• In picture: RMRDC delegation with senior Ministry officials during the meeting
The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) is in talk with the government of Oyo State for the establishment of aromatic plants clusters, pilot plantations and demonstration farms across the state as part of efforts to boost production and attract investment into the sector.
Among the aromatic plants identified for development were lemongrass, basil, mint, citronella, clove and cinnamon, all of which have significant commercial value and wide-ranging applications in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, perfumery and herbal medicine industries.
The plan was unfolded recently during a meeting among the officials of the RMRDC and Oyo State ministry of Agriculture.
The RMRDC delegation, the Oyo State Coordinator, Mr. O.A. Adeogun, accompanied by other officials of the Council, was received by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mrs. F.O. Adeniran-Adediran, alongside other senior Ministry officials, including the Deputy Director, Mrs. T.A. Olaoye, and Senior Agricultural Officer, Mrs. E.A. Ogundele.
Speaking during the meeting, Adeogun highlighted the Council’s mandate in promoting the development and utilization of local raw materials for industrial growth, economic diversification and sustainable national development.
He stressed the importance of strengthening agricultural value chains through the cultivation and processing of high-value aromatic plants.
Mrs. F.O. Adeniran-Adediran of the Ministry expressed their readiness to collaborate with the Council on programmes capable of driving investment, job creation and industrial growth through the development of the aromatic plants value chain.
They noted that Oyo State possesses favourable agro-ecological conditions suitable for large-scale cultivation of aromatic crops, particularly in the Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa zones.
