SUNDAY "IJNCH
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BUSINESS
DEC EMBER 1'1. 201 1
Yam research offers prisoners financial, career lifeline LAYI ADELOY[ RISON in mates pc.rticiplting in a yam imp rovemen t projl!ct. led by the In zrnational Institute of Tropical '\griculture and Diocesan De velopment Services are gai ling skills on how to bett£!" o!llivate the tuber crop. whose mowledge would empo\ver th:mt to face life's challenges aFt ~r their jail terms. Conducted as a pilot . study with the Pnson Farm Centre in EIele. near Port Harcourt. under the Un ited Kingdom's Departmen t for International De.. elopmentsupported ' H ealt h~ seed yam project'. the mitiati.re aims at creating greater ~va.ilability of healthy pla.nliTl!J mater}al, while e><pandlrlg larmen;' knowledge on improved production methoci. A statement b:J IrrA on Thursday said the choice of the prison W'dS par! of efforts to help reform pf".$Onen; so that they become more useful to Ihe society IrrA scienli!;ts. [In; . Danny CoyneandAbiodUJ ,Cla.udiusCole, were· Quoted as saying in the statement th It. MTo ge t healthy M!ed yam, researchers trained prison in nates on hOw to treat yam setts of approximat<!l.,. 80 !![anlS with recommended' ungiddesl insecticides bzlore ])lanting." The yam sets \V!I"f! dipped in the fungic ide,insecticide solution and aUmo.ed to Jry before planting. On the priso)n farm, the technology recorded more th<'lll 20 per cen t yield inaease over rhe yie ld produced throu gh the use o f the conventional ~ile m . Seed Yam Proj.:ct Officer, Nsude Anthony. de-;aibed the innovation a5 \"'On jerful: "I am exdtec by the outcome. AI the b.:ginning. I
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never believed thai such small yam sets could produce bigsized yam. This is great: he
said.
Trials of the same technology on a nearby drought.hil farm recorded about 400 per cent more seed yam using the improved method as opposed to untreated fClrms, according to
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methods inltoduced by lITA to increase seed production,
adding that the project provided inmates with useful knowledge and skills that they can use when they return to their communities. He stressed that these skills would continue to be useful to inmates in their life time. ResearchetS say that the
success of the project al the Prison Fann Centre in E1ele will pa .... !! the way for similar projects across the tou nlry along the yam-growlng belt. Consumed by millions of people worldwide. yam production is stymied by the unavailability of healthy seedli ngs caused by pests and diseases.
IITA and the Diocesan Development Services - Ihe two partner organisations implementing the project, intend to give participating
inmates healthy seed yams to start yam production when they flnaUy lea....e prison. Il ls hoped that the inmates wiU re-enter society armed with better knowledge and skills thai would help them slart a new life.
Golden Penny strengthens brand loyalty
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oL_R: Th e Directo r oj F1nance and Adrnlni.stratJon , Nige rian Airs pace Managem ent Agency, Mrs . Elb;abe lh Agom; Coordinato r, Nige r/Oil Red C ross H eadq uarte rs, Mr. Johnso n Igelf ; o lld a ll oJ]1cer Jrom NAMA d e tcrdlllre nt oJthe Nig erian Red Cross, Mrs. L Nnah , during the p resentatio n oj an award to the Managing Director oj t.h e ogenC}', Mr. Nnomdl Ud!,h , In Lagos ... recently.
Shongai inaugurates plastics recycling plant in Otta H 0 N G A I Packaging Industry Umited has opened a state· ol- the-art plastics recyding plant in Ot1a, Ogun Slate. as part of its eco-friendly manufactu ring process. The firm said Ihe new plant was capable of treating a nd converting 24 lonnes of waste plastics 10 re· usable materials per day. A statemen t by the company quoted its Executive Director. Operations. Mr,
S
grourth and developmenl S he ellCOU Jageci the con testants to put in their best in future endeavours. The sialemenlalso quoted a senior lecturer at the college, Ms Lauretta TogonuBkkernelh. as saying, !his event is aimed al promoting the hospitality and tourism career, improving the perception of the industry in Nigeria and to showcase the: ro!e o f the service industry in the society at 1aIge. ~ She added. "We hope to make this event an annual one to reath out and bring together stakeholders 10 contnbute to training and the: education of young Nigerians through this career." The contest was divided into five categories and saw winners from all the contesting
schools.
Geoffrey Anyaso. as ~ying. "We are leveraging on our expertise to support the global effort to protect the environment. Plastic wastes constitute a very high percentage of both domestic and industrial wastes in Nigeria. "We believe that these waste products can be converted to re-usable material. whith would help in reducing the quanlily thai is dumped al variow landfills and ultimately ensuring a beller environment.'
Anyaso said th at the recycle d plastics materials were treated. glOund, and polished before being used to make plastics pc.lIets that could be used in stacking up cra tes and ca rton s by manufacturers aClOSS various sectors. He said kThe p lastic pallets Which come in three sizes o f 1200 x 1000 x
153. 1200 x 1200 x 153. and 1250 )( 1070 x 153 are a direct replacement for wooden pallets Ihat is stitl very commonly used in
Kyetere appointed AATF's ED
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Afnam Agricultural TeChnology Foundation has
"""""'" appoinbne:nl of Dr.
tho Denis Tumwesigye Kyelere as its executive director. He ....:iIl be taldng CLYef from Ot. .lcK:ob Mignouna, the organisation's technical operations director who has been acting in the position during \he b&m::I's selection
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A statement issued in Ahuja byfoundaliori£onununication and F'artne:Mips Manager, Nancy Muchiri, said Kyetere would assume offICe on JanUilJy 1. 2012. It also quoted the foundalion's Board Olairman, Pmf, Jdah Sithole-NJang. as saying, -K~ brings with him, a wealth of exper\ena! in hands on agricultural research
and management gained from ""IOrking with both public and private sector pal"tnen;hlp projeds at lJganda's National Agricultural Researdl ~,
'This experience wiD be 01 great benefit to AAlF whose mission involves working
through partnerships to deliver ils key mandate of accessing and delivering aHordabJe agricultural technologies lor use by smallholder farmers in sub00
Saharan Africa. ~
Kyetere, a IJg:mda national, grew up in a mixed caltle keeping and crop !J'OWing
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also holds M& in plant breeding from the University 01 WaJes.
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""""" Uni"" and 1'1 Bachelor of
Sden<o""""'IB&) " Bolany
and ~ from Makerere ~.lJg;mda
Nigeria . Its advantages are it preserves forests, reduces manulacturen;'long term cost While also improving hygienic conditions within breweries and food industries. It said thai Shongai Packaging Industry sta rted ope rati ons in Nigeria in 1981 as a plasti c crates manufacturer an d had fou r manufacturing divisions. the Injection Moulding Division, the Blow Moulding Division. Ihe Label Printing Division and the Crate/Container Printing Division.
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01 its drive to slTengihen its brand loyalty and inculr..ate the same 'n consumers, espeoally children, Golden Penny Noodles has embarked on an advenlure trip for children. with a view to endearing them to the Orand. The thildren. drawn from various Iocatlons of the country. weLe those thai came tops in the company's phone· in quiz programme and essay write·ups on adventure. Speaking, in company WLth the children at a zooIogk:al garden. in Epe, Lagos, the Marketing/Activity McLnager, Golden Penny Pastas;. Mrs. Yomi Asebioma. said the thildren, as automatic branJ ambassadors. v.oere the first set of the adventure squad. Asebioma said the company decided to take the thildren on an advenlure trip so as to fLrmly entrench the Golden Ai!:nny brand in them "because they learn better and faster with whal they see and leel. as it would slick with them for a long time. k She added that because thlklren ....Iere the regular wnsumetS of the product, there was the need to expose them to some basic: things and animals. which they only heard about without seeing or touching them. She said the bip v.'ould open their ~oes to what adventure was all about.
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Wavecrest organises culinary competition h (ollege, WlIvecrest lIe9(' 01 Hospitality Ma'lagemenl, has organised l rulinary competition fOI hospitality students in LIre nlltian's polytechnics A statement by the school said the conlest ~1a5 meant 10 create awareness end generate gTl?al'?T interests among young Niltefians for the hospitality indLlstry. According 10 the sli!Ltement, four nstitutions took part in th ! maide n contest. The Provost, Wavecrest College. Ms. Rosana NliSUeiO, who dedared the compeHliol1 open, undem:01"ed the ~ nportance of the sector to economic
IITA. Assistant C:ontmUer 01 Prisons al 8ele Pruon Farm, Mr. Archibong lbup. described the results a5 'impressive; urging farmers to step up the production of seed yam as its availability was limited and o hen o f poor qual ity. According to him. the Prison Farm will ~opl the
TFC introduces African delicacies
N its continuous efforts at
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closer to its rustomers, Tastee Fried Chicken has introduced African ITaditionai derx:acies 10 iI5 outlet in Opebi. Lagos. The delicacies, called Tastee Fbt Too, 1I.'aS unveiled In a ceremony in Opeb~ Lagos. on
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The Communications & 5""",,, , _ 1FC,
Lanre Baiyew.J, said the traditional meals were brought to Opebi. Its second ~ outlet, in re;ponse to its customers demand, Mr.
According to Baiyewu. the product was introducOO after a thorough. careful and weDresearched analysis of what the OlSIomers wanted, He noted that the company designed a ....:eB-prepared Joc.al meals with high nubitional
values suitable for rustcmers'
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He listed the African delicacies on its stable to include s....:alloo.vs srl as
pounded ~'<Im. semovtta. eba and amala as weI1 as soups such as egusi. ciao, afiang, ogbono. ero Tiro and ediItang ikong, amangsIothers,adding thai they were ilIl prepazed using carefully selected locally
sourced ingredients 9.Jltab1e for amsumption.
He said, '"We are here Ioday to present our IlWJ African ranges to \he people
of ()pebi, being our second oldest outlet. so that they wiD also enjoy the rich cultural heritage found in theseAfriccm delkocie:s prepared from the righl ingredients 10 ~ them
adequate nutritional values that wiD enhance their ....oeD being,