Releaf, an agricultural technology company that develops proprietary hardware and software solutions to enhance industrialisation of food processing in Africa, has initiated a partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to improve growth and sustainability in oil palm production in Nigeria and across Africa.
The Nigerian agri-tech start-up explained in a statement that the partnership will enable both organisations to explore ways to increase oil palm yields, deploy the best intercropping mechanisms, and work with fabrication and mechanisation experts to foster further innovation and development in Nigeria’s smallholder-driven oil palm sector.
In addition, IITA will support Releaf with soil fertility analysis, access to its facilities, oil palm management programmes and leaf analysis for improved productivity. The partnership will also explore how insect waste can be recycled into organic waste that can be used to fertilise oil palm and as a source of nutrition for livestock.
Ikenna Nzewi, chief executive officer and co-founder, Releaf, speaking on the partnership, noted that IITA has a long and rich history of working with international and national partners to impact agricultural value chains.
He also expressed optimism that the partnership with the research-for-development institution would help develop the required technology to improve sustainable impact on rural communities’ livelihoods.
Nteranya Sanginga, IITA director general, commended Releaf’s achievement recorded within a short space of time. Investing in research and development, he explained, is always a great advantage for everyone.
Sanginga added that IITA is looking forward to working with Releaf to explore more ways to add value across the agricultural value chain.
According to Releaf, despite having 80 percent of market share, an estimated four million smallholder farmers in Nigeria’s oil palm sector are unable to maximise the opportunity available to them due to relatively low yields and limited access to adequate processing equipment.
This factor, the company said, led to its invention of Kraken, West Africa’s most advanced palm nut de-sheller, which can process up to 500 metric tonnes of palm nuts per week, to produce premium palm kernel products at 95 percent of purity, better than the 88 percent industry standard.
