Harnessing the Economic Potentials of Citrus Peel for Wealth Creation in Nigeria

Citrus processing generates high volumes of co-products namely, peel and pulp and the peel comprises approximately 25 % of total weight of the fruit. Because citrus peel is rich in nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, cellulose and vitamins, its reprocessing is becoming increasingly important. Products derivable from citrus peel include dried peel, peel powder, pectin, peel essential oil, citric and lactic acids, brandy spirit, feed yeast, vinegar, marmalade and candied peel. Growing consumer interest towards citrus oil and powder has fuelled the demand for citrus peels market. Food and Beverages, Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics industries in Nigeria depend on imports to meet the essential oils, resinoids and other citrus extracts requirement. According to the Nigeria Customs Service, a total of 183,607 kg of essential oils of citrus worth ₦244.84 million was imported into Nigeria form 2016 to 2020. Nigeria produces about 4.1 million tonnes of citrus fruits annually thereby generating over 1 million tonnes of citrus peels. The growing demand for natural flavouring agents and functional food products are driving the growth in the global citrus peel extract market for industrial applications. Therefore, there is need to develop citrus peel value chain in Nigeria for job and wealth creation. Aggregation of small groups of women and youths in cooperative societies together with training on best practices for peel collection and drying method to get premium peel is recommended to strengthen the supply chain. Establishment of citrus peel processing outfits is also recommended as a viable option to add more value to the commodity, produce raw materials for the industry and curb importation.

Citrus peel market is segmented into nature, fruit type, form and end use ( Table 3). The amount of processed and exported dried citrus peel in major producing countries like China and Japan has increased tremendously (Yang, 2016b). The citrus peel extract market by region is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa and South America (The Insight Partners, 2021).
In 2019  The global citrus peel extract market will continue to surge due to growing consumer interest in citrus oil and powder. Rising consumer awareness on the negative impact of chemical ingredients on health is also driving the market for natural products.

Citrus Peel Extract Import and Export Market in Nigeria
Food and Beverages, Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics industries in Nigeria depend on imports to meet their essential oils, resinoids and other citrus extracts requirement. These commodities are required in small quantities but at high cost. According to the Nigeria Customs Service, a total of 183,607 kg of essential oils of citrus worth ₦244,840,593.00 was imported into Nigeria from 2016 to 2020 (Table 4). Source: Nigeria Customs Service, 2021 In 2020, a total of 30,444 kg of essential oils of citrus fruit and others worth ₦16,374,952 was imported into the country while 27,816 kg of resinoids worth ₦32,999,133 was imported in 2020. Essential oils of citrus and mixtures of odoriferous form imports to Nigeria from 2016 to 2019 were put at 776,686 kg valued at ₦1,285,800,768 (Table 5). Under the same period, 348,920 kg of essential oils of lemon, resinoids, oranges fresh or dried and mixtures of odoriferous substances valued at ₦56,738,744 were exported from the Country. Orange fresh or dried had the highest export volume of 148,007 kg in 2016 followed by 100,000 kg in 2017 valued at ₦7,805,448 and ₦9,583,535 respectively. No resinoids export was recorded for 2016, 2017 and 2019. However, a total volume of 25,113 kg valued at ₦20,950,723 was exported in 2018 ( Table 6).

Citrus Peel Production and Handling in Nigeria
Industrial extraction of orange juice produces large volumes of solid waste, mainly orange peel because the peel constitutes approximately 25 % of the total weight of the fruit. These wastes are considered ecological problem because they are dumped on the land around the factories where they putrefy. Therefore, the management of orange peel waste constitutes economic and environmental problems in areas where there are citrus processing industries and at fruit markets. Traditional handling techniques such as composting and animal feeding are not economically attractive. Nigeria produces about 4.1 million tonnes of citrus fruits annually thereby generating over 1 million tonnes of citrus peels by estimation. Of all the citrus fruits, sweet orange is the commonest, most widely cultivated and consumed in the country. Since the ban on consumer pack fruit juice in 2002 by the Federal Government of Nigeria, local processing of citrus in the country has been on the increase to meet increasing local demand for fruit juice. Consumption of fresh and processed citrus has been increasing by approximately 10% per annum and this increased processing is generating more citrus peel waste (Olife, et al, 2015).
Major citrus producing States in Nigeria include Benue, Nassarawa, Kogi, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Taraba, Ekiti, Imo, Anambra, Kwara, Edo and Delta (UNCTAD, 2007). Across the country, orange peels are discarded as waste after consumption of fresh fruits or juice production. Fresh fruit markets across the country are also replete with waste due to lack of functional disposal system in local markets.
Business opportunities in the value chain ranges from collection, drying, packaging for local and export market, processing to different secondary raw materials for supply to user industries. The collection stage involves very little capital and therefore ideal for people with low start-up capital. To kick-start the development of citrus peel value chain in Nigeria, the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) organized a stakeholders' meeting tagged "Promotion of Technologies for Harnessing Economic Potentials of Orange Peel and its Utilization as Industrial Raw Material" in 2019. The stakeholders' meeting created awareness on the waste to wealth potentials of the peels. However, more still need to be done if the country is to be a player in the global orange peel and extract market.

Way Forward
Nigeria is ranked 9 th in global citrus production but not listed among the world's largest producers of citrus peel and its extracts. The peel is mostly considered as waste in the country despite its industrial applications and economic value. Strategies to develop the value chain and harness the potentials are therefore recommended. These measures will not only earn foreign exchange for the country, but also conserve foreign exchange, create jobs and protect the environment.
-Sensitization/awareness creation Sensitization programmes should be organized at the grassroots to educate people on the wate to wealth potentials of citrus peel.
-Formation of collectors groups Women and youths should be organized in small groups of collectors within their local environments for the collection of peels from processing industries, restaurants, hotels, bars, fruit markets, households, etc.
-Training of collectors Collectors should be trained on best practices in peel collection and drying to ensure premium quality.
-Establishment of aggregation or buying centres The centres should serve as aggregation centre where buying agents can buy the dried peels from collectors.
-Establishment of citrus peel processing outfits Production of value-added products from the peel is also recommended to reduce importation of these products to the country.
-Development of market route for dried citrus peel and citrus peel powder Drying of citrus peels and conversion to powder are the initial steps in the value chain. These two products (dried peel and powder) are traded in the international market and developing the market route will also create wealth among the primary value chain actors.

Conclusion
Citrus peel is an inexpensive renewable resource for the production of secondary raw materials for industrial applications. Citrus waste from processing industries has been increasing due to increased demand for processed and packaged food and increased output has also been witnessed in restaurants, hotels, bars, fruit markets, etc. because of improved healthy lifestyle. The peel gains value through collection, drying, packaging and processing to different products ranging from powder to essential oil. With the growing demand for natural flavouring agents and functional food products, the global citrus peel extract market for industrial applications will continue to grow.
Treating citrus peel as waste meant for the waste bin in Nigeria is a huge economic waste given the arrays of secondary raw materials derivable from it. The peel is also an export commodity especially in dried and powdered forms. There is need, therefore, to develop citrus peel value chain in Nigeria for job and wealth creation.