I will reposition oil-palm to benefit farmers, off takers - Alphonsus Inyang

The Group Managing Director, of Hebron Integrated Farms and Mills across the globe, Mr. Alphonsus Inyang recently had a chat with FoodFarmNews  during which he promised to overhaul the oil palm business value chains where small holders farmers would be well supported to own sustainable plantations that processors can depend upon to produce vegetable oil, pharmaceutical and cosmetics products saying the idea of allowing the big companies to be owners of plantations and processing is a denial to owners of land, among other things, if he is elected as the President of the Association National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN). Excerpts...

Could you introduce yourself sir?   

My name is Alphonsus Inyang, the Group Managing Director, Hebron Integrated Farms and Mills Limited with operation in Nigeria, America, Ethiopia, Sierra-Leone, Sudan, Djibouti, Mozambique, and Kenya.  I am an entrepreneur, business man and industrialist that specialises in the agro allied sector of the economy, that is, talking agricultural production, preservation, processing and marketing. So far the journey has got no regrets.

Now, you are presenting yourself to serve as the president of National Oil-palm Producers, Processors and Marketers Association, what motivated you into this desire?

My background from Akwa-Ibon state where we are trained with palm oil money is such that one cannot easily forget about the sector, and that is why my major investments have been in the oil palm value chains where I have committed a lot of investment into palm oil production, processing and marketing. We have invested in plantations across the country- Akwa-Ibom, Osun, Oyo and Cross River states. Also we have made investment in palm and kernel oils processing where we produce for the cosmetics industry and vegetable oil industry. 

We believe so much in the crop than any other crops because we can sell it to buy any other crops. Before crude oil became prominent in the country, palm oil is the only plantation crop we knew. We were born into it, and when we look at the fact that Nigeria is now an importer of this produce to service the different value chains, something which was not so before, then some of us see it as a call to service, and a way of reflection to ask what we have not done right that had so affected the development of the crop to this point of importing from Benin-Republic, Burkina Faso, Togo, Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries. It will shock you to know that majority of the South West processors depend on palm kernel from Republic of Benin and Togo for their oil processing to feed the Nigerians and cosmetics industries. 

That is the situation we are now, and which have deviated from what is used to be in the past. I decided to show interest in the association in order to have the opportunity to interface and engage the authorities at the federal, states and local government levels to see things differently and see how we can revive this very important industry from being collapsed because the proceeds from palm oil is far better than whatever a barrel of crude oil will give. So the revival of the industry for the benefit of all is more paramount to me and this is the reason why I am putting myself forward for the leadership post.

I believe the investments and travels I have made in the course of oil palm business across the world to understudy different systems and models that can be adopted here from various countries such had worked very well. I believe I have the enough capacity, knowledge and contacts to make a difference in the sector through engagement and interface and support from the government and other stakeholders to revive this industry. I have my ideas which I got from where they are working that I will want to deploy to use if I become the association president.

You will agree that wonderful ideas cannot work in isolation, what are the strategic ways you intend to drive this dream in cooperation with other executives, members of the association and other stakeholders from private and government circles?

Now from the federal, states and local government, more emphasis has been on production through development of plantations. That should not be work of government.  You have been seeing investors including the manufacturer of indomie, PZ Willman and the rest of them acquiring land for plantations. This will not augur well for the economy of this country. Agricultural production belongs to the owners of the land resources, and all the government needs to do is to give incentive to production and development of palm oil plantations in small holders’ spaces. By so doing you get more people into primary production by giving them incentives. Let the people see what they stand to gain through access to improved seedlings, fertilizers and weed, insects and pests control herbicides through subsidy and access to funding by small holder farming families. Government has to make all these available to farming communities to develop palm oil plantations. Not for big organizations that are processors to get involved in primary production meant for farmers in the value chains of productivity. The big organizations will always come when there are enough plantations, while government interest should be on how to intensify development of palm oil plantations that would attract investors without necessarily being invited.   

So if I am elected as the president of the association, I will work with government to ensure  the paradigm shift  from the way we are doing things now to where encouragement is given to small scale farmers through training and technical support to ensuring capacity building for youths and women in the rural communities towards enough palm oil and palm kernel for processing into purposes. It is not for big organizations to acquire massive land resources and now turn people in the rural communities to be left to nothing other than cheap labour providers when they can be effectively engaged in the primary production that enable them to confidently engage with big processors in terms of business, and not PZ, Unilever and manufacturer of indomie owning the plantations and at the same time doing the processing at the expense of rural farmers. Let everybody play his role, the moment these big organizations become producers, processors and marketers, what then is left for Nigerians, and  that is the area of knowledge we want to engage with government. Another thing is that we want to engage government in the area of policy on oil palm in the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment (FMITI). Many date palm produce from Dubai are brought to Nigeria at N1500 for 100gm for sale. 

This date palm is what is called ‘’dates’’ and Dabino in Hausa language. This palm produce imported from Algeria and Egypt in Nigeria despite that we have them in abundance. While the governments of these countries have turned date palm into their cultural crop Nigeria has not. What is our cultural crop in Nigeria if not palm oil? Why can’t we turn oil palm to traditional crop with government promoting it as a global commodity in terms of consumption in all the nooks and crannies through medicine, cosmetics and many other sources of vegetable oil? Why can’t we turn oil palm in selected states with comparative advantage to extensively embark on its production, whereby it will become a policy that all primary schools, hospitals and government facilities in the rural areas are being fenced with oil palm trees? It will serve as land scalping to beautify the environment.  For example Rwanda has been in competition with Ethiopia on coffee production. I have business in these two countries and I know the way business works in those places.

Now Ethiopia ranks number one in the world while Rwanda has come with a very ambitious policy on coffee as a traditional crop with its trees being used as land scalping in every government offices in the country.

 This is to increase production so as to make it available everywhere. They are replacing flowers with coffee trees, and I want this policy to be replicated in Nigeria. The same in Dubai on your way to seaports, airport and everywhere you see date palm trees in all her highways well planted. We should make it a matter of policy to do thing like this in states with comparative advantage to boost production of palm oil in Nigeria as well. By doing things we will be self sufficient for both local and export consumption. Why? More people will be gainfully employed in the process as you have 20-30 oil palm trees that are well fruiting, you will be able to send your children to school.

You will agree with me that some commodity associations are very conspicuous, what is your plan in making the association be one in terms of secretariat?  

By the grace of God and the ability the God has given to me, I have taken a decision which I did not know you are going to ask about. I have decided within the very first month I am sworn in as the National president of NPAAN to acquire a property as the national secretariat of the association which will be my own personal sacrifice for the association by the grace of God if I get the mandate. You see it may sound as a top order, but when you have an interest of a sector of the economy; one must be ready to give sacrifice that will ensure development as government alone cannot do it. In this sector, I have many things to lose if it gets worst and I have many things to gain if it gets better because of my investment in the sub sector. I am a stakeholder and investor, I am not a politician and I am deeply involved in this as I don’t sell Coca cola, furniture or clothes, I sell agricultural produce. So if it does not work, then I stand to lose, and if it works, I gain and my country gains a lot. So, why won’t I give it what it takes to work so the sector can be in better shape for all and sundry in terms of proactive economy that can compete favourably?

What do have for the electorates as regards their votes?

What I will like to say to the delegates that are coming from across the country to vote in the next election of the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN), looking at your eyes I say you need a change and this change is going to be for everybody and not for one person. 

The outgoing national executives have done their best by taking us to where we are and we need to move further by more engagement with government. I am that person, Alphonsus Inyang that can do it as I have done it in my own private capacity by turning a small agricultural company into a global company with offices in different parts of the world including Asia, America and Africa. I will use my wealth of experience to bring the association to a more economic viable status in the world that government will be proud of. I will also, and which I have started already started with the minister of Agriculture in Ethiopia who has given consent to assigning a bilateral agreement whereby Nigeria will be main exporter or the sole exporter of palm oil into Ethiopia for their cosmetics industry and other culinary activities. For you as farmer and plantation owner, for you as a processor and as a marketer, we need to take this association to the next level, and God has given me the ability to take the association to the next level. So, I want you to vote for me because I have positive ideas I want to bring to table in a very cooperative ways for all of us and to make you as a farmer richer, and to make the country richer and more stable to make more revenue generation from palm oil.