Palm Produce: Solidaridad Takes Sustainability Campaign to Enugu Communities

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Monday, June 14th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – As part of its commitment in building the capacity of local Oil palm Small holders in Enugu state, South- East Nigeria, with a view to enabling them embrace best Management practices, Solidaridad West Africa, (SWA), has inaugurated Multi Stakeholders Platforms (MSP) in four local government Areas of the State.

It explained that the idea is aimed at ensuring the sustainability of palm Oil Produce in the States, as well as make the Small holders farmers (Stakeholders) take responsibility.

Our Correspondent reports that Solidaridad (SWA) is an international organization that brings together supply chain Actors, engage them in innovative solutions, and support the sustainable development of farmers and productive systems in West Africa, Nigeria inclusive.

The group had facilitated the implementation of the National initiative for Climate – Smart Oil palm Small holders NISCOPS project in four States of Akwa- Ibom, Cross River, Enugu and Kogi since 2019.

It would be recall that the organization had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) to improve agricultural productivity and ensure Nigeria’s self-sufficiency in agriculture and divestment of the economy from dependency on crude oil.

Her implementing partners in Enugu State, which are also Civil Society groups (CSOs) based in the state, are, Women Information Network (Winet), Perfect Finish Amazing Vessels Foundation, Development Education Advocacy Resources For Africa (Dear Africa) and Rural Engagement Development Foundation (Red Foundation).

Inaugurating the MSPs at the various benefitting Communities of Aninri, Udenu, Nkanu West, and Isi Uzo LGAs, the Solidaridad implementing partners, who enlightened members of the platforms, stressed the need for synergy among the Stakeholders, urging them also to always make transparency their watch word

Anulika Akaoseh, who is the programme officer of (Dear Africa) CSO, while Speaking at Udenu and Aninri LGAs, inuguration, explained that the goal of the MSP is to ensure that all Stakeholders develope a state level Sustainable Management plan for the state’s oil palm sector.

According to her, one of the intervention objective of Solidaridad is to increase Stakeholders level of awareness on their direct and indirect roles in enhancing productivity in the oil palm and palm oil sub – sector via Climate -;Smart Agriculture.

In their separate remarks at the four Council Areas, programme officer of Winet, Mrs Ijeoma Obinna – Onwuka, and Executive Director of PEFAN, Ijeoma Anuna, had explained some of the specific objectives of the MSP to the members.

They listed some of the objectives to include, promoting synergies among Stakeholders towards the protection of the oil palm landscape and ecosystems.

The implementing partners informed the MSP members that another important objective is promoting gender- sensitive access to inputs- outputs oil markets with storing emphasis for traceability and standardization, informing them that the MSP process and activities would be owned by the Stakeholders.

Some of the Small holders farmers who spoke at the four Council areas attested to the fact that the Solidaridad intervrntion has started yielding positive results in their respective palm farms, as they now experience huge harvest with less labour.

They also appealed to the organization to match its words with action in providing them with seedlings and other oil palm farming implements