Foreign Groups Partner Enugu Govt On Oil Palm Production

An international civil society group, Solidaridad, in partnership with Propcom Plus, a climate-smart agricultural programme powered by the United Kingdom (UK) Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), is supporting Enugu State government in the development of a sustainable oil palm policy.
Solidaridad, which operates in over 40 countries across five continents, has been in existence for over 55 years, working to create resilient communities and sustainable supply chains and promoting sustainable land-use planning and production in oil palm.

In partnership with Propcom Plus, the organisation concluded a stakeholder engagement on Thursday in Enugu, as part of ongoing consultations to support the development of a sustainable oil palm policy for the state government.

The joint efforts are geared toward the formulation and adoption of the Enugu State Sustainable Oil Palm Policy (ESSOP).

At the event, Solidaridad programme manager, Mr Kene Onukwube, explained that the policy is designed to promote inclusive, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable oil palm production in the state, with the goals of enhancing productivity, reducing deforestation and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

He hinted that Solidaridad implements the National Initiative for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Oil Palm Smallholders (NISCOPS) in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu and Kogi states.

“The programme is improving land-use practices, ensuring that more oil palm landscapes are sustainably managed and climate-resilient.

“It is also increasing the incomes of smallholder farmers and creating exclusive markets for sustainably produced palm oil,” he said.

In his remark, Enugu State Commissioner for lands, Barrister Chimaobi Okorie, thanked Solidaridad and its partners for their interventions in the state, assuring that the Governor Peter Mbah-led administration is fully committed to ensuring that an acceptable ESSOP document is put in place.

Participants at the consultative engagement included representatives from the state ministries of land, environment, trade and commerce, and agriculture as well as the Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN), the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN), traditional rulers, and civil society organisations.