RMRDC Visits Oyo Cassava Processing Firm

The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Raw Materials & Research Development Council (RMRDC), Professor Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, has unveiled plans by the council to host the first edition of Africa Raw Materials Summit (ARMS).

Ike-Muonso, who made the disclosure during a visit to Psaltry International Company Limited, located in Alayide village, Ado-Awaye, Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State, founded by Mrs. Oluyemisi Iranloye, also informed that the three-day summit is slated to hold in Abuja between May 20 to 22, this year.

He said it will feature a pre-event in the form of the First National Conference of Women in Raw Materials Value Addition in Nigeria scheduled for April 23 to 24, this year, also holding in the nation’s capital.

This is as the council has increased momentum towards the planned hosting of the maiden ARMS, with visitations to stakeholders and indigenous firms operating in country.

Ike-Muonso was represented by a high-powered delegation, led by former Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Professor Benard Ifeanyi Odoh, who is the Chairman, ARMS.

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Other members of the delegation include Mrs. Racheal Kotso, Director, Planning, Research & Statistics Department and Co-chair, ARMS, the team which also had Mr. Suraj Lawal, Director, Investment Promotion Department and Dr. Brenda Max-Nduaguibe, Technical Assistant to Director General on Strategic Partnerships accompanied by Mr. Owolabi Yinka, Oyo State Coordinator of RMRDC.

Ike-Muonso who described this as the first step by the RMRDC since it commenced stakeholder engagements to some indigenous industrialists identified as champions of raw materials value addition, ahead of the planned summit in May this year, described Psaltry International Company Ltd as a company of many firsts, remarking that it is the first cassava processing company in Africa to process sorbitol from cassava and the second in the world.

“The company has excelled in value addition of cassava to produce derivatives which include high-quality cassava flour, food grade cassava starch, methanol, cassava glucose syrup and sorbitol which serves confectionaries, the pharmaceutical, personal care, food and beverage sectors,” he said.

Odoh, while also conveying the high regards of the DG, extolled Mrs. Iranloye for exhibiting leadership and excellence by establishing the leading agro processing cassava company that is 100 per cent indigenous, with a high employee rate of young people between the ages of 18 years to 35 years occupying 85 per cent leadership positions.

“May I on behalf of the DG on whose behest we are paying this visit and indeed the entire council, highly commend you , Mrs. Iranloye for epitomising the mandate of RMRDC by not only adding value to Cassava but to young people, women and farmers in the community,” Odoh said.

He also used the opportunity of the visit to convey the DG’s invitation to Mrs. Iranloye seeking her participation in ARMS, disclosing that the visit was part of the RMRDC activities as it has fully commenced stakeholder engagements.

Responding, the founder and CEO, Psaltry International Company Ltd, Mrs. Oluyemisi Iranloye, thanked Prof. Ike-Muonso for sending a high-level delegation to invite her to the maiden ARMS and the pre-event of the First National Conference of Women in Raw Materials Value Addition.

She confirmed her attendance for the events and narrated the background story of how the company was founded in 2005 and how it started operations with only 17 farmers. She stated that in 20 years, Psaltry International has supported over 25,000 farmers and is poised to support another 15,000 female farmers.

Highpoint of the visit was the conduct of the delegation round the factory and to the newly installed 1.6MW solar farm, which provides green energy for the factory operations.