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Professor Tayo Nathaniel Fagbemi

Improve food processing technology to boost economy — FUTA don advises FG

Professor Tayo Nathaniel Fagbemi
Professor Tayo Nathaniel Fagbemi

To further support the nation’s economy, science and technological education must be repositioned with adequate funding, well equipped laboratories and workshops that will allow engineering graduates to design and fabricate functional equipment for local food processing.

This was the submission of Professor Tayo Nathaniel Fagbemi,  of the Food Science and Technology Department of the Federal University of Technologu, Akure (FUTA), while delivering the 73rd Inaugural Lecture of the university, at the Main Auditorium of the institution.

Professor Fagbemi called on the government to establish a Centre for Development of Nigerian Foods (CNDF) which will develop processing of under-utilized crops into pilot plants from where Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can take over. He also urged the government to make concerted efforts to ensure constant supply of electricity to facilitate profitability of the venture. Fagbemi also called on tertiary institutions like FUTA to partner with government in the fabrication of prototype food processing machinery to study and solve problems through adequate research.

The lecturer who spoke on the topic, ‘Food Processing: Guaranteeing Food, Nutrition and Health Security’, said the poor state of  applied science and technology has led to  the nose diving of the scientific efforts of the early sixties and seventies which allowed local talents to make meaningful and original contribution to technological growth.

He added that the “Asian” tigers that looked at Nigeria with envy in the sixties have left her behind and made substantial improvements to the design and fabrication of their traditional food processing equipment.

Professor Fagbemi stated that food processing is germane to food security. According to him, food processing apart from making food available all year round can also help to eliminate toxic chemical constitution in food and pathogenic micro-organisms.

He advocated for a renewed interest in applied science and technology with adequate funding to encourage cottage industries to design and fabricate equipment for food processing and reduce dependence on importation of machinery and equipment Fagbemi proposed a pragmatic integration of food processing into food production policies capable of adding value to agricultural produce for wealth creation and sustained annual food production for the nation.

This according to him will make food processing the wheel that will drive food nutrition and health security in the nation.

In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebiyi Daramola described the lecturer as an erudite professor who has contributed immensely to research and academic development in his field of specialization. He said “Professor Fagbemi has really demonstrated his intellectual prowess in his field.  He has been a consistently productive scholar.  He has contributed significantly to knowledge in his chosen area of specialization in addition to providing leadership for his students and younger academics since he took up appointment in the University”.

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