By Chukwuka Ugokwe :
Anambra State Government has reiterated its commitment to developing oil palm production as a veritable tool for improved livelihood and economic transformation of the state.
The State Commissioner For Agriculture, Dr Forster Ihejiofor, made this known while receiving a delegation from Federal Ministry of Industry,Trade and Investment, Ministry of Finance and National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPAN) in his office.
He highlighted the need for collaborations to utilize derivable benefits from the value chain to create job opportunities and for economic development.
“Our Governor understands the importance of the palm, he understands the importance of it economically and as food security item and poverty eradication. He understands how the value chain translates to stable jobs.
“He decided what to do is to support small holder farmers to strengthen their businesses and create as it were raw material base for value chain activities.
“We have done that now for the past three years, next year will be the fourth year and we are looking forward to beginning to see the fruits of these interventions.
“We expect aggregators and primary processors to begin to emerge. We, then, need to collaborate with NPAN to organise their activities along oil palm into sustainable businesses.”
The Commissioner expressed optimism that collaborations would create more opportunities especially in the oil palm development value chain.
He reasoned that if Nigerians embraced oil palm economy, it would not only improve on their lives but become the nation’s major source of income to boost economic development.
In a remark, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs Ifeyinwa Uzoka, urged the federal government delegation to always consider it proper to publicize incentives and other support services to enable stakeholders to key into them.
She called for strengthening of the Bank of Industry (BOI) to make it more responsive to its mandate, pointing out that Anambra State Small Business Agency(ASBA) had demonstrated more commitment to providing credit facilities for agriculture.
Earlier, Mr Akeju Olutayo Kehinde, Industrial Development Department, Federal Ministry of Industry,Trade and Investment, had told the Commissioner that they visited to gather information, data that could enable government to assist oil palm producers.
He added that federal government would want to know their challenges, know the aggregate demand and supply of oil palm as well as number of processing firms in the state.
Akeju, enumerated existing incentives provided by the federal government for NPAN to include, Backward Integration Program Certificate, Import Duty Exemption Certificate, Industrial Cluster Construction Support, Pioneer Status and Capital Allowance.
He stated the resolve of federal government to reposition the oil palm sector for optimal production and to help NPAN to expand their businesses.
The representative of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Silas Haruna Versila, Technical Services Dept, said that government provided lots of non interest loan through the Bank of Industry and zero duty oil palm machinery importation as well as implementation of financial policies that would assist producers.
Spokesman of Nigeria Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Anambra State Chapter, Mr Arthur Onweluzo, appreciated the delegation and assured of their readiness to synergise with government to promote oil palm production in the country.
*Chukwuka is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State