nuts”.
He pointed out that, “for now, because of lack of extracting equipment, we are restricted to just extracting and roasting the nut but with our relationship with RMRDC, they have noted this as inadequacy”.
Mr. Olobasola revealed that RMRDC had in the past donated equipment used to extract Cashew nut to the University and having worked on the equipment for extracting the oil from the cashew shell, they have also offered to donate the equipment to the University.