The Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) has warned that the country’s growing dependence on imported palm oil is threatening food security, draining foreign exchange and weakening the nation’s economic resilience, calling for urgent investment in local production and support for smallholder farmers.

The National President of OPGAN, Joe Onyiuke, made the call on Tuesday during a panel discussion at the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit 2026 in Asaba, where he described oil palm as a strategic crop capable of driving rural development, creating jobs and lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

He said Nigeria possesses the land, climate and human resources needed to become self-sufficient in palm oil production, but has failed to maximise the sector’s potential because of inadequate investment and poor integration of smallholder farmers.

“Delta State is one of the most blessed states in Nigeria because it has the most important oil in the world — the one underground and the one on top,” Onyiuke said, referring to crude oil and oil palm.

According to him, smallholder farmers account for about 80 per cent of the country’s oil palm production and should be at the centre of government interventions aimed at expanding output and reducing imports.

“What Delta State has, most states don’t have. So the missing gap is to integrate the smallholder farmers who actually control 80 per cent of the market,” he said.

Addressing Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, the OPGAN president said the greatest economic impact would come from empowering small-scale farmers rather than focusing investment exclusively on large plantations.

“If you want to create impact, Your Excellency, you must look at the smallholder farmers. They hold the key to alleviating poverty,” he said.

Onyiuke described oil palm as a generational investment capable of transforming rural economies and improving household incomes across Delta State and beyond.

“Oil palm plantation alone can lift almost all the farmers in Delta State out of poverty because it is a generational crop,” he added.

He also warned that Nigeria’s continued dependence on imported palm oil is economically unsustainable, noting that the commodity is an essential input for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, energy and chemical industries.

“Now we are importing $600 billion worth of palm oil in Nigeria every day because this product supports the pharmaceutical industry, cosmetics, food, energy and chemical industries. So we must pay special attention to palm oil,” he said.

The remarks came at the ongoing Delta State Economic and Investment Summit 2026, a three-day forum bringing together policymakers, investors, development partners and business leaders to explore investment opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing, energy, tourism and the digital economy.

Onyiuke’s intervention adds to growing calls for Nigeria to strengthen domestic agricultural production, reduce import dependence and build resilient value chains capable of enhancing food security, creating jobs and accelerating economic diversification.