‘How to bridge Nigeria’s $600m crude palm oil imports’

The National President, Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN), Joe Onyiuke, has called on oil palm growers to embark on a replanting programme to repopulate the ageing plantations and wild grooves across the states to upscale crude palm oil production.

said opportunities abound in agriculture, “especially oil palm,” saying, “the missing link is the path way to using technology to add value and the logistics to move it.”

Onyiuke, who lent his support to the Delta State government’s drive to diversify its economy through the just concluded Economic Investment Summit in Asaba, the state capital, said oil palm growers must resolve to embark on replenishing the plantations to increase output.

“We must launch a replanting program to repopulate the ageing plantations and wild grooves across the state. This singular action will lift hundreds of thousands of small holders out of poverty permanently,” he said.

Onyiuke said OPGAN has a national 1.5 million hectare replanting plan to bring Nigeria to number three position in oil palm production globally and close the over $600million crude palm oil importation gap in the Nigeria.

With this program, “we intend to replant 225m seedlings across the 27 oil palm growing states in the country, in conjunction with NACCIMA’s one billion economic Tree Planting program, adding that there is need to set up certified nurseries across Delta State to be able to achieve the replanting target.

Onyiuke said Delta State is located within Nigeria’s traditional oil palm belt, saying this brings investment opportunities in large-scale plantations utilising the large number of small and medium holder oil palm farmers and, more importantly, automated processing mills to feed our massive domestic supply deficit in Nigeria for Crude Palm Oil (CPO) and Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) used in the food, cosmetic, energy, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

He said proximity to ports and major industrial hubs in the South-South and South-East makes logistics easier for industrial off-takers, adding that with operational seaports in Warri, Kokoand proximity to the commercial hubs of Onitsha and Benin, investors have easy incentives to come in.