From AMEDU JOSEPH, Lokoja
Stakeholders and farmers in the oil palm plantation sector have called on the Federal Government to hand over majority equity shares of the Bank of Agriculture ( BOA) to farmers to ensure sustainable food production and food security.
This is as they equally advocated for the abrogation of the land use act to enable farmers to own their lands to avoid the usual recourse to government for approval of the Certificate of Occupancy ( CoO) with its attendant hitches
This was the major discussions at the Expanded Engagement of the Stakeholders of the Oil Palm Partnership Investment Development Initiative (Opesidi) and the Corresponding AgricBusiness Alternative Retirement Investment Scheme ( AARIS) held in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital recently.
In his address, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Oil Palm Plantation Advocacy Network( OPPDAN) Mr Idoko Joseph noted that it has become imperative to support sustainable bush burning and general agricultural value chain for safe palm oil production across the oil palm cultivation belt in Nigeria.
The President stated that to realise this objective he has bring together all stakeholders and players for the attainment of the goals of Economic Recovery and growth plan and the Corresponding agricultural promotion policy that emphasis on the diversification of the Nigeria economy to agriculture.
He explained that in view of the next level agenda of the President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Yahaya Bello, Federal Ministry of Agriculture; the green alternative of the real sector of the CBN, with key interest of partnering with the economy to achieve food security, the Opesidi models need to seize this opportunity to leveraging on government policies to achieve set goals.
He disclosed that his 10, 000 hectares of oil palm estate at Amaka in Igala Mela LGA under the Opesidi initiative is capable of taking over 60, 000 unemployed youths off the poverty lines by creating gainful employment for them.
The President , however lamented at the erstwhile practice of using bulldozers for bush clearing which destroyed texture of soil, saying the best practices world over is the use of forest mulcher which is designed for bush clearing
He said , his organisation in conjunction with some foreign companies have entered into an agreement for the supply of these equipment into the country.
Speaking in the same vein, the Ejeh Olamaboro LGA HRH Ujah want the government to review the land use act to enable the people to dedicate their land to agriculture , identified it to be the greatest impediment to food sufficiency and security in the country.
In his contribution, the National President of Oil palm Growers Association of Nigeria, Chief Igwe Hilary Uche urged the government to transfer the ownership of Bank of Agriculture to the farmers by ways of allocating more equity shares to them
According to the royal father, he that wears the shoe knows where it pinches, stressing that only the farmers knows their peculiarities in disbursing the loans.
Participants at the event include , Kogi State / Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Representative of the CBN, Zenith Bank, FCMB, Union Bank, team from OPPDAN ,OPGAN , Royal Fathers .
