Proforest partners Nigeria to meet global palm oil demand

Proforest Africa says it will support Nigeria’s vision of producing 100 per cent of its global palm oil demand by 2027.

The organisation’s Africa and Global Director, Mr Abraham Baffoe, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

Supreme News reports that Proforest is a non-profit group which supports companies, governments, civil society and other organisations to work towards the responsible production and sourcing of agricultural and forest commodities.

Supreme News also reports that in the early 1960s, Nigeria was the world’s largest palm oil producer with global market share of 43 per cent, but, today, it is the fifth largest producer with less than two per cent of total global market production of 74.08 million MT.

Indonesia and Malaysia, which reportedly got palm oil seeds from Nigeria, comprise 74 per cent of global palm oil output.

While Indonesia is currently leading with about 45 million metric tonnes per annum, Malaysia followed with 18,000 mmt but Nigeria trails in distant fifth position with some 1.4mmt.

Nigeria is said to have the land size, population and other motivations to push ahead and take over as the leading palm oil producing nation.

According to Baffoe, in 2018 Edo, one of the leading states producing palm oil in Nigeria became part of the Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative (ASCI) (formerly Africa Palm Oil Initiative), making it the only sub-national partner.

He added that through the initiative, Proforest supported the state government to carry out institutional and regulatory reforms leading to the establishment of key institutions including EdoGIS, ESOPP and a Forestry Commission.

“The aim is to support the state to develop a responsible oil palm sector where the state forest and wildlife resources are restored and protected.

“It is also to ensure that smallholder farmers, integrated and community rights are protected under the Produce Protect Rehabilitate (PPR) programme,’’ he said.

Baffoe said that ASCI with its presence in 10 African countries demonstrated how the right policies could create an enabling environment for change in the agriculture sector.

Describing the initiative, he said “it is a multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together national governments, traditional leaders, local communities and indigenous peoples, donors, technical partners, investors, producers, retailers, traders and other stakeholders’’.

He added that the joint vision was a prosperous palm oil industry that brings jobs and wealth to local communities in a way that was environmentally and socially sustainable.

According to him, the ASCI has principles that are geared towards addressing deforestation from its supply chains and a partnership with producer countries and work with them to address social issues.

He said the organisation recognised the need to bring all key stakeholders together to agree on standards to ensure palm oil sector in Africa is capable of providing job for local communities and protecting the remaining forests.

“Proforest facilitated the signing of the Africa Palm Oil Initiative (APOI) in 2016 and the expansion to ASCI in 2022.

“Ten countries in West and Central Africa have defined a shared approach to responsible production in a way that improves livelihoods and protects nature, including forests,” he said.

The 10 countries involved in the ASCI are Ghana, Edo (Nigeria), Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon.

“Each country in the APOI worked through a national platform to develop national principles for responsible palm oil development in West and Central Africa.

Baffoe said that in the organisation’s 10 years of existence, it has achieved inauguration of the Tree Crops Development Authority in Ghana, a new Forest law and Forestry Commission in Edo State.

Others achievements included, ministerial order to move all palm oil production from forested land to savannah in the Republic of Congo.

He reiterated the organisation’s commitment to continue to support governments, companies and civil society organisations in implementing sustainable agricultural production and sourcing in agricultural commodities