THE Director General of Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO) Oshodi, Dr Gloria Elemo has said there are plans to improve agricultural value chains through locally fabricated farm machines.
Elemo noted that “Fabricators workshop is an annual event at FIIRO but this year’s workshop is unprecedented in the history of the Institute for three main reasons. Firstly, this is the first time we are hosting the workshop in Abuja.
“ Secondly, this is the first time the Minister of Science and Technology will be the Chief Host of this workshop because of its national significance. Thirdly, this is the first time we have been able to bring all the stakeholders that are involved in commercialization of the agricultural value chains together to address critical issue of agro-processing bordering on local availability of processing machinery and equipment” she said.
“This year National Fabricators Workshop is not just the affairs of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi but with other strong collaborators who are major stakeholders in the agricultural value chains and members of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Commercialization of Agricultural Value Chains.
The main focus of the workshop, according to the organisers was to unveil the opportunity that abounds in developing agriculture value chain in the country.
FIIRO Boss, also stated that the goal of this year’s workshop was to bring together 50 indigenous fabricators for the purpose of accreditation as National Fabricators.
According to her, the benefits of being recognised as a National Fabricator is enormous; it includes local and international recognition by Financial and Development Institutions as a major player in processing machinery and equipment manufacturing in Nigeria as well as recognition and direct funding of proforma invoices from such fabricators by development and commercial banks in Nigeria and abroad.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, who had earlier spoken about the indigenous technology, said that science and technology was very crucial to Nigeria’s March towards economic diversification.
Onu who was delighted by the innovations and locally fabricated machines that were in display during the workshop, noted that “ we have what it takes to be great in terms of populations and resources. We want to show the world that Nigeria is now taking science and technology very serious. The technology we will showcase in the expo may not be up to the world’s standard, but going forward, we will grow and overtake the world.”