By Ovat Lawrence.
The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment (FMITI) in collaboration with the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria organised a One-Day Stakeholders engagement programme on the palm Oil value chain to reposition the sector for maximum productivity in Cross River State.
Declaring the event open, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Andiambey Ebokpo intimated that the stakeholder’s engagement was crucial especially as the country is going through a food crisis, noting that Nigeria was the largest exporter of palm oil a few years back. He reminded stakeholders of the significant regression of this sector as Nigeria is now an importer of palm seedlings and other derivatives from other countries.
Optimistically, there are avenues to generate foreign exchange in the Oil Palm business if managed effectively. Hon. Johnson Ebokpo reassured stakeholders that the State Government has drawn plans to revive Oil Palm production in the State. To achieve this feat, a soon-to-be-inaugurated Steering Committee on Oil Palm has been set up by His Excellency, Prince Bassey Edet Otu with a mandate to develop a seven-year Strategic Plan for the development of Oil Palm in the State.
He also disclosed that the State has taken delivery of 3.5 million sprouted nuts which will be distributed through the smallholder scheme in collaboration with the Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) and NPPAN.
Although the development of Oil Palm in Nigeria is faced with multiple challenges like changes in weather conditions, associated pests and diseases, land degradation, and land clearing, the Commissioner maintained that these challenges can be overcome by financial support and provision of agricultural inputs to local farmers to facilitate continuous production, growth, and upscaling of the sector.
Speaking earlier, the Technical Aide to the Permanent Secretary, of FMITI, Mr. Bayo Adesanya, who represented the FMITI Minister, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, highlighted the rich potential and business opportunities domicile in the oil palm value chain. He also recognised the importance of the State’s stakeholders’ engagement programme and its role in repositioning the sector to improve the living standards of Nigerians.
Similarly, the National Chairman of NPPAN, Ambassador Alphonsus Inyang stated that NPPAN has been in existence for the past 35 years to maximize the potential inherent in Oil Palm production but unfortunately, the Value Chain has not been well harnessed adding that the Oil palm tree makes up only 10% of Oil Palm by-products, but other derivatives are yet to be explored fully. He stressed the need to support the Minister and other Agricultural stakeholders to unbundle the numerous opportunities in the sector to better the country.
Inyang further revealed that NPPAN is set to assist in creating 50,000 Millionaires in Cross River State through a program tagged “One family, twenty palm trees”. According to him, the program will be achieved by planting a minimum of 250,000 hectares of Oil Palm in the country yearly.
The National President therefore solicited total support from the Federal and State Governments as it would help in creating jobs for the teeming youths across the country while also encouraging small holders Oil Palm farmers to join the Association in other to enjoy all the benefits.
Many potentials abound in the Oil Palm value chain, and this has been a consistent, economic driver in the past decades in Nigeria and has contributed to the National Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is still one of the major contributors to today’s economy.
The event which was well attended had top dignitaries cutting across different Agro sectors, notably were; Mr Emmanuel Bamidele, Commodities & Export Dept, FMITI, Mr Pius Ewah, Commodities & Export Dept, Mr. Mustapha Baba, Commodities & Export Dept, Mr.Francis Igbo, State chairman of NPPAN, Mr. Ubi Ubana, director tree crops, ministry of agriculture, Mr. Henry Etta, Director Agric services, Dr Assam Assam, HOD, UNICROSS, Prof. Ayuk Esoka, Dept. of Agronomy, UNICROSS among others.
