Association urges Kebbi govt. to renovate Shea butter processing centre

The National Shea Products Association of Nigeria (NASPAN), has appealed to Kebbi government to renovate the dilapidated Shea Butter Processing centre in the state to enhance production.

Its Kebbi coordinator, Hajiya Hadiza Hassan-Danga, made the appeal on Friday during an inspection tour of the centre at Tsamiya community in Bagudu Local Government Area of the state.

"We are appealing to government to renovate this dilapidated Shea process centre established many years ago to enhance the business of Shea butter production, especially by women.

"Women play active roles in Shea nut business, hence the need to understand the importance of maintaining their good products.

"The state's Shea butter is the best in the country and in the international market,'' she said.

Hassan-Danga said that the association had been positively impacting on Shea butter processors and training them on export quality standard.

She also appealed to government at all levels to assist Shea butter processors with machines and processing centres to improve their businesses.

The coordinator called on women to engage in Shea nuts processing to become self-reliant and become employers of labour.

Earlier, Alhaji Muhammad Surajo-Dan'Alkali, the Trade Promotion Adviser and Head of Export Promotion Assistance Office, National Export Promotion Council (NEPC), expressed dismay at the dilapidated structure of the centre.

"The centre was constructed to assist Shea butter processors to enable them to produce quality Shea products for export.

"All machines at the centre have become dilapidated and need to be repaired.

"The NASPAN has taken it upon itself to ensure that the facility is put into optimal use to promote Shea butter business in the state and in the country at large,'' he said.

In his remarks, the NASPAN spokesman, Alhaji Abubakar Dallatun-Kalgo, said Kebbi is predominantly a Shea butter production state.

He added that the association was exploring ways of getting Shea products in the state to the international market.

The spokesman said also that Shea nuts had the potential to generate foreign exchange for the nation, stressing that that could only be achieved if the Shea butter products conformed to international standards.

He commended the NEPC for sponsoring a lot of programmes to boost export activities in the state.

Dallatun-Kalgo called on other stakeholders to partner with NASPAN to put facilities at the Shea butter processing centre in Kebbi to use for foreign exchange earnings.