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Nigeria's palm oil exporters could lose their foothold in the European Union unless producers and policymakers act swiftly to address deforestation and other unsustainable practices in the oil palm value chain, Solidaridad Nigeria has cautioned.
The organisation flagged the EU Deforestation Regulation as a pivotal development that will make compliance with sustainable production standards a prerequisite for Nigerian exporters seeking to maintain access to European buyers.
Ernest Ita, Programme Manager of Solidaridad Nigeria, delivered the warning in Uyo over the weekend while unveiling the organisation's Sustainable Management Plan (SMP), a framework developed to steer oil palm production in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu and Kogi states.
Ita explained that the plan was designed to help smallholder farmers lift productivity from existing plantations rather than clear new forest land, while simultaneously tackling the environmental, economic and social constraints holding back the sector.
Assessments carried out by the organisation identified ageing plantations, poor planting materials, inappropriate use of fertilisers and agrochemicals, deforestation and insecure land tenure as the main factors undermining both the productivity and the sustainability of smallholder oil palm farming.
Solidaridad's interventions have already reached more than 10,000 smallholder farmers and close to 5,000 palm oil processors, while around 7,000 farmers have been equipped with harvesting tools and approximately 600 farmer groups have been supported with improved planting materials.
According to Ita, the application of recommended Best Management Practices has delivered substantial productivity gains, with yields rising from a baseline of around 2.7 tonnes per hectare annually to more than six tonnes.
He stressed that Solidaridad is seeking government adoption of the SMP because, as a not-for-profit entity, the organisation lacks the statutory authority to enforce its provisions. 'We are hoping that government, at the local government level and at the state level, will adopt this Sustainable Management Plan into their agricultural strategy so that our oil palm farmers, and even palm oil processors, can produce sustainably,' Ita said.
The framework, he added, can be incorporated or adapted into government agricultural policies and local bylaws, offering a common direction for farmers, processors and other stakeholders across the oil palm value chain. It also addresses financing difficulties through Village Savings and Loans Associations, while Solidaridad supports farmers in accessing improved planting materials from the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research and in developing alternative income streams through seedling production.
Project Coordinator Samson Shaibu described the SMP as 'the practical framework of oil palm development,' anchored on environmental stewardship, social inclusion, economic development and policy coordination. He noted that smallholder farmers account for between 80 and 82 per cent of oil palm production, making their productivity critical to the growth of the industry.
Shaibu pointed out that many existing plantations are dominated by wild and ageing palms, and stressed that replacing such trees with improved planting materials and intensifying production on existing farms could lift output without encouraging unnecessary forest expansion.
Ita added that the framework promotes the participation of women and young people in the sector and encourages the use of Free, Prior and Informed Consent before development activities are undertaken in communities. He confirmed that the SMP was developed through consultations with community, local government and state-level stakeholders before being validated, and expressed hope that the four project states would adopt it, with other oil palm-producing states eventually following suit.
Source: Independent Newspaper Nigeria