Maduebibisi Iwe, Vice Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, has advised governments at all levels to provide incentives for the food processing industry In order to avert hunger and ensure food security in the country.
Iwe, a professor who doubles as president of Nigeria Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) said that the food processing industry has a crucial role to play in the development of Nigeria’s economy and it needed to be integrated into the country’s strategy for inclusive growth.
Represented by the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, Ramat Olayinka, a Professor at the opening of NIFST 8th regional food science and technology summit themed “Processing and preservation: A panacea to food security and wealth creation in 21st century” held at the University of Ibadan stated that governments must provide incentives and create enabling environment that would encourage investments in infrastructure, research, innovation and technology upgrade.
“Government should provide incentives for developing the industry and create awareness about the importance of processed foods. We can only hope to see the sector multiply and contribute to our economic development if governments contribute their quota to the sector”.
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Kayode Adebowale, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, who was represented by Olatunji Oyesile, a professor called on NIFST to address acceptability challenges facing Nigeria’s local processed foods in the international communities.
Adebowale, a professor said most Nigerian processed food doesn’t pass international standards, adding that most Nigerian processed food got spoiled before getting into other International countries of the world.
He said urgent steps must be taken by all stakeholders in the sector to address the challenges facing the processing industry sector.
The Chairperson of NIFST, Western Chapter, Ganiyat Olatunji, said the challenges faced by the food processing and development industry includes inadequate infrastructure, inadequate access to finance, raw materials and lack of proper storage facilities.
Olatunji said that the conference was organised to address these challenges and preferred solutions to surmount the challenges.
She said that NIFST was trying to draw a lot of initiatives in order to meet the farmers and other stakeholders so as to address the issue of food security in Nigeria.
Olatunji assured Nigerians that they would see the positive effects of their initiatives.
In his keynote address, Adepeju Jaiyeoba, who described the food as a centre for human existence that could not be avoided, said Nigeria needed to develop locally made nutritional food for children and stop being over-dependent on foreign foods that are so expensive.
Other speakers at the occasion were Abiodun Olapade, Folake Hanshaw both professors and Akin Fagbemi.
