By Editor
Propelled by the ongoing agric revolution in Ekiti State and Governor Biodun Abayomi- led administration’s determined efforts to frontally address the issue of food security, a youth agripreneur has launched a variety of processed indigenous food made from cassava and plantain to Ekiti market with a trademark name-, FUSEM.
Packaged in 2kg and 5kg bags, the new products which is undergoing NAFDAC final approval will soon hit Ekiti market in their thousands as the producer attested to the product’s capacity to be a global brand in the nearest future.
In line with the popular saying-; the taste of the puddings is in the eating”, Otunba Anifowose with his team, demonstrated the genuineness of FUSEM with the preparation of a small quantity of the fufu flour as launch meal for about 12 guests that graced the occasion.
The beautifully packaged flour which is a fusion of the popular fufu and semolina promises to be a potential Ekiti major export to the world in food tourism when fully launched.
Making the official presentation of FUSEM at the office of DG, Bureau of Tourism Development Barr. Wale Ojo-Lanre at the Governor’s Office last week, the producer, Otunba Tosin Anifowose spoke at length about how he was driven by passion to engage many Ekiti youths into farming.
According to the Ayegbaju Ekiti-born young entrepreneur, the need to engage the youth in agriculture initially brought to the fore the Youth Cooperative Out of Poverty (YCOP) initiative.
His words; YCOP initiative was focused basically on farming and I think for us to move forward, there’s need to move from farm to factory. So the necessity to move from agriculture to industrialization was what brought about FUSEM, in the first instance trying to industrialize the state by directly processing agric produce into end products in the agric value chain”. he said.
Speaking on government intervention towards the success of the new two products, the first Ekiti Mr Tourism said; “Between last year and this year, government has cleared almost 140 hectares for our organization which has greatly helped in the production of these items because it was from farm directly to the factory. This is government way of gainfully engaging the youths in farming by providing these incentives which people called enabling environment because Ekiti State is basically an agrarian state which requires government support to strive at all times”
He noted that one of the most capital intensive ventures in agriculture is land preparation which he said, ‘takes a huge chunk of the capital’ saying that government has taken care of that aspect in addition to supplying of seedlings, chemicals and finally helping to buy off all the produce after harvest.
Answering reporters’ question on the likelihood of food deficit in Ekiti State with the official commencement of operations at Ekiti State cargo airport, Anifowose dismissed such insinuation saying that government attention at present, is geared towards food sufficiency and mass food production.
According to him; “One of the things that I think this government is encouraging is that by the time all our bushes are well cleared, it would encourage more people to go to the farm and this will enhance food security and of course, by the time we have reasonable quantity as surplus, it is expected that we already have a full capacity for export but the primary objective is to first feed ourselves” he noted.
Speaking in similar vein the host DG Bureau of Tourism Development, Barr. Wale Ojo-Lanre commended the entrepreneur for thinking outside the box to produce the landmark culinary products for Ekiti and the whole world at a time like this when the government of Ekiti State is laying solid foundation for agriculture as the mainstay of the economy of the State.
He identified food tourism as an integral part of tourism all over the world saying that a number of activities have been lined up in the coming weeks to mark Ekiti food tourism.
