STAKEHOLDERS in the palm oil sub-sector of the Agriculture industry have charged the Federal Government to uphold the ban on importation of the commodity and its derivatives into the country.
They also want government to promote private sector participation in the oil palm industry.
Palm oil is recognised as the first vegetable oil to be commercialised in Nigeria and also the major commodity of international trade between Nigeria and Europe before and after the slave trade.
Between the 1930s and the early 1970s, Nigeria was the leading world producer and exporter of oil palm produce. However, Nigeria’s position as leader in oil palm production and export has deteriorated to the extent that it now imports oil palm.
Director General, Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Prof. Peter Onwualu, lamented at an international conference on oil palm industry held in Abuja yesterday that part of the causes of Nigeria’s economic woes stem from the country becoming a net importer of a product that for centuries had been its natural economic base.
Onwualu observed: “Today, Malaysia, which took her first seedlings from Nigeria, is the current world leader in palm oil production and export. Malaysia accounts for 51 per cent of the world’s palm oil exports.
“In 2008, Malaysia exported over 15 million tones of palm oil, earning a total of $17.7 billion, which is more than the yearly budgets of over than 20 state governments in Nigeria.
“This shows that oil palm earning alone has the potential to turn around and sustain Nigeria’s dwindling economy and the machinery of government.”
Noting that oil palm products had worldwide applications as food and industrial raw materials, Onwualu stressed that this indicated great opportunities for wealth creation and economic empowerment for the people as well as large income and foreign exchange earner for the country, if properly harnessed.
He added: “Experts are of the opinion that the oil palm industry has the potential to create 10 million jobs within five years in such areas as palm oil extraction and processing; palm kernel oil extraction and refining; production of glycerin, animal feed formulation and processing; palm wine tapping and processing; oil palm nurseries development and marketing; research and development; oils processing plants development and installation; manufacture of soaps and detergents, pomades, margarines, biscuits; transportation and marketing of produce; plantations development and management, harvesting and post harvest handling, among others.”
Onwualu was optimistic that oil palm industry in Nigeria could generate in excess of $50 million yearly foreign exchange, if adequately harnessed and developed.
Also, former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Charles Ugwuh, stressed that oil palm production should be improved through provision of basic infrastructure and the replacement of over-aged palm trees while converting same from waste to wealth.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com