Inadequate funding, excessive electricity billing, others affecting food processors

Inadequate access to government intervention funds, excessive electricity billing and government’s preference for purchasing from contractors have been identified as major challenges facing indigenous food processing companies.

The Chief Executive Officer, Spectra Industries Ltd, Mr. Duro Kuteyi, who disclosed this in Lagos, during the visit of Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said processors could achieve more if urgent solutions are provided for their challenges.

Kuteyi, who started the food processing and packaging company through sales of plantain chips, said the country could also import machines from Europe to process some of the goods being imported.

He appealed to the Federal Government to ensure that manufacturers have access to its intervention funds, to actualise their potentials.

In his address, the Minister, Onu urged Nigerians, particularly job seekers and small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), to take advantage of Technology Incubation Centres (TICs).

Onu said they could explore opportunities that would help actualise their dreams at the TICs, adding that if job seekers and SMEs with potentials reach out to the TICs, they could find the space and support they needed to achieve successful businesses.

Executive Director of the company, Mrs. Modupe Kuteyi, said food processing is the solution to post-harvest losses experienced in Nigeria.

She said the organisation had collaborated with agencies such as Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Raw Material Research and Development Council (RMRDC) and Bank of Industry (BoI) to promote training in food processing and packaging.

Mrs. Kuteyi urged other food processing organisations to be passionate in ensuring that farm produce does not waste.