By Goodluck Ikiebe in Abuja
The National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria, NPPAN,has approved a programme aimed at changing the economic trajectory of the country.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja after the inauguration of the Board of Trustees, the National President, Mr Alphonsus Inyang, said the programme is tagged, “One Household to Twenty Palm trees.”
Mr Inyang appealed to the State governments to key into the programme by working with the association to provide at least 20 oil Palm seedlings to households across the States of the federation.
“We are also calling on the multinational companies, like the oil companies, to use it as a Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR,to their host states and communities,he said.”
Inyang explained that the programme would serve many purposes such as wind breaker, erosion control, thunder arrester, beautification of environment and given value to the family.
According to him, ” Our research has proven that one Palm tree is enough to provide all the palm oil needs of one household of six members.
Earlier, the Chairman, BOT, Chief Abiodun Adejo, said that palm plantation could lift Nigeria out of poverty within four years.
“Nigeria can come out of its poverty level by investing in Palm plantation. We are praying that the federal government would see Palm plantation as a very solid commodity, exportable to other countries to generate foreign exchange earner” he noted.
Chief Adejo emphasised the need for standardisation of oil Palm by the government.
“We in the association are ready to work with the government, to make sure that the commodity becomes a principal unit to develop the country”.
A member of BOT, Mr Olatujoye Henry, said that oil Palm could change Nigeria’s economy and be self sufficient in Palm oil.
“There is need to have one million hectres of forest converted to plantation, which can produce four million tonnes of crude palm oil,” he said.
The Secretary, BOT of the association, Mrs Rose Gyar, urged the federal government to partner with relevant MSMEs,made up of players in the industry, so that government policies could get to the grassroots.
