NIFOR, PZ Wilmar enter agreement to boost palm oil production

In a bid to regain the nation’s position in oil palm production, the Nigeria Institute of Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PZ Wilmar Nigeria.

The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who witnessed the signing of the pact at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s headquarters Friday in Abuja, said the ministry was committed to the success of the project.

“We look forward to seeing ourselves not just achieving selfsufficiency in Palm oil production but meeting the demand of the rest of the world. We lost our position in oil palm production but the potential has not disappeared,” the minister said.

He admonished the parties in the agreement to explore other areas of generating more revenue through value addition, adding, “when you start processing, you can find out the possibility of converting palm oil shell into activated carbon. You may find revenue there quite useful.”

The Executive Director, Nigeria Institute of Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Dr Omorefe Asemota stressed that the MoU was a turning point in the nation’s palm oil industry, noting that PZ was a critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s agriculture.

According to Dr. Asemota, “it is also important for the industry to partner directly with the research institutes for quality output.”

The Chairman, PZ Wilmar, Mr. Kola Jamodu, who signed on behalf of the company, reiterated that the MoU was to promote research into how Nigeria could regain its position in palm oil production.

He said PZ Wilmar has 30, 000 hectares of oil palm farms in three locations in the country, which have started sprouting, adding that “the agreement today is on research.”

He said the pact would enable them to share knowledge with NIFOT that would benefit other Nigerian farmers.