Read the passage below carefully and answer the question that follows:
In the undulating hills of northern Kwara State, smallholder shea butter processors have traditionally relied on fuelwood-intensive roasting to extract oil from crushed nuts. Beyond the environmental strain on local woodland reserves, this open-flame technique frequently scorched the raw paste, rendering a significant fraction of the yield unmarketable for cosmetics exporters. Recently, a regional agricultural collective introduced low-cost solar parabolic roasters and stainless-steel hydraulic presses. While the technological upgrade reduced fuel expenditure by over seventy percent and eliminated thermal degradation of the butter, the cooperative's total output volume initially plateaued. Field evaluations revealed that while elder women mastered the pressing equipment rapidly, young workers assigned to solar roasting lacked training on adjusting mirror angles to accommodate shifting daily cloud cover. Consequently, processing batches were frequently delayed, leaving raw kernels vulnerable to atmospheric moisture absorption. Only when the cooperative established paired mentoring sessions between seasonal cohorts did overall production achieve its projected capacity.
Based on the passage, what can be logically inferred about the initial failure to reach projected production capacity?
- The production shortfall stemmed from a technical skill gap in operating the solar equipment rather than a failure of the technology itself.Answer
- BElderly members of the cooperative resisted adopting the new roasting technology due to traditional processing habits.
- CThe introduced parabolic roasters failed to lower processing costs or protect the shea paste from heat damage.
- DExcessive environmental humidity in northern Kwara State was the primary factor degrading the quality of the harvested nuts.