Barring any unforeseen circumstances, palm oil producers in the country will soon upscale their production capacity, as the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has promised to boost the sector with 75 motorised harvesters.

This was made known when members of the Oil Palm Growers Association (OPGAN) paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Heineken Lokpobiri, in Abuja.

The minister, according to a statement, said that the Federal Government has already procured 73 motorised oil palm harvesters to ease the suffering and loss that the farmers experience while harvesting and also to help in providing quality and world standard palm oil.

Lokpobiri said that the motorised harvester will be given to the farmers at a subsidised price and that farmers will be trained on how the harvester will be operated.

He gave assurance that to the leadership of the association that they are going to be carried along in all the activities between the government and the farmers.

Besides, he said that government is committed to helping the farmers to access a single digit loan from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Bank of Agriculture and Bank of Industry (BOI), which will help the farmers to expand their farms and boost production to attain food security.

On issues of land tenure and land clearing, the Minister also said that Federal Government will partner with State Governments and the communities to achieve the required result.

He said that state governments will be sensitised and encouraged to key in to the programme so that with their support the farmers will have more support because the issue of food security is everybody’s concern.

Earlier in his remarks, the National President of OPGAN, Hilary Uche, thanked the Federal Government for the response and urged the government to come to their aid in assisting the oil palm farmers with high yielding seeds.

He said that farmers need less than nine million high yielding seeds, land clearing and loans from banks at a single digit.

The president also urged government to invest in oil palm because with falling crude oil price, only oil palm will sustain the economy of the country due to its potential.

He advised the 24 oil palm producing state governors to assist the oil palm farmers in their respective states so that all the problems will be solved.

Cc; lalasticlala

https://www.today.ng/business/97504/palm-oil-farmers-to-get-73-motorised-harvesters-fg