Sustainable oil palm plan unveiled for Enugu

Participants at the workshop

A solution-oriented civil society organisation, Solidaridad, has presented a comprehensive Sustainable Management Plan to guide Enugu State towards climate-smart oil palm production.

It warned that Nigeria risks losing access to the lucrative European market if unsustainable practices persist.

The document, developed under the National Initiatives for Sustainable and Climate Smart Oil Palm Smallholders project, was validated on Sunday in Enugu.

It is designed to improve the incomes of smallholder farmers and enhance their access to markets by addressing challenges such as low productivity, deforestation, and weak policy frameworks.

Speaking during the validation workshop, the Programme Manager of Solidaridad Nigeria, Ernest Ita, noted that assessments identified ageing plantations, poor planting materials, and inappropriate use of fertilisers as key factors limiting sustainability.

“We are hoping that government, at the local government level and at the state level, will adopt this Sustainable Management Plan into their agricultural strategy to help our oil palm farmers, and even palm oil processors,” Ita said.

He revealed that Solidaridad’s intervention had reached over 10,000 smallholder farmers and nearly 5,000 processors, with yields reportedly increasing from a baseline of about 2.7 tonnes per hectare annually to more than six tonnes.

The Programme Manager warned that the European Union Deforestation Regulation could make compliance with sustainable production standards increasingly important for Nigerian producers seeking access to the European market.

• Mbah calls for unity as Okorocha donates secretariat to Ohanaeze
• Tinubu’s UN absence didn’t affect Nigeria’s position — Jimoh Ibrahim
• King’s College concession threatens public education, NUT warns FG

The Project Coordinator, Samson Shaibu, described the SMP as “the practical framework of oil palm development, anchored on environmental stewardship, social inclusion, economic development, and policy coordination.”

He noted that smallholder farmers account for between 80 and 82 per cent of oil palm production, making their productivity critical to the industry’s growth.

“In 2019 when we came in, there was a prevalence of just wild palms, aged palms, with no good knowledge of best management practices. But reaching this year, we have made considerable advancement. We have moved a huge number of our farmers from unsustainable farming methods to sustainable farming methods,” Shaibu said.

He explained that the choice of Enugu was influenced by a need for ecological balance, noting that having picked two rainforest states of Cross River and Akwa Ibom, the organisation needed to include the Guinea Savannah ecology, hence the inclusion of Kogi and Enugu states.

“The projects are in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, and Kogi states,” he added.

Dr. Mbadike Chidimma, a participant, applauded the intervention, stating that the programme had improved the capacity of smallholder farmers in Best Management Practices (BMP).

Stakeholders at the event were the Executive Chairman of Oji River Local Government Area, Greg Anyaegbudike, and officials from the state Ministries of Agriculture and Environment They commended Solidaridad for its continuous intervention and expressed optimism that the SMP would boost oil palm production in Enugu State.