A Civil Society Organisation, Solidaridad, a Solution-Oriented group, has urged the Kogi state government to promote massive palm oil production to curb poverty and land degradation in the state, saying that there is increasing demand for oil palm across the globe.
The state Solidaridad Project Coordinator, Mr James Odiba, made this statement during a one-day briefing/meeting in Lokoja.
He said that Palm oil is the most revenue generating commodity than petroleum and could turn around the fortune of a nation.
“Solidaridad is deliberately in Kogi to see how it could help smallholder farmers improve their standard of living through massive production of palm oil.
“We are today in three Local Government Areas of Kogi: Dekina, Ofu and Olamaboro working with over 30,000 small holder farmers in the production of palm oil, who will today give us feedback on their activities.
“With palm oil selling at about USD3,546 per ton in the international market, Solidaridad as an experienced regional-based, solution-oriented organization, promotes inclusive sustainable markets and development that work for the poor, to eradicate poverty,” he said.
He further said that in West Africa, millions of smallholder farmers and workers earn their livelihoods in the oil palm sector, which in turn was an important contribution to the countries’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
According to him, in spite of an increasing demand for oil palm globally, the production has not resulted in beneficial returns to the small-holders in Kogi, Nigeria and West Africa as a whole.
“There is also the concern that despite international and domestic initiatives and standards, the expansion of the oil palm sector comes with significant climate and sustainability challenges including peat, forest ecosystems, emissions from inputs and effluents that demand government’s intervention and collaboration.
“This is why the National Initiative for Sustainable Climate Smart Oil Palm for Small Holders (NISCOPS) Project in Kogi was implemented in three local governments in Kogi in 2020; namely Ofu, Dekina and Olamaboro to help matters,” he said.