Soya milk production and university revenue It is not uncommon to come across bottled soya milk from various countries dotting the shelves of groceries and shops in the country. Soya milk is no doubt a rich source of proteins and is so acknowledged by nutritionist and food technologists. Despite costs associated with production and importation as well as food standards regulation, these countries still break even .Nigeria is known to be a leading producer of soya beans, the plant whose seeds are used in processing the vegetable oil and indeed the nutritious soya milk. Several states in the country cultivate soya beans which can be found in the various markets in these agricultural zones for local consumption. A larger quantity still is exported to other countries at cheaper rates thus discouraging farmers who engage in the cultivation. The cheering news is that soya milk is being processed locally for family consumption using simple processing techniques but with a shorter expiry date. There is therefore the need to add value to this agricultural produce, soya beans, through processing it into soya milk using more sophisticated tools for a longer shelf life. It is to this that it becomes pertinent for universities located in such agricultural zones to cash in on the opportunity to diversify their internally generated revenue (IGR) base. Financial autonomy for universities is a challenging and topical issue and more so that many institutions are now sourcing for IGR in pursuit of their responsibilities including community service. Thus given the simplicity of the technology involved in processing and bottling soya milk, the powers that be should be able to approve of it for supply and sale in the immediate communities in order to boost the financial standing of the universities who engage in it. For one, the universities can use the knowledge of the current local producers of soya milk so as to upgrade it for large scale production or better still transfer simple technology for adaptation. For instance at a time when I visited the United States on a fellowship, our laboratory associate was processing and bottling his own beverages for consumption at home with simple equipment that are adaptable. It’s simple enough. After all some universities are already into similar IGRs. This venture will no doubt boost the IGR of universities who undertake it for the benefit of their communities and students through internship placements. Therefore universities such as those located in these agricultural zones where there is ample supply of soya beans have no excuse whatsoever for not processing and bottling soya milk for sale to boost their revenues .The market for soya milk is already there and what will be produced by our universities can compete effectively with the foreign products since it will be more affordable due to production following a shorter investment chain. Moreover universities will be making the product available at a moderate cost. Universities should therefore consider this IGR source. Emmanuel Tyokumbur. Department of Zoology, University of Ibadan. 07041466464 (Text only)
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 16:18:51 +0000
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