Senior Engineer
Senior Engineer
DR. UCHE EMMANUEL UCHE, Bachelor of Engineering Degree (B. Engr. Agricultural Engineering) of the University of Nigeria Nsukka
He attended the Post Graduate School of Delta State University Abraka to obtain Master Degree in Industrial and Labour Relations (MILR) in 2000. In 2007, he obtained Master of Science degree in Engineering Management (M.Sc. Engr. Mgt.) and a PhD (Industrial Engineering) of the Production Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering University of Benin in 2013 with a bias for work study and precision agriculture.
He worked with the World Bank Rice Project-Small Holder Irrigation Scheme in Igbere, Abia State for three years as an Irrigation Assistant. In 1984 served as a Lecturer in the Department of Agriculture, College of Education kafanchan, Kaduna State. In 1985, he joined the Federal Oil Palm Project Ihechiowa, Abia state. Recruited as the project Agricultural Engineer he rose to the position of Assistant Plantation Manager. He was in-charge of land preparation and planting, the upkeep of the plantations, pest and disease control, processing of fresh fruit bunches and to the use and maintenance of tractors and equipment.
In 1990, he joined PRESCO Industries Benin as Assistant Manager in charge of land preparation, field establishment and harvesting of oil palm.
Recruited in 1992 by Michelin Development Company Limited, Benin as a rubber tree Replanting Manager, he rose to the position of Division Technical Control Manager. I was responsible for agricultural research, technical control of field operations, tractors, pest and disease control, use of chemical products, meteorological observations, pineapple/plantain intercrop with long gestation rubber trees, use of rubber milling effluent for fish farm and the study of local farmers small holder scheme.
In 2000, he became the Michelin Plantation Group System Analyst and Animator of “Demarche Progres Continu Michelin” (DPCM) – Michelin Approach to Continuous Improvement after series of training both locally and abroad- Michelin Tyre Factory in Port Harcourt and Michelin Plantation Bahia in Brazil. In 2004, he consolidated my background with series of intensive training in France on Environmental Management System (EMS) involving industrial environmental aspects and impact analysis – in pursuance of ISO 14001 certification of the Michelin Plantation Group, Nigeria. In 2010 he became the Michelin Plantation Group, Nigeria (PGN) Research and Development Manager responsible for over forty field trials on rubber clones and rubber plantation agriculture including precision agriculture- electrophoresis, latex diagnosis, rubber vitro-plants acclimatization (greenhouse) and field trials etc.
In 2013 he served as a Lecturer at Igbinedion University taking students of mechanical engineering on research methods and technical report writing, engineering statistics, engineer in society, workshop practice and materials technology.
He joined PRESCO PLC in April 2014 as a consultant to SIAT NV Belgium and Project Manager for the development of 15,000 ha rubber and oil palm plantation in Sakponba, Edo State of Nigeria. During this period he served also as Estate Manager SIAT Nigeria limited (SNL) Elele, River State, piloted the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification of the Sakponba plantation- New Planting Procedure (NPP) and undertook plantation consultancy missions to Ivory Coast- Cavally (CHC) and Prikori (CHP).
He was a key speaker at the 3rd Agricultural Summit of Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) held in Benin Edo State on December 9-10, 2004. In 2006, he presented a paper on rubber seedling production and uptake in a 2-day workshop of stakeholders on the plan for Presidential Initiative on Rubber Production, Utilizations and Export. A member of Edo State Oil Palm Steering committee on Public Private Partnership (PPP) 2013. He is an asset with wealth of experience in industrial engineering, environmental management systems, plantation establishment, project management, agricultural research, human capacity development, monitoring and evaluation spanning a period of over 32 years.