By ORKULA to SHAAGGEE, Abuja
The Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria (RRIN) has said that it was committed to ensuring that the country meets all its demands for rubber-related products, technologies and services.
Head of Research Outreach Development at the institute, Dr. Paul Anegbeh, who gave the assurance in a chat with newsmen at the 2022 National Agric Show at theagric show ground in Tudunwada, Nasarawa State, said aside from production, PRIN has trained farmers, extension officers and students on how to use technology to develop improved planting materials to achieve its target.
Beside living up to its mandate to develop economic tree crops, Anegbeh said the institute has been involved in the production of gum used as binding agents and preservative in food, beverages and confectioneries.
Dr. Anegbeh, also urged manufacturers in the country’s Agric sector to always take advantage of available shows to announce to the public the existence of technologies, services and outputs regarding production and development in the agricultural sector.
“PRIN with its headquarter inEdo State and outstations in Yobe, Kaduna and Abia State has the mandate to work on two economic crops, ie rubber and gum arabic. In Yobe, PRIN works on improvement and biotechnology. It used to produce the gum that in food, beverages and confectioneries. It is used in manufacturing tyres of of all kinds of land and air transportation, rubber foot wears, buckets, vehicle exhaust holder/hangers, spoons and many more.
“Rubber takes several to ten years (7-10 years) to before it matures and start giving benefits to farmers, but scientists at PRIN develop technology for the production of rubber clones, ie planting materials which we give out to farmers and within the period of five years the rubber will be matured for tapping.
“We have been training farmers, extension officers and students on how to use the technology to develop improved planting materials so that farmers will be encouraged to go into rubber business,” Dr. Anegbeh said.
