University Don calls on FG to establish more agric research institutes

The Chief Research Officer, National Root Crops Research Institute, Umodike in Abia State, Mrs Lilian Amagbo, has called on the Federal Government to establish more research institutes to boost agriculture.

She said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Tundun Wada, Nasarawa State.

Lillian stressed that to meet with vision 20:20, the agricultural sector in the country should be mechanised.

She said some of the agricultural produce in the country were at risk of losing value if there were no proper technological ways to preserve them.

“Nigeria is an agricultural country and some of the crops, if you don't harness them, you would lose them because of the water content, especially the root crops.

“If you don't process them they would go bad.

“We are trying to process our crops into different forms whereby they can be preserved and packaged for marketing.

Since Nigeria had gone into research studies in agriculture, the country's food produce had been processed into different food products.

“Take a look at cassava; it was used in the past for the production of garri and fufu.

“But today, we can use cassava to produce cassava cake, chin-chin, cassava bread, chips and even flour.

Lillian said through research, other Nigerian food items could be packaged and imported to other countries of the world.

Mr. Paul Anegbeh, Assistant Director and Head Research Outreach Department, Rubber Research Institute, Benin said modern technology had increased yields in plants through research studies.

He said extractions from rubber were now raw materials for soap making, skin cream and livestock feed.

Anegbeh said more agricultural products could be discovered if the research institutes in the country were properly funded and adequate facilities were provided.