As part of efforts to improve the economy and conserve scarce foreign exchange, the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), partnered stakeholders to advance the production of Oilseeds in Nigeria; BINTA SHAMA reports.
Origin of oilseed
The tropical climate supports production of diverse species and varieties of oilseed crops such as almonds, avocado, hazelnut, canola, castor, dika nut, melon, oil bean, sesame, cotton, linseed, flaxseed, coconut, peanut, soybean, oil palm, olive and walnut seeds, etc.
The increasing importance of oilseed in industries is due to their phytochemical and other functional properties. The use of vegetable oils and fats has expanded considerably due to advancement in processing technology and the application of innovation in their utilisation.
In Nigeria, oil seeds and products markets are changing rapidly. The use in food consumption, industries and livestock feeds are undergoing robust growth rates. Likewise, various initiatives by mandated research institutes, the Central Bank of Nigeria and stakeholders in the private sector are increasing the production and productivity of major oilseeds in the country.
The Raw Materials Research and Development Council has been a major promoter of oleochemicals production from palm oil. The number of small scale oleochemicals producing companies is on the increase locally. In addition, palm oil utilization for production of rubber, glycerine, candles and cosmetics are on the increase due to the R&D and investment promotion activities of the Council in collaboration with private sector investors.
Likewise, Nigeria’s soybean production in 2021/22 was estimated at about 1.25 million metric tons (MMT), up 43 percent or 375,000 metric tons of the 2020/2021 production level. To alleviate soybean shortage, the Central Bank through its Anchor Borrowers Program (ABP), facilitated the smallholder out growers’ projects, this enabled farmers to plant and sell the produce after harvest. This was to reduce importation as import in 2021/22 was estimated at 100,000 metric tons (MT), up nearly 100 percent greater than the 2020/21 estimate of 50,000 metric tons (MT). The high consumption of soybeans is due to its secondary components such as lecithin, phytosterols and tocopherol. Lecithin is produced by degumming soybeans and is the predominant source of food emulsifiers.
Ranking
RMRDC has developed small scale oil processing equipment for soy oil production. This equipment which is in the Technology and Innovation Centre of RMRDC is promoting soy oil production locally and it’s available to investors who are interested in soybean processing. Further research is being undertaken into utilization of soybean oil as a significant substitute for the petroleum-based resin needed to make parts for automobiles and other types of equipment in the country.
Peanut production in 2021/22 was estimated at 4.8million metric tons. This is up by nearly 9 percent or 400,000 metric tons (MT) from the USDA official 2020/21 estimate of 4.4 million metric tons (MMT). Groundnuts are ranked fifth among oil seed crops in the world after palm oil, soybean, rapeseed and sunflower.
Presently, Nigeria is the largest peanut producer in Africa, accounting for 30 percent of Africa’s total peanut production, and third in the world after China and India. However, around 30 percent of the crop produced locally exceeded the permissible aflatoxin levels for most countries. Although, IITA has developed aflasafe, which is a bio control solution to reduce aflatoxin in soybeans and peanuts, the adoption rate is still low among smallholder farmers.
The shea tree is the second most important oil crop in Africa after the palm nut tree. However, the value chain development of the shea nut locally is constrained by high gestation period of the tree and the use of traditional processing methods which limits the quality and quantity of the butter produced despite the high market potential of shea butter which is a vegetable fat extracted from shea nuts.
Globally, shea butter is used as an edible ingredient in fats, pastries, and confectionery. In the food industry the butter is processed into stearin, derived from the high concentration of stearic acid for use as a cocoa butter replacement. In the cosmetics market, shea butter is used for its excellent emollient properties due to the high content of triglycerides or fatty acids.
According to the European Commission cosmetic ingredient database COSING, shea butter has skin conditioning and viscosity-controlling properties. Pure shea butter also has a high concentration of unsaponifiables (5-7%), which have soothing and antioxidant properties. Shea butter is widely used by cosmetics brands in Nigeria. It is used to produce lotions, creams, moisturizers, baby oils and sun care; shampoos and conditioner; decorative cosmetics: lip balms and lipsticks; and soaps and cleansers.
Major player
Apart from the aforementioned oilseeds, Nigeria is fast becoming a major player in the production and processing of a host of other oilseed plant species such as castor seeds, sesame, cotton, rubbers seed oil and sunflower seeds, etc., in West Africa.
The council championed the introduction of castor seeds in the country and in collaboration with mandated research institutes and private sector operatives produced improved seedlings and varietal development of some of these oilseeds.
Through its international collaboration efforts, the Council has introduced and domesticated improved safflower seeds which produce oil that can be used for injection production. Some of these oilseeds are now being produced and processed locally by SME’s for production of various types of oil that are used in various industries.
For instance, the castor seed is now planted in various parts of the country. The oil content of castor seed ranges from 45% to 60%. The presence of the hydroxy fatty acid ricinoleate in the oil imparts unique physical and chemical properties that give the oil value as a chemical feedstock. This midchain hydroxy group results in hydrogen bonding among the triacylglycerols that carry the 2 or 3 ricinoleoyl chains. The intermolecular interaction results in viscosity that is significantly greater than that of other commodity seed oils, providing superior properties for use in lubricants and greases. The susceptibility of the hydroxyl group to substitution or elimination provides a wide range of derivatives. The chemical interaction of the hydroxy group separated by one methylene from a carbon–carbon double bond supports several cleavage reactions that provide a collection of industrially useful chemicals.
The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera L.) is a very useful tree in Nigeria. Commercial production of a great array of commercial commodities is derived from coconut oil. The oil contains the most concentrated commodity source of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). The MCTs derived from coconut oil possess unique properties with important nutritional and medical applications. The industrial uses of coconut include virgin coconut oil which is highly demanded in cosmeceuticals and increasing attention is also being given to the use of coconut oil for biofuels or as biolubricants. RMRDC has designed and developed coconut oil and coconut milk extraction plants. Likewise, RMRDC has promoted the production of biodiesel from jatropha plant species.
Oilseeds uses
The oil from sunflower seeds is used in cooking, manufacture of soaps, detergents, varnish and as lighting oil. In Nigeria, a number of SMEs are producing sunflower oil which is being used for cooking and as raw material in the production of margarine, butter, bread, and snacks. Sunflower oil is locally used as a composite ingredient in bread and butter production. Aside from production of edible oil, sunflowers have been used as raw materials in the production of cosmetics, paints, lubricants, biodiesel, and drugs. The Council has over the years has promoted and boosted the production of sunflower oil in Nigeria. This has increased the utilization of the oil in the country.
The antioxidant property of refined sesame oil increases its shelf life and taste of food products produced from it. Virgin sesame seed oil is used for salad dressing and cooking while the refined seed oil is used for food frying, confectioneries such as candy, margarine and baking and therapeutic massage. Refined Sesame oil is used as a solvent, oleaginous vehicle for drugs, skin softener and hair oil.
Other oilseeds of economic importance that the Council has worked upon include walnut and cotton seeds oil. Walnut seed oil is used for various cooking purposes because it has a rich, nutty taste and has been proven to reduce high blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It is used in the manufacturing of skin care products, hair oil and wood finishing oil. Cottonseed oil is important in the manufacture of shortening and margarine in food industries. It is also used in the manufacture of soap, sulfonated lubricating oil, pharmaceuticals, rubber, as a carrier for nickel catalysts, and to a lesser extent in the manufacture of leather, textiles, printing ink, polishes, synthetic plastics, and resins. Cottonseed oil has been used in the synthesis of sucrose polyesters as a noncaloric fat substitute, bearing the trade name olean or a common name olestra, suitable for human consumption.
RMRDC initiatives to develop the sector
Despite the various investment opportunities in the production and processing of oilseeds in Nigeria, a number of factors are still militating against the optimal development of the sector. However, some of these challenges are being addressed through local and international collaborations between RMRDC, mandated research institutes and other stakeholders.
An example of such is the collaboration with research institutes and private sector organizations to promote the development of improved oilseeds varieties for distribution to the various Oilseeds Producers, Processors and Marketers Associations in Nigeria and to members of Oilseeds Association of Nigeria (OSAN).
In a number of cases the Council had to import improved varieties of some oilseeds in line with the provisions of the National Seeds Council to boost local production in relevant ecological zones in the country. Through this practice, some new species of oilseeds have been introduced to expand and complement existing oilseed production and processing in Nigeria. Some of the collaboration efforts have led to the development of high yielding varieties of castor seeds, oil palm, sesame, groundnut, etc. and are promoting food security and national economic and industrial development aspirations of the country. Today in Nigeria a number of small scale oil seeds processing plants are operating in various parts of the country and this is reducing dependence on importation.
The RMRDC efforts to address the challenges of shea nut value chain development are yielding commendable results. The Council has developed small scale processing facilities for the production of premium quality shea butter. Likewise the Council in collaboration with NAGRAB, the Council had been able to improve on the shea tree germplasm for better productivity while the collaboration with NIFOR is leading to the establishment of low gestation shea tree plantations in the country. To promote increased productivity of oilseeds under the farmers’ condition, the Council has been in vanguard of training farmers on pre- and post-harvest technologies and on the management of aflatoxin infestation to acceptable levels. Among the elements of the training exercises are farmyard manure production and utilization, use of crop residues, the use of lime and generally, on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), employment of Aflasafe, use of resistant tolerant varieties, harvesting time, proper drying methods and storage. Promotion of aflatoxin mitigation technologies is having a big impact on the reduction of aflatoxin contamination, thereby improving the marketability of the oilseeds and their products. The reduction of mycotoxin risk via aflatoxin mitigation technologies is helping farmers to produce food safe for human consumption, industrial use and for export.
RMRDC has worked assiduously through various collaborations to design and develop processing facilities for most of the oilseeds in the country. For example, most of the problems constraining optimal value chain development of oil palm, sesame seeds, castor seeds, etc., have been addressed through the development of small scale processing equipment through collaborations with engineering firms in Nigeria. To promote these initiatives in a sustainable manner, the Council has established a Technology and Innovation Centre in Obasanjo Space Centre at FCT, Abuja, for the purpose of research and development, investment promotion, innovation startups and for teaching and training purposes. The centre will definitely be instrumental to the establishment of several oilseed processing facilities in the country and for economic diversification, job promotion and industrialization drive of the country.
