he Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has called on stakeholders in the rubber industry to support its quest for a review of the Act establishing the council.
RMRDC’s Director-General, Prof. Nnayelugo Ike-Muonso, said this at a one-day Investment Forum on the Development and Rehabilitation of the Rubber Value Chain, in Owerri, on Monday.
Ike-Muonso, was represented by Mrs. Chima Obi, the Director, State Industrial Extension Services Department of the RMRDC Headquarters, Abuja.
He said that the Council was pursuing a bill to amend the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) Act 2022 to inhibit the exportation of raw materials in its virgin form in Nigeria.
The DG said that overwhelming support was given to the Bill by stakeholders in Abuja on March 5, 2024, during a public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Science and Technology.
He added that the consideration and passage of the bill would stop the exportation of wealth and jobs to foreign countries by Nigeria through the processing of raw materials before their exportation.
This, he said, would promote the development of higher-value rubber products in Imo and Nigeria generally.
“Value addition plays a crucial role in fostering economic development, enhancing business growth, and ensuring consumer satisfaction.
“Through transforming raw materials into higher-value products, industries can increase profitability, create employment opportunities, and promote sustainable development,” Ike-Muonso said.
Speaking on the theme: “Rebooting Rubber- Transforming Imo’s Agricultural Industrial Future”, Mr Emenike Onu, the Deputy Vice President, National Association of Small-Scale Industrialists (NASSI) described the proposed amendment as one of the most significant steps towards achieving greater economic growth.
He called for more legislative initiatives that discouraged the export of Nigeria’s raw materials in their unprocessed form.
Also, the Imo Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Cosmos Maduba, said that Rubber plantations were a lifeline for millions of smallholder farmers and large scale producers worldwide.
According to him, the plantations provide employment opportunities, support rural economies and contribute significantly to national GDP’s in many rubber producing countries.
