The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, Prof. Kolawole Salako, has commissioned a Cashew Nut Shell Liquid Oil Extraction Machine at the Cashew Nut Processing Unit of the University to aid the development of research and entrepreneurship skills. The Vice-Chancellor said the University would use the machine to extract oil, which can also be used for many products, adding that there was the need for research to be conducted on oil because of its advantages. “This is important for that kind of cooperation”, he added. Prof. Salako said that the University had been enjoying collaboration with the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) for years, stressing the council brought in Cashew Shelling Machine, Cashew Processing Machine, and another one for packaging sometime in 2018.
Reeling out the benefits of the machine, the Vice-Chancellor disclosed that the machine would aid research development and entrepreneurship, particularly for University graduates, who may want to venture into small-scale industries. Meanwhile, the Head, Policy Analysis Division of RMRDC, Mr. Sayuti Wali, has expressed satisfaction with the University’s ability to fully maximise the use of the machine. “One of the products of cashew is the shell and we do not want to leave everything untouched. That is why we brought the machine to recycle the wasted shell to make a chemical called Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) and CSNL could serve other purposes, including being used for insecticide, herbicide, and animal feeds, among others”, he added.