…Private firm targets 135,000 tons of palm oi l Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has encouraged private agro investor, Chicason Group, producer of Life Vegetable Oil and allied products, on palm fruit production through the provision of large hectares of land for planting of high yielding palm trees. Recently, the state government demonstrated its readiness when it announced the provision of land at the commercial city of Nnewi, through Mr Afam Mbanefo, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. Speaking in an interaction with Engr. Linus Oseloka Ilozue, the Managing Director, Manufacturing, Chicason Group, Mbanefo, said the state government was ever ready and keen to assist the company actualise the expansion of its agro industry, describing the Chicason Group as one of the most serious companies in Nigeria. Mbanefo’s reaction came on the heels of request by Engr Ilozue for 34,000 hectares of land to be used by his company for cultivation of palm trees, in line with the target of the state government to be the best in agriculture. Ilozue said their wish for now is to have palm tree plantation that would give them 450 tons of palm kernel every day and reduce drastically their dependence on importation of raw materials from Malaysia. He decried the death of palm trees in Nigeria and the attendant problems, adding that “we are building a new plant with increased capacity. However our problem now is sourcing the palm oil locally which is now scarce and in fact we are pushed to go to Ivory Coast to buy palm kernel.” He further stated that the target is to generate from the envisaged expansion plan, a total of 135,000 tons of palm oil in the next three years.

Nice.