Imo State University, IMSU, Owerri has launched an Ukwa (Treculia africana) de-husking Machine and a Food Research Center to enhance the availability and affordability of Ukwa as food for public consumption.
This machine is the result of research work sponsored at the
university by Chima Ibeneche Education Foundation – a philanthropic
organization founded by Dr. Chima Ibeneche.
The sponsor of the research, Dr. Chima Ibeneche, said that
the vison for the research is to increase the use of ukwa in our food basket,
because doing this will improve environmental and climate sustainability and
the food security of Nigeria.
In their speeches, Engr. Augustine Iwuoha, Dean, Faculty of
Engineering, and Prof. Ferdinand Mbagwu, Director, Centre for Entrepreneurial
Studies, IMSU stressed that the innovation would help to mitigate the
challenges in Ukwa production and increase its availability in food value
chain.
They also solicited support to enable mass production of the
de-husking machine and to facilitate further research on how to make Imo, South
East and Nigeria in general a rallying point in Ukwa production and agronomy
across the world.
Speaking on the Ukwa research, Ibeneche said that aside
removal of production and marketing hurdles in the Ukwa value chain, the
research would also help to increase local production of food, develop better
methods of preserving ukwa products, in addition to the development of new ukwa
products.
He said, “One core contribution of the Ukwa research will be
to improve production and processing efficiency by eliminating manual processes
that constrain production. Achieving this will enable upscaling of Ukwa
production, making the foodstuff more affordable and price competitive against
imported alternatives.
“It will also make food supply chain more resilient to international or external crisis, increase the use of Ukwa for food which will result in food security and environmental sustainability as well as afford students the means to acquire practical and usable knowledge in food production and preservation.”
The vice Chancelor of the university Prof. Uchefula
Chukwumaeze commended the research team and the sponsor for the progress made.
He said that the university will fully support the research so it can deliver
on its mission. He promised to buy one improved ukwa dehusking machine which
will be donated to the state government.
Highlights of the event included the demonstrations of the
de-husking machine, presentation and tasting of ukwa food products. The
products were chin-chin, cake, meat-pie, bread, donut among other food items.