Plateau Govt. Unveils Oil Palm And Tree Crops Revolution

Yakubu Busari

The Plateau State Government in collaboration with technical partners the Continental Oil Palm and Services Consortium has unveiled a master plan to boost the State’s resources through the cultivation of 4 hectares of Palm trees and the production of ancillary products in the oil Palm value chain.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the event tagged “Oil Palm Sensitization ” which was held at the De- Bridge-villa Hotel Jos Nigeria on January 23 2024 the Program Manager of the Plateau State Agricultural Development Programme (PADP)Mr. Ishaku Samaila Jilemsam explained the modalities and processes for the Oil Palm value chain.

He said when the trees are planted they will be able to survive for up to 50 years and emphasized the viability to farmers who will put in Just about 2 to 3 years of work and reap the benefits for almost a lifetime as against the planting of seasonal crops which are not as viable considering that almost the same time and efforts are put in their cultivation. He urged farmers to explore the options of planting tree crops as a means of livelihood viz a viz the long-term benefits.

Jilemsam further said the Executive Governor of Plateau State H.E Barrister Caleb Mutfwang has always preached to farmers in the State the advantages of of planting tree crops for economic purposes and also eco-friendly as they contribute carbon credits to the environment because the plants sequester carbon and as such will meet the SDG’s target and thereby contributing to the well being of humanity by engaging in this type of activity.

He disclosed that the Sensitization was aimed at documenting potential farmers who indicate interest because without proper feasibility the venture would become a waste as you cannot force farmers to invest in a program they are not interested in as the efforts of government will be wasted.

On marketing the PADP program manager elaborated why they were working with people already in the business who are the technical partners of the Continental Oil Palm and Services Consortium under the leadership of Mr. Reginald Okeke who is the Consortium coordinator and director while retreating what the Hon. Commissioner for Agriculture Hon. Samson Bugama said that for every commodity the agricultural sector in the state would promote they would make sure there is a market already and that focus would be on backward integration so that marketability would no longer be a problem.

He said the groundbreaking ceremony for the planting of the tree crops would be performed by His Excellency the Executive Governor of Plateau State at a date yet to be decided.

The seedlings of the tree crops to be launched include bananas, coconut, avocado, bamboo, and coffee among others

According to him” Out of about 4 thousand hectares dedicated to the project, 3,850 hectares would be used for the plantation while the remaining 150 hectares will be dedicated to building a mill and a refinery because the goal will be to have finished products leaving the Plateau not raw material for every produce on the plantation”

The Sensitization was well attended by the members of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria(AFAN) Plateau State and other critical stakeholders on the Agribusiness on the Plateau.

Mr Ishaku Samaila Jilemsam is the Program Manager of the Plateau State Agricultural Development Programme.