President calls for 10,000 coconut plantation to generate $400b in Nigeria

• FG promises support

The President, National Coconut Producers Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPMAN) Mrs. Nma Okoroji has passionately called for government’s support to establish ten thousand hectares for coconut plantation across the producing states, saying the produce would generate four hundred billion dollar into the economy annually.

Mrs Nma Okoro made this appeal during 2020 coconut world celebration this last Wednesday at Abuja.

Mrs Okoroji stated that the production capacity of Nigeria needs to be increased through establishment of 10.000 hectares of plantation across the viable states to ensure enough materials for processing added that investing on the produce could generate a tune of $400b annually.

Okoroji said despite the fact that the closure of the border was of a huge advantage and the best that ever happened to the country, she however lamented that the coconut industry didn't have any foreseeable plan against the closure as the coconut processors are the worst hit due to imports restriction.

According to her "Over seventy trucks are coming from Togo,  Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire weekly,  not monthly,  but now they can't freely enter into the country. This has really hindered the processing of coconut in the country, and the burden of the expenses is on the processors"

She noted that Nigeria was not producing enough needed capacity as a bag of the produce that was usually sold for eight thousand naira is now N25.000.00, lamented that ‘’we don't have enough coconut in Nigeria presently, 80 per cent of the coconut in this country are been imported and the cost of importation is getting higher every day. So that is why we are advocating for over 10,000 hectares in this first phase to be planted in 32 coconut producing states in the country. And when this is done we can now have what is called coconut sufficiency in Nigeria’’ 

Okoroji stressed that the premium price of coconut is higher than what we could gain in oil palm pointed that ‘’ coconut can comfortably replace crude without stress; every part of it is money. I bought four litres of palm oil for one thousand five hundred naira, and a litre of Coconut is five thousand naira’’

Meanwhile, Federal Government FG) has promised to give support to farmers and processors who had lost their produce during the covid-19 lockdown, and coconut processors were part of people to benefit. The Assistant Director, Commodities and Export Department of the Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment (FMITI) , Mr  Dipo Adegoke hinted this during the occasion. 

Adegoke said that FMITI was aware of the covid-19 negative impact on the coconut farmers saying that effort with the Federation Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN) is ongoing towards releasing palliatives that would help them return to business. He pointed that favourable policies that would ensure that stakeholders operate in well organized environment would be created to ensure that businesses are done with ease across the country. 

The Secretary General, Federation Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN) Alh. Dogodagi Nuhu said that his Association is working closely with the Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment (FMITI) to ensuring that the NACOPPMAN get the necessary support needed to bounce back to full capacity production.