The National Initiatives for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Oil Palm Smallholders (NISCOPS) project at the National policy dialogue titled: ‘Achieving an economic and social-ecological resilient palm oil sector in Nigeria’, has called for policy to boost oil palm production.
Speaking at the event, , former executive director of the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research, NIFOR, Celestine Ikuenobe, said that production in the country has failed to meet demand due to population growth, urbanization and deforestation.
According to him, annual demand for palm oil in Nigeria currently stands at 3 million metric tons, while annual production remains low at 1.4 million metric tons, adding that Nigeria currently spends 500 billion annually on imports to fill the deficit in production.
“We are also looking at opening market opportunities for all the farmers and ensuring that there is a business case for everyone. What we need from the government is to provide that enabling environment. Still, trade can blossom by itself and people can engage productively among each other because there is a business case for everyone,” he said.
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