Akwa ibom: The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in collaboration with Mr. Paul Ekpo, the member representing Etinan Federal Constituency, has distributed oil palm seedlings and money to 50 farmers in the area.
According to Voice of Nigeria, each of the 50 farmers received 100 stands of oil palm seedlings and N100,000 to enhance palm oil production. In her address, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, NEPC’s Executive Director, stated that the Federal Government was committed to empowering citizens in the oil palm production business.
Represented by Mr. Ben Etegbe, the South-South Regional Coordinator, Ayeni emphasized that the empowerment was a deliberate move to position the country as a leading producer of palm oil. She urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of emerging opportunities in oil palm production, describing it as a lifetime investment.
The executive director further highlighted that palm oil and its derivatives remained a significant investment opportunity, especially when processed for export. “It is estimated that as the population of people and industries that use palm oil and its derivatives increase, the demand for palm oil will also increase. In Nigeria, palm oil production is an age-long occupation, particularly for the people of South-South and South-East regions. The business is sometimes passed on from one generation to another,” she said.
Ayeni also pointed out that Nigeria currently produces about 1.2 metric tons, which is inadequate to satisfy the domestic annual consumption of over 2.5 metric tons. “Although Nigeria has huge potentials in palm oil to reclaim the leading position in terms of production and export, the potentials are not being harnessed effectively,” she noted. She assured that the council would continue to work with critical stakeholders to reposition the industry and return Nigeria to being a net exporter of palm oil.
In his remarks, Ekpo expressed gratitude to NEPC for its commitment to ensuring the success of the empowerment programme for members of his constituency. He stated that the empowerment programme aimed to elevate the palm oil business from local to international markets. “Palm oil production is the mainstay in agriculture, and you have a choice whether to produce and earn in naira or in foreign currency. There is something in oil palm that most people do not realize, no part of oil palm is a waste. The oil palm you are seeing today will bring millionaires from among you tomorrow,” he said.
Ekpo urged beneficiaries not to sell the oil palm seedlings but to plant them, believing strongly that they would multiply significantly.