NAN-H-8
Machine
By Chiazo Ogbolu
Lagos, Oct. 22, 2016(NAN) The Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE) has called for a collaboration with relevant government agencies and cooperative societies to commercialise its rice de-stoning machine.
Mr Kolawole Opadeji, the NATE chairman in Lagos State, made the call on Saturday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
“The intention of the association in fabricating the rice de-stoning machine is to make the work of local rice processors easier.
“This will enable the public to enjoy local rice without any traces of stone.
“We have set the ball rolling by holding meetings with various institutes and rice machine fabricators to ensure commercialisation of the machine and its proper usage,” the NATE chief said.
He said that marketing of the machine would increase local production and processing.
“It will reduce rice importation and guaranteeing job opportunities for the unemployed youth,’’ he said.
According to him, as regards commercialisation of the equipment, the association has set out plans to determine the number of people that will make use of the machine.
“The present capacity of available machine is big enough to remove stones from three tons of rice within an hour. This is almost a tipper load of rice.
“If a machine can work for three to four hours in a day, it will produce large quantity of rice.
“The main issue now is how to get cooperative societies to show interest in getting the machine for their members to enhance mass production of stone-free rice,” Opadeji said.
The NATE chief said that it would train the rice processors on how to use the machine to yield the needed result. (NAN)
CAN/FLP/GOK
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Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Olagoke Olatoye