TheCable

The Kaduna state agro processing productivity enhancement and livelihood improvement support (APPEALS) project is set to establish 15 cottage processing centres across the state.

Muhammad Amin, the communications officer of the project, announced this in a statement in on Sunday.

Amin said the centres would be constructed to focus on three value chains — dairy, ginger and maize products — under the project.

He said the centres would be provided with equipment capable of handling post-harvest produce, including machines for storage, cleaning, sorting, processing, and packaging.

According to Amin, the cottage processing centre for maize will have the capacity to process 50,000 tonnes of maize in a year.

“The APPEALS project has deemed it necessary to provide trainings to organised groups on how to operate and maintain the equipment in the cottage processing centres,” Amin said.

He added that the centres for milk collection will help preserve milk for future use and make it available for producing dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt.

Amin further said the establishment of the cottage processing centres will have a positive impact as it will provide employment opportunities, which will go a long way in fostering economic growth and development in the state.