Nosak Distilleries Explores Cassava Value Chain for Ethanol

Nosak Distilleries Explores Cassava Value Chain for Ethanol

Hamid Ayodeji

In line with its quest to source raw materials locally, one of the leading ethanol refineries, Nosak Distilleries Limited, a subsidiary of Nosak Group has taken steps to enhance the cassava industry value chain through the acquisition of over 6,000 hectares of arable farmlands in Edo State.

Speaking shortly after the summit, the Group Executive Director, Corporate Services, Osagie Ogunbor expressed his delight at the organisers of the fourth Cassava and Starch Africa Summit with the theme: ‘Driving Sustainable Development through Innovative Value Chains,’ held in Accra, Ghana.

“The two-day summit was a good ground to learn new trends in the exploration of cassava and its many by-products. We participated in this year’s summit as a result of our diversification in the agricultural sector and to explore the option of cassava to ethanol locally,” a statement quoted him to have said.

Ogunbor, disclosed that the Nosak Group was expanding the frontiers through an investment of over N5 billion in the acquisition of farmlands for its backward integration scheme as well as a plant with a capacity of 100,000 liters per day of ethanol thereby empowering youths and farmers with employment in Edo state and other parts of Nigeria.

Sharing his experience, the Managing Director, Nosak Distilleries, Osaro Omogiade, noted that the summit was a platform for industry stakeholders to discuss innovations in farm mechanisation, new cassava processing projects, starch market opportunities, sourcing challenges faced by end users and many more.

Speaking further, Omogiade said, “Nosak Group has acquired over 19,000 hectares in Edo state for plantation purposes. These farmlands will enable the Group grow three of its subsidiaries: Premier Plantations Limited for cassava plantation and conversion to ethanol for Nosak Distilleries Limited while Nosak Farm Produce Limited and Saturn Farms Limited will increase their plantation base for palm oil, milling, and refining.”

Cassava holds enormous potential as a food security crop and has become a raw material for an array of processed products that will increase demand for the crop.
To achieve this, he said, “crop yields will have to be improved through mechanisation, better-quality stems, frequent weeding, quality fertilisers among others.”

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