MARKET DEVELOPMENT
Exploring Increased Oil Palm Production Through Biotechnology
Exploring Increased Oil Palm Production Through Biotechnology
07/08/2013 (Leadership Newspapers) - The oil palm industry is a very significant sector of the Nigerian economy and has existed for a very long time. In the 1960s, Nigeria was the leading producer and exporter of palm oil, accounting for 27 percent of the global market.
However, since the advent of crude oil, Nigeria has been unable to meet its domestic demands and imports an additional 700,000 tonnes to meet national needs. Today, Nigeria ranks 26th in the world of palm oil production and can hardly satisfy her domestic demand.
Stakeholders in both government and private organizations have met this rather unfortunate and unnecessary development, with much show of concern.
This concern gave birth to the first International Palm Produce Conference (IPPC) held recently in Abuja to serve as a platform for interaction with stakeholders in the oil palm industry to review and widen contacts as well as foster developmental strategies to address the entire oil palm value- chain with stakeholders in order to resuscitate the lost glory of the oil palm industry in Nigeria.
In addition, the Vegetable/Edible Oil Producers Association of Nigeria has called on the federal government to approve one hundred billion naira Oil Palm Development Fund to revive the sector. Meanwhile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc., Mr. Alex Goma, recently announced the investment of N100 billion by the company in the development of over 30,000 hectares of oil palm plantation in Cross River state.
All these efforts to revive the oil palm sector, while they can be said to be highly commendable, are insufficient to give the industry the required boost. The development of the oil palm industry is not different from the situation with other industries like the auto industry or the pharmaceutical industry. The massive growth witnessed by these industries is largely tied to the development of highly specialised technology techniques.
In his opening remarks at the South-South 2013 Zonal Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) Meeting with the theme, “Embracing the Agricultural Transformation Agenda”, in Benin, Edo State, the Director-General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) & OFAB Nigeria Chair, Professor Bamidele Solomon, said that biotechnology can impact on the oil palm industry by the provision of improved varieties with better yields, lower production costs and improved quality of the derived products.
Prof. Solomon said, “The main emphasis on oil palm improvement is towards higher oil yield and significant progress has been reported over the last few decades. However, lately, several other traits such as high kernel content, slow yearly height increment, resistance to pests and diseases, and minor components (vitamin E, carotenoids, etc) have also received attention from the breeders. The oil palm yield in the wild groves of Africa is relatively low, averaging 0.2tons/hectare/year.
“However, research has shown that biotechnology, specifically, clonal propagation, has the potential to increase this yield by 30% or more.
“Clonal propagation of oil palm provides the opportunity to select from highly variable and heterozygous hybrid populations and to stabilise-selected phenotypes in the form of cloned cultivars. The extension of this technology into cells and genetic manipulations will eventually enable the breeder to introduce valuable traits from other species.”
The NABDA helmsman emphasised that biotechnology is the only means to achieve maximum yield potential from oil palm without area expansion, stressing that it is imperative that the nation adopts this technology as quickly as possible to reclaim its rightful position as the world’s leading producer of palm oil.
In his presentation titled, “Modifying the Quality of Palm Oil through Biotechnology”, Omorefe Asemota of the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Benin, said that the oil palm is an important agricultural commodity which if properly harnessed, has the potential to make a considerable contribution to the Nigerian economy.
Asemota lamented the inability of the nation to derive a significant fraction of the total potential benefits from this crop even as he noted that the implementation of a coherent oil palm development programme will generate wealth sustainably for Nigerian farmers especially as palm oil prices are on the increase.
He noted that for Nigeria to become a major producer and exporter country of palm oil once again, research support will continue to be critical and biotechnology will have significant inputs.
Presenting a recipe to revive the oil palm industry, Asemota called for a sustained policy focus and an enabling environment to nurture over the short, medium and long term goals.
“Equally important is the provision of inputs such as agrochemicals and fertilizer. This is being addressed currently with growth enhancement support (GES) by which inputs are provided free to farmers by the federal government. Such policy would only be adjudged successful to the extent that it generates a critical mass of actively investing private entrepreneurs who will drive the industry, bridge the demand deficit and restart the palm oil export trade again. Political stability should help provide the long term stable environment,” he added.
However, since the advent of crude oil, Nigeria has been unable to meet its domestic demands and imports an additional 700,000 tonnes to meet national needs. Today, Nigeria ranks 26th in the world of palm oil production and can hardly satisfy her domestic demand.
Stakeholders in both government and private organizations have met this rather unfortunate and unnecessary development, with much show of concern.
This concern gave birth to the first International Palm Produce Conference (IPPC) held recently in Abuja to serve as a platform for interaction with stakeholders in the oil palm industry to review and widen contacts as well as foster developmental strategies to address the entire oil palm value- chain with stakeholders in order to resuscitate the lost glory of the oil palm industry in Nigeria.
In addition, the Vegetable/Edible Oil Producers Association of Nigeria has called on the federal government to approve one hundred billion naira Oil Palm Development Fund to revive the sector. Meanwhile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc., Mr. Alex Goma, recently announced the investment of N100 billion by the company in the development of over 30,000 hectares of oil palm plantation in Cross River state.
All these efforts to revive the oil palm sector, while they can be said to be highly commendable, are insufficient to give the industry the required boost. The development of the oil palm industry is not different from the situation with other industries like the auto industry or the pharmaceutical industry. The massive growth witnessed by these industries is largely tied to the development of highly specialised technology techniques.
In his opening remarks at the South-South 2013 Zonal Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) Meeting with the theme, “Embracing the Agricultural Transformation Agenda”, in Benin, Edo State, the Director-General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) & OFAB Nigeria Chair, Professor Bamidele Solomon, said that biotechnology can impact on the oil palm industry by the provision of improved varieties with better yields, lower production costs and improved quality of the derived products.
Prof. Solomon said, “The main emphasis on oil palm improvement is towards higher oil yield and significant progress has been reported over the last few decades. However, lately, several other traits such as high kernel content, slow yearly height increment, resistance to pests and diseases, and minor components (vitamin E, carotenoids, etc) have also received attention from the breeders. The oil palm yield in the wild groves of Africa is relatively low, averaging 0.2tons/hectare/year.
“However, research has shown that biotechnology, specifically, clonal propagation, has the potential to increase this yield by 30% or more.
“Clonal propagation of oil palm provides the opportunity to select from highly variable and heterozygous hybrid populations and to stabilise-selected phenotypes in the form of cloned cultivars. The extension of this technology into cells and genetic manipulations will eventually enable the breeder to introduce valuable traits from other species.”
The NABDA helmsman emphasised that biotechnology is the only means to achieve maximum yield potential from oil palm without area expansion, stressing that it is imperative that the nation adopts this technology as quickly as possible to reclaim its rightful position as the world’s leading producer of palm oil.
In his presentation titled, “Modifying the Quality of Palm Oil through Biotechnology”, Omorefe Asemota of the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Benin, said that the oil palm is an important agricultural commodity which if properly harnessed, has the potential to make a considerable contribution to the Nigerian economy.
Asemota lamented the inability of the nation to derive a significant fraction of the total potential benefits from this crop even as he noted that the implementation of a coherent oil palm development programme will generate wealth sustainably for Nigerian farmers especially as palm oil prices are on the increase.
He noted that for Nigeria to become a major producer and exporter country of palm oil once again, research support will continue to be critical and biotechnology will have significant inputs.
Presenting a recipe to revive the oil palm industry, Asemota called for a sustained policy focus and an enabling environment to nurture over the short, medium and long term goals.
“Equally important is the provision of inputs such as agrochemicals and fertilizer. This is being addressed currently with growth enhancement support (GES) by which inputs are provided free to farmers by the federal government. Such policy would only be adjudged successful to the extent that it generates a critical mass of actively investing private entrepreneurs who will drive the industry, bridge the demand deficit and restart the palm oil export trade again. Political stability should help provide the long term stable environment,” he added.