12 SHEA BUTTER, THE PLANT AND ITS PRODUCTS WITH THE AID OF ICT
AKPOROBARO UYOYOU AGNES
ABSTRACT
Shea butter is a natural vitamin A cream to all care products. Grade A, unrefined, no addictive, is an off white or Ivory coloured fat extracted from the nut, raw shea butter is the most high quality. Shea tree is indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa and belongs to the family Sapotaceae. Based on distribution, nut species of the plant has been identified namely Vitellaria paradoxa and Vitellaria nilotica. Vitellaria paradoxa is produced mainly in the West African sub-region. Nigeria supplies shea nut of grade A quality. It can be used for anything from medicine, skin cream to soap. It is cleaned and processed in a smoke free area. Nigeria exports about 50,000 tons of shea butter and allied derivatives valued at about $3.8 billion every year. The rational behind this study is to compare the information gotten from individuals from two States in Nigeria asking them through hand phone about shea plant, how it is being processed, it uses and how it is being sold in Nigeria with information gotten from online. Bearing in mind that information gotten from the individuals residing in those two States that are cultivating shea plant, processing it and selling shea nuts or butter will be more authentic than online information. Decades and recently, most authors go to internet/online to get information on shea plants, how it is processed, how it is sold and its importance in our global world. Information gotten from individuals residing in a particular location that are cultivating and producing shea butters was overlooked. Information about how shea plant is being planted, how it is produced, awareness of the farmers on exportation of shea butter and the importance of shea butter to individuals and global world was asked by the researcher through hand phone. The researcher visited two persons in Baleke and Old Lagos Asaba road markets, Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria that sells shea butter and asked them how they got the shea butter they sells? After answering the question, the researcher appealed for the phone numbers of the village women that they do purchased shea butter from. The shea butter seller from Baleke market, Agbor gave the researcher three phone numbers from Kwara State in Idofion, Omomere and Ayekale village in Ilorin while the shea butter seller from Old Lagos Asaba road markets, Agbor, gave the researcher two phone numbers from Oyo State in Shaki and Igbeti village in Oyo, Nigeria. Those shea butter farmers were called immediately through hand phone and they responded well to all the questions asked through hand phone and the information was recorded. Comparison of the information through hand phone within the five persons were measured and the results revealed that there were three similarities and two differences within the information gotten from the five persons from the two States, comparison between the information gotten through hand phone and the information gotten from online, online shea plant and production of shea butter photos were compared with information gotten from the five persons through hand phone and online methods of packaging the shea butter for selling were compared with the information gotten from the five persons through hand phone on the methods of packaging the shea butter for selling and the results revealed that there were slightly differences between the online methods of packaging shea butter for either selling or exports with the information gotten from the five persons through hand phone on the methods of packaging the shea butter for selling. .
INTRODUCTION
Shea tree is a dicotyledonous woody plant it grows typically in the savannah and naturally stretches over Africa in the Northern hemisphere from southeastern Senegal to Ethiopia and Uganda. The plant thrives naturally in the dry savannah belt of West Africa from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east, and onto the foothills of the Ethiopian highlands. It is grown in 19 countries across the African continent, namely Benin Republic, Ghana, Chad, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ethiopian, Guinea Bissau. Cole D’lvoire, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Uganda. Zaire and Guinea (FAO, 211).
Nigeria has a comparative advantage in the production and export of shea nut in Africa over her counterparts due to the large available arable land and suitable climatic conditions for its production and out of the 923,766 square kilometers or 92. 376. 600 million hectares of the land area of the country, about 45 percent, that is 4,156,947 is suitable for the growth of the plant (Brandith, 2004). A shea tree currently grows in the wild in many States including Niger, Nassarawa. Kebbi. Kwara, Kogi, Adamawa. Benue, Edo, Katsina, Plateau, Sokoto, Zamfara, Taraba, Borno and Oyo (Brandith, 2004). Although it appears to be a rather obscure wild species growing side by side with arable crops, it is widely known, valued and exploited by the natives in all the areas where it grows (Brandith, 2004).
BOTANY OF SHEA BUTTER
Family:Supataceae
Botanical Name:Vitellaria paradoxa and vitellaria nilotica
English name:Shea
French name:karate
Igbo name:Okwuma
Yoruba name:Ori
Hausa name:Markade
Type of plant:Dicotyledonous
Nursery period:2 to 3 years
Gestation period:15 to 20 years
Maturity period:40 – 50 years
Fruiting period:40 – 200 years and above
Type of pollination:Bats and Insects pollination
Shape/colour o f fruit: Green plum shaped, which becomes brown when ripen.
Production period:At the beginning of November to March (but if fluctuates)
Ripening period: 4 – 6 months and above
Harvesting period:At the beginning of rainy season (April-October) it also
fluctuates considerably
Source (Ademola et al.., 2012) and (Bonkoungou, 2005)
METHODOLOGY
Two persons in Baleke and Old Lagos Asaba road markets, Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria that sells shea butter were visited and were asked about how they got the shea butter they sells?
The questions were answered and the researcher appealed for the phone numbers of the village women that they do purchased shea butter from.
The shea butter seller from Baleke market, Agbor gave the researcher three phone numbers from Kwara State in Idofion, Omomere and Ayekale village in Ilorin while the shea butter seller from Old Lagos Asaba road markets, Agbor, gave the researcher two phone numbers from Oyo State in Shaki and Igbeti village in Oyo, Nigeria.
Those shea butter farmers were called immediately through hand phone and questions were asked about:
- How shea plant is being planted,
- How it is produced,
- Awareness of the farmers on exportation of shea butter and
- The importance of shea butter to individuals and global world
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Two women from Kwara State in Omomere and Ayekale villages in Ilorin and the two women from Oyo State in Shaki and Igbeti villages in Oyo reported that shea nut is being nursed for a period of 1 – 2 years before transplanting into field.
Information gotten from those women were almost the same with Ademola et al. (2012) and Bonkoungou (2005) who reported that shea nut is being nursed for a period of 2 – 3 years before transplanting into field.
One of the women from Kwara State in Ayekale village in Ilorin and the two women from Oyo State in Shaki and Igbeti villages in Oyo reported that the gestation period of shea plant before it can begin producing fruits is about 12 – 15
However, they also reported that time, seasons and period of nursery to transplanting into field can determine the shea plant gestation period.
Ademola et al. (2012) and Bonkoungou (2005) reported that shea plant gestation period is 15 – 20 years.
One of the woman from Idofion village in Ilorin reported that the shea plant begins to produced fruits from 25 – 33 years, woman from Omomere village in Ilorin reported 30 – 38 years, the woman from Ayekale village in Ilorin reported 38 – 46 years, woman from Shaki village in Oyo reported 42 – 47 years and woman from Igbeti village in Oyo reported 45 – 47 years.
Ademola et al. (2012) and Bonkoungou (2005) reported that shea plant get matured for production of fruits from 40 – 50 years.
The five women from the two States reported that shea tree can produced fruits as long as it exists.
Ademola et al. (2012) and Bonkoungou (2005) reported that shea tree can produce fruits from 40 – 200 years and above.
The five women from the two States reported that shea fruits are being picked from it tree and the fruits are heap (if the fruits are not eaten) in warm environment to allowed its dried.
They also reported that during harmattan the fruits dried faster from 1 – 2 weeks while during rainy seasons the fruits delayed, it takes 3 weeks to a month for the fruits to dry. After proper or little dehydration, the shea fruits/ovaries are being removed by peeling using hand or small knife. After the removal of the ovaries from the shea nuts, the nuts are spread on rocks or floor cement for proper drying.
They further reported that when the intensity of the sun is high, its takes 3 – 5 days for the shea nuts to properly dehydrated. After proper dehydration of the nuts, the dried pericarp is hitted with slightly metal object and the dried pericarp are removed from the dried shea butter.
Thereafter, the dried shea butter are pounded in a mortar with pestle into dried garri in nature (they reported that this method of processing shea butter was only the means of producing shea butter in the 1980th – 1989th before mechanized method came in 1990th till date). After pounding the dried shea butter to garri form, it is poured in big round pot on slightly or very little fire and the butter will be stirred gently until all the garri form butter are melted to fine smooth butter. During this process no water is added.
Immediately after the butter has melted to fine butter, the shea butter is pour into a native pot and kept either on rain, when it is raining or kept under big tree for its to get cooled. It takes 5 – 6 hours under big tree while it takes 2 – 3 hours for the shea butter to mould when kept under rain.
Comparing the present study information gotten from the five women in Kwara and Oyo States with Okuneye (2000) who reported that farmers do not pick the fruits from the tree but it must first mature and it falls to the ground from where it is collected. The farmers collect the fruits and carry it to where they perform the Shea Butter making process. The fruit is consumed, and the kernels are used to make the Shea Butter. First the nuts are sorted from the pulp. Then the nuts are parboiled. After parboiling, they are left in the sun to dry. They must be completely dehydrated. This part of the process can take up to a week. When they are completely dried, they are collected again and crushed. The farmer crush with a mortar and pestle or mechanized device, causing the nuts and the kernels to be separated. After this process, the nuts are roasted in a metal pot and put through a grinding process. This makes what looks like a brown paste. The paste is processed a second time in a very difficult procedure. This involves mixing, kneading and adding water into firm paste. One can observed considerably differences between the present study information and Okuneye (2000) information on how shea butter is being processed or produced.
With the exception of one of the women in Idofion village in Ilorin that was not aware of the exportation of shea butter, other women reported that they were aware of the exportation of shea butter from Nigeria to another countries and they also reported that although they don’t have the means of exporting shea butter to another countries,. yet, since 1990th until date shea nuts and shea butter buyers come from Lagos, Enugu, Abba, Kano and Kaduna to Kwara and Oyo States to buy their shea nuts and shea butter from them by weighing in Kilogramms (Kg) and heavy money were being given them after weighing, compared to 1980th – 1989th were only petty traders purchase only shea butter (no buying of shea nuts in those years) in small amount of cash.
Bonkoungou (2005) reported that Nigeria is the leading producer of shea butter in the world with a production capacity of about 600,000 metric tons is yet to fully realize her potentials in the processing and export of shea butter. Unlike other agricultural products such as ginger, sesame seed, peanuts whose export potential are well known, the export potential of Shea butter is not well documented by National Bureau of Statistics, Central Bank of Nigeria and National Export Promotion Council reported by Ekoja (2004).
Some of the women from Kwara and Oyo States listed some of the uses of shea plant and shea butter as follows:
They reported that the shea plant fruits are consumed like mango although they are smaller than mango, the shea butter are used as joint pain relief, it makes hair grow faster when applied under skull, it is used as traditional cream and it is used to smoothing skin burnt and fire burnt.
Alander (2004) who reported that the major uses of the shea plant to local communities and industries include consumption of fleshy pulp locally like mango, the fruit when ripen can be eaten raw; trunk, bark, cortex, roots and leaves are used in preparation of herbal remedies: trunk makes excellent charcoal and is also useful as building material. In addition butter is extracted from the nut. The butter is also locally used in traditional medicines and cosmetics, chocolates, candle and pastries as cocoa butter substitute. It is also used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics because it is naturally rich in Vitamins A, E. and F. Furthermore Shea butter is widely utilized for domestic purposes such as cooking, skin moisturizer, edible products. Traditionally, shea butter is used as cream for dressing hair, protecting skin from extreme weather and sun, relieving rheumatic and joint pains healing wounds/swelling/bruising, and massaging pregnant women and children. It is also used in treatments of eczema, rashes, burns, ulcers and dermatitis.
In Europe and Japan, shea butter is prized for its super healing and moisturizing properties. It is an ingredient in creams, sun screens, conditioners and in the treatment of burns and muscle pains. (Lovett 2004) concluded that Shea nut is a high-value export to Europe and the United States, where it is considered a luxury. In the international market, the price per ton for Shea nuts packed in 20 pound dark plastic sacks or 50 kilo dark plastic containers or coated steel drums ranging from US$1,800 to US$2,800 depending on the quality while the local market price ranges from NGN180,000.00 to NGN250,000.00 (that is $1,125 to $1,562.5 per ton) ex Lagos delivery.(Lovett 2004)
CONCLUSION
Getting a rightful information from persons through hand phone call can reduced inconveniences on travelling through the high-way. Also right information through hand phone call to asked about shea plant, how it is being produced, it exportation awareness and its benefits to individuals and global world will elevates our nation Nigeria and some other countries from ignorant of importance commodity that yield income for individuals and a nation. One of the importance commodities that yield income and also have many benefits to individuals, a nation and global world is shea butter.
Most researchers go to internet to collect information about shea butter neglecting the importance of either face to face enquiring or hand phone call enquiring, more study should be done on both enquiring to validate studies already done on shea plant and shea butter.
REFERENCES
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Alander, L. (2004). Shea butter- a multifunctional Ingredients for food and cosmestics. Lipid Technology, 16(9): 202 – 216.
Bonkoungou, K. G. (2005). The shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) and the Africa shaparkhmds. Proceedings of the international workshop on processing and marketing of shea products in Africa. Dakar. SenegaI. 4 – 6 , March 2002. Technical paper, (21): 51 – 59.
Brandith, B. (2004). On the Relationship between feminism and Farm Women in Agriculture and Human Values of African Journal of Statistics. 2010, 15.
Ekoja, I.. I.. (2004). Personal variables affecting adoption of agricultural innovations by Nigerian farmers. South Africa Journal of Agricultural Extension, (33): 94 – 107.
Food Agricultural Organization (FAO) (2011). Reinforcing sound management through trade: Shea butter tree production in Africa. http://www.Fao.org (Accessed: 21 July, 2015).
Lovett, P. N. (2004). Research and Development of Premium Quality Shea Butter for production in Northern Ghana (July 2001-March 2004). Various reports to TechnoServe-Ghana. R and D support with funding from USAID.
Okuneye, P. A. (2000). Rising cost of food prices and food insecurity in Nigeria and its implication for poverty reduction, CBN. Review Journal of Economic and Financial, (39): 4.