The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Plant

  • Why plant must be conserved, by don

    Victor Olumekun, a professor of Plant Physiology at the Adekunle Ajasin University in Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State has tasked Nigerians on conservation of plants to mitigate the effect of climate change and save the country from food crisis.

    Olumekun, who delivered the 8th inaugural lecture of the university titled: Mankind: Learning the art of survival under the tutelage of plants, said God uniquely created plants to serve mankind but human being failed to appreciate the usage.

    He said: “From food to medicines and even knowledge about the way to the future, every cure for every ailment known and unknown, synthesised and natural has been diligently stored by nature in plants. All we need to do is to discover. What we need to learn from plants is how not to self-destruct because it is only mankind that kills its own species.”

    The plants physiologist explained that evolution of diseases was connected to certain periods in the history of mankind, and identified plant conservation as the only way out.

    “Plants have been created to maximally fulfil their functions, such as teachers, sustainers and protectors of mankind. We need to take a serious look at how plants have solved most of our problems,” Olumekun explained.

    He urged people to stop misusing plant but must respect it for mankind’s survival. “The good news is that plants are our ‘guardian Angels’. They even help us to clear our mess by removing the excess carbon dioxide we produce. This is in addition to the fact that plants serve as purifiers of air. They are so used to cleaning up our mess even as they are not mobile,” he said

    He lamented human activities through industrialisation, saying it had resulted in massive exploitation of resources with effects on the integrity of the planet.

    After the lecture, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Femi Mimiko, officially welcomed the lecturer into the hallowed professorial hall of fame.

  • Govt sets 2015 date for Coal power plant operation

    Govt sets 2015 date for Coal power plant operation

    Federal government has set next year as the take-off date for a coal powered electricity generation. This is on the heels of incessant destruction of pipelines by vandals in most parts of the country.

    Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, said pipeline vandalism is the major reason for the current challenges of power supply in the country.

    He said this on the sidelines of the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and Atlas Petroleum Corporation in Abuja.

    While decrying the spate of gas pipeline vandalism, the minister said power generation had dropped to about 3,200MW from a little above 4,000MW as a result of the sabotage. “The recent dip in power supply has been due mainly to inadequate gas supply to thermal power plants,” he said.

    Nebo explained that about 2,300MW was lost in the past few months due to the vandalism of five different gas pipelines that supply power to the national grid. According to him, the affected pipelines include the Escravos-Lagos Gas Pipeline System with a generation capacity of 800MW (mega watts) and the Trans-Forcados pipeline with capacity of 800MW.

    Others are Trans-Niger pipeline with capacity of 500MW, the Alakiri-Onne gas pipeline and Chevron gas plant with capacity of 2,672 MW were also affected.

    He revealed that President Goodluck Jonathan recently pledged $1 billion to address pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.

    On hydropower dams, the minister said the current low water level had greatly affected the use of the dams.

    He further assured that rehabilitation work was ongoing at the Kainji andShiroro dams to upgrade them.

  • Plant breeders to boost Africa’s indigenous crops

    Two hundred and fifty plant breeders from different African countries are currently at the newly opened African Plant Breeding Academy in Nairobi, Kenya, to examine the nutritional and productivity levels of about a hundred African crops. Upon completion of the project, which is set to last five years, these breeders will be able to advise smallholder farmers in their respective countries on the crops with high yields and nutrition.

    Crop yields and nutrition are boosted when farmers cultivate the right crops, says Howard-Yana Shapiro, an assistant professor at the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at the University of California–Davis, US, which is involved in this project. “What we are trying to do is help correct the lack of nutritional content in many indigenous African food crops.”

    Under the umbrella of the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC), the University of California is collaborating with the African Union through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the International Livestock Research Institute, the World Agroforestry Center and others to implement this high-tech initiative.

    The consortium launched the plant-breeding academy, the first of its kind in Africa, last December. Ngozi Abu, one of the trainees and also a senior lecturer in the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology at the University of Nigeria, emphasises that African researchers should take the lead in research on African crops. Only African scientists or those working in Africa know the desires of African farmers and consumers, she said. Ms. Abu believes thatAfrican crops such as “cocoyam and plantains could become the nutritious crops of the world tomorrow.”

    The 250 plant breeders will use new equipment and techniques to “genetically sequence, assemble and annotate the genomes” of the hundred African crops, explains Margaret Kroma, an assistant director general at the World Agroforestry Centre. It’s about getting the DNA of crops, Allen Van Deynze of the University of California Seed Biotechnology Center told Africa Renewal in an interview. He maintains that if breeders understand the DNA of crops, farmers could even get information on crops with strong resistance to climate change, in addition to being able to select those with higher nutritional content and yields.

    Throwing his weight behind the academy, Ibrahim Mayaki, the head of the NEPAD, says, “Malnutrition is a direct product of food insecurity. A large number of Africans suffer deficiencies of micronutrients such as minerals, iron and vitamin A, with devastating effect on the population.” According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), malnutrition is responsible for more than half of child deaths in developing countries.

    Deynze likened this initiative to using a smart cell phone instead of an analogue landline phone.  African breeders will “take advantage of the latest technologies to rapidly advance development of crops that are important to African diets and health,” he says, adding that farmers easily double their yields when they plant the right seeds.

    One of the first crops to be examined is the baobab. The fruit can be made into a powder for consumer products. Agricultural scientists refer to the baobab as a “wonder tree” because it has 10 times the antioxidants of oranges, twice the calcium of spinach, three times the vitamin C of oranges and four times the potassium of bananas.

  • Plant a tree today

    Plant a tree today

    According to the United Nations Children Fund, a recent scientific funding indicates that a changing climate has a significant impact on our planet. For us to improve our local environment and make it suitable for our existence, tree planning is important. Planting is an act of putting down roots and contributing to the future. The simple act of planting a tree helps the environment in so many ways.

    Trees clean the air

    Trees provide oxygen

    Trees cool the streets and the city

    Trees conserve energy

    Trees save water

    Trees help prevent water pollution

    Trees help prevent soil erosion

    Children, you can learn from a young girl of nine- year-old Felix Finkbiner, who hatches a plan to plant a million trees. His commitment toward planting a tree has been helpful in local communities whose lives depend on trees. Plan, protect and preserve the trees today. Remember that without trees in our area, there will be no life on the earth.

  • Kia to build $1b plant in Mexico

    Kia Motors Corporation has signed an investment deal with the Mexican government to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Monterrey, northeastern state of Nuevo León.

    The signing held at the Technological Museum of the Electricity Federal Commission (MUTEC) in Mexico City. It was attended by top executives of Kia Motors, led by Hyoung-Keun (Hank) Lee, Vice Chairman of Kia Motors Corp.

    Mexican President, Enrique Peña Nieto,  and Governor, State of Nuevo León, Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz also attended .

    Construction on the Kia Motors Mexico plant is scheduled to begin  this month. When completed in the first half of 2016, it will boast of  a yearly production capacity of 300,000 vehicles, thereby boosting Kia’s total global manufacturing capacity to 3.37 million vehicles, including 1.69 million vehicles at domestic Korean plants and 1.68 million at overseas plants. Kia plans to produce a range of yet-to-be confirmed compact models at the new plant.

    Representing an investment of about US$1billion by Kia Motors, the new, highly automated manufacturing plant will be situated on a 500-hectare (53.8 million square foot) site that will also be home to numerous supplier companies’ facilities.

    As one of the world’s fastest growing automakers, Kia Motors has been evaluating various options for entering new overseas markets to secure future growth for the brand. With its strong growth forecasts for new vehicle demand, Mexico was chosen as the site for Kia’s next overseas plant given that it is one of the few remaining major markets of the world in which Kia does not have a sales presence.

    For Korean automakers to competitively enter the Mexican market, the establishment of local production facilities is pivotal as Mexico imposes high tariffs on imported cars from Korea. Moreover, Mexico is well-known for its skilled, low-cost labour force and numerous free trade agreements (such as NAFTA) with about 40 countries.

    Meanwhile, Kia expects the Mexico plant to play a major role in alleviating global supply issues thanks to its strategic geographic location. Namely, its proximity to the USA will enable the company to better address the ongoing supply shortage situation that has arisen due to the dramatic growth of the Kia brand in the US market. Furthermore, Kia plans to utilise the plant as a foundation for strengthening the brand’s sales presence throughout the entire Central and South America region while freeing up supply from Kia’s domestic plants to address supply shortage issues in other regions of the world.

    Lee said: “All of us at Kia Motors are proud to signal in a new era for the brand with the announcement of our first manufacturing plant in Mexico. We are committed to producing world-class quality vehicles here in Mexico that feature industry-leading styling and high-tech convenience and safety features that customers have come to expect from Kia, while making significant contributions to both the economic growth of the State of Nuevo León and the future development of the Mexican automotive industry.”

  • Okorocha urges women to plant palm trees

    Okorocha urges women to plant palm trees

    The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has called on Imo women to embark on aggressive palm-to-palm programme to revamp and sustain the state’s economy.

    Okorocha spoke this during a one-day sensitisation workshop with the theme: “Kuo Nu Nkwu, Umunwanyi” (plant palm trees, women) organised by the Imo Women Development Centre for the Community Government Council (CGC) Women Leaders in the 637 communities.

    Governor Okorocha, who identified palm-to-palm programme and the CGC as among the major legacies of the Rescue Mission administration, revealed that the palm-to-palm initiative was a awake up call for rural communities to revive and redirect their attention to aggressive palm plantation as a viable economic project which, when fully realized, would transform the economy of the communities, state and the country.

    He said: “The sudden neglect of palm plantation and over-dependence on crude oil has been the  bane of Nigerian’s economy.”  He also revealed that palm fruit is a gift from God to the Igbo which must not be abandoned.

    He maintained that the economy of the old Southeastern Nigeria was sustained by oil palm even before the discovery of the crude oil.

    Governor Okorocha, who extolled the women for their great support to his government, said his administration had placed women at the main stream, considering their role, adding that he would always carry them along.

    He urged the women to use their God-given gift and potential to make the palm-to-palm programme a huge success.

    Governor Okorocha used the occasion to educate the women on the deadly Ebola virus and the need for precautionary measures to be taken to avert the spread of the virus.

    Earlier in a keynote address, the Director-General,Women Development Centre, Imo State, Hon. Ndidi Noel Iheme, said the centre was to rank with the National Women Centre, Abuja with the objective to develop and empower women of the state, especially rural women, through impartation of skills that would enable them to engage meaningfully in small and medium-scale businesses with little funding.

    Mrs. Iheme urged the women to embrace and propagate the programme to improve the economic and social well-being of women.  She further said that the sensitisation workshop would have empowered and drilled the women leaders to be part of the driving force that would propel the economic emancipation of the rural communities, families and the state.

    Present at the occasion were the representative of the wife of the governor, Her Excellency, Nkechi Okorocha, the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere and other government functionaries.

  • Honeywell Flour Mills showcases N10bn plant

    Honeywell Flour Mills showcases N10bn plant

    Honeywell Flour Mills Plc has recorded a major feat with the official inauguration of its multi-billion naira world-class flour mills located in Lagos, even as the company has hinted of plans to build a 66-hectare Flour-Gate Estate in Ogun State, which will house new factories for the production of flour and pasta in no distant time.

    Making this disclosure recently was the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Honeywell Flour Mills, Mr. Babatunde Odunayo.

    He spoke with journalists during a media facility tour of the company in Lagos.

    According to him, the project which gulped around N10 billion was built to meet the quality standard for which the company is known.

    He said with the expansion, the company had increased its production capacity by about 62 per cent to be able to meet the increasing demand for its products.

    Odunayo stated that investment in building the flour mills was proof of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc commitment to ensure that it consistently produces and delivers top quality flour and a range of flour based products for the satisfaction of its valued customers in line with the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) for product quality from Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

    Expatiating, the Honeywell boss added that the company’s automated warehouse which has a capacity to hold about 100,000 bags of 50kg flour is the only one of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.

    “The flour mills currently operate on installed capacity of 2,610 metric tonnes per day. It also has a wheat storage capacity of about 42,500 metric tonnes with a monthly usage of about 40,000 metric tonnes. The state-of-art facility has upgraded our production capacity by 63 percent.

    “This is to show Nigerians what this indigenous company has been able to achieve.”

    He stated that the new equipment which was supplied and installed by Bulher AG of Switzerland would guarantee operational efficiency and consistent production of top quality products.

    Echoing similar sentiments, Mr. Calvin Grieder, CEO of Buhler AG, Switzerland, the company which built the mills, expressed satisfaction to be associated with Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, as he noted that consumers of Honeywell products should be proud of the new equipment installed.

    “It takes courage to invest in the state-of-the-art facility such as this because it is not for quick returns on investment but for quality,” said Grieder.

    Grieder, who further commended Honeywell Flour Mills for placing a high premium on product quality, described HFMP as a Nigerian company that operates with the best international standard

  • Establishing fruit juice processing plant

    Nigerians drink a lot. This is why drinks sell very fast. Today, fruit juice and milk drink enjoy good patronage with a large market share.

    Investing in fruit juice and milk flavoured products (chocolate and strawberry) is a good business opportunity.

    The basic equipment, machinery and facilities required are informed by the products and packaging materials/pack sizes recommended in the products and packaging section. The production facilities could be locally fabricated (manual) or imported sophisticated/automatic process production. The cost of production equipment ranges from N15 million to about N120 million, depending on the promoters’ financial ability and choice.

    The major raw materials include raw fruits (from local farmers), fruit juice concentrates for juice and drinks to be imported to argument farm supplies and provide the varieties in the range of products. Food ingredients (food flavours, acidulates, preservatives, stabilisers) granulated sugar, outer trays and shrink wrapping, nylon materials are to be imported.

    Packaging materials will include Tetra Pak (paper and pre-printed Doyle packs). The availability of the fruit juice concentrates is not in doubt as they are produced abundantly in different parts of Europe, America, Asia, South Africa, etc.

    Basically, two methods are used for reducing or eliminating the pathogenic and spoilage micro-organisms, depending on the products concerned. For fruit juices and fruit drinks alone, the pasteurisation process is all that is necessary.

    Pasteurisation simply employs the principles of heating the product to a temperature of 75-900C (depending on equipment design and product) at a certain contact time ( 3 -8 seconds, depending again on equipment design and temperature applied), and suddenly dropping the temperature to about 20-250C (depending on filling room temperature). This treatment is usually enough to take care of spoilage organisms associated with fruit juices and fruit drinks.

    The other method is sterilisation, usually applied to highly microbiologically sensitive products susceptible to pathogenic and spoilage micro-organism in the milk and yoghurt products.

    The processes that take place at the packaging stage depend essentially on the type of packaging material, and the packaging equipment itself. Packaging material made of paper, sachet nylon, Doyle packs, employ the form, fill and seal principles.

    This is in sharp contrast with PET or Plastic (PVC) or Glass packaging materials, where different equipment forms the bottle and other equipments does the filling. In form, fill and seal, the same equipment accompanies the three stages.

    A small sized fruit juice plant set up in any of the urban cities of Nigeria stand the chance of reaping huge daily incomes for the promoters. A turnover of about N140 million of its 45 per cent installed capacity utilisation at first year operation is expected. This will give a first year after tax profit of about N28 million, which is 20 per cent of turnover.

    For a well packaged and comprehensive feasibility report, which is also a pre-requisite for fund sourcing and proper implementation of this project, please contact us through krisedbrilliant@yahoo.com or call 08023381900.

     

  • Firm to build assembly plant in Nigeria

    An American multinational company, General Electric (GE), will set up a locomotive assembly plant in Nigeria, the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Prince Adeseyi Sijuwade, said yesterday.

    Speaking with reporters in his office, Sijuwade said when the plant comes on stream, it would roll out 200 locomotive engines within the first 10 years.

    He said one of the NRC’s workshops in Lagos would be upgraded by GE for the purpose.

    Sijuwade said although the Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the company, a transaction advisor would be selected.

    He said the agreement was aimed at involving the private sector in building efficient train services in the country.

    Sijuwade said NRC would be interested in partnering the private sector in the design, building, maintenance, operation and transfer (DBMOT) of warehouse to provide safe, secure storage space for goods; finance, supply and operate modern facilities and provide services for loading and offloading goods; finance, supply and jointly manage railway coaches to enhance passenger carriage capacity and freight haulage capacity.

    He said a closer partnership with the private sector would enhance efficiency and the capacity of the corporation to respond to the transportation needs of Nigerians.

    To further enhance operational efficiency, the corporation, Sijuwade said, would be out-sourcing on-board cleaning of passenger trains, cleaning of major train stations and on-board catering.

    Other areas of private involvement are: facilities management of major stations, ticketing and parking lot (park and ride) services.

    Sijuwade said the Nigeria Railway Bill has been approved by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), which will send it to the National Assembly for consideration.

     

     

     

     

  • Plant to begin operations

    The Chairman of Geometrics Power Plant, Aba, Abia State, Prof Bath Nnaji, has confirmed that the multi-billion naira plant will begin operations next month.

    However, the distribution of the energy generated would begin in three months.

    Nnaji said the plant would generate 47 megawatts to be used in Aba.

    “The reason we are not test running is because what we will be giving out is the real thing.

    “Aba will be the main beneficiary, because the city is our main target since there are many potential customers here.

    “There are two companies at the plant, the Geometrics Aba Ltd, which owns the plant and the Aba Power Company Electric, which is in charge of distribution.”