Firm Partners Agriculture Devt Agency To Empower 15,000 Female Cassava Growers

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Psaltry International Company Limited, Oluyemisi Iranloye, has announced the commencement of an initiative to empower 15,000 young women in cassava cultivation in Oyo State.

The on-lending initiative was supported by the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) and First City Monument Bank (FCMB) through what she called the Psaltry-IDH-Mastercard, targeting young women between the ages of 18 and 35 years to cultivate 2000 hectares of cassava.

While speaking at the 20th anniversary of Psaltry International Company Ltd, which coincided with the flag-off of the NAFD-FCMB support for the Psaltry-IDH-Mastercard initiative at the Psaltry plant, Alayide village, Awaye on Saturday, Iranloye appreciated the NADF and other stakeholders for supporting the project and being there for the company on its many different projects to date.

She added that the funding would cover ploughing of land, addition of fertiliser, chemicals and other inputs for the 2000 hectares of cassava.

“I want to sincerely thank everyone here and all who have played a role in Psaltry’s journey, I also extend my appreciation to the Executive Secretary/CEO of the National Agricultural Development Fund, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, especially as this celebration coincides with the flag-off of the NADF-FCMB support for the Psaltry-IDH-Mastercard initiative, empowering 15,000 young women in Oyo State, aged 18 to 35, in cassava cultivation”, she said.

Reeling out the achievements of the organisation towards impacting cassava farmers in the state positively, Oluyemisi listed the provision of industrial borehole which supplied portable water, constant electricity, medical outreach to many communities bordering the plant, scholarship for cassava farmers’ children, she said Psaltry had facilitated the construction of the road linking Alayide, the host village, by the Oyo State government.

She indicated that over the years, Psaltry had achieved the goal of replacing the dependence of manufacturing companies on wheat flour with cassava flour, producing food-grade starch for companies like Nigerian Breweries and Nestle, as well as cassava-based sorbitol for toothpaste production and high-purity hydrogen for various industries.

“As we mark 20 years, Psaltry is stepping confidently into a new era, one defined by innovation, product diversification, market diversification, groundbreaking research and development, sustainable livelihoods, clean energy and environmental sustainability., we generate 1.1megawatt of solar power to run our operations, nothing is wasted; our wastes are transformed into nutrient-rich animal feed, this is not only smart, it is sustainable,” Iranloye claimed.