Business: Oil Palm Plantation Can be Cultivated Without Deforestation, Says Solidaridad Programme Manager

Judex OKORO 

Solidaridad, an international civil society organisation, has stated that oil palm plantation can be cultivated in a smart way without cutting down trees or depleting the forest.

The CSO, which is known for facilitating development of socially responsible, ecologically sound and profitable supply chains,  urged small holder farmers to cultivate their palm oil farms without indiscriminate destruction of biodiversity

Speaking at the one day training workshop for oil palm plantation stakeholders on National Initiative for Sustainable and Climate Smart Oil Palm Smallholders
(NISCOPS) held in Calabar recently, the Programme Manager for Solidaridad, Mr. Kenne Onwudibe, said the are commited to the best practices of inclusion of small holders farmers and the improvement of their livelihood. 

"We want all those who intend to or are practicing oil Palm production whether at farm level or mill level to be able to understand the meaning of deforestation free Palm oil.

"Don't allow oil Palm tree that you produce to be track or trace to any form of deforestation. The message to oil Palm producers is to ensure that their efforts create three things which includes increase land use.

"There is need of inclusion of small holder farmers so that they can have better income, have their voices heard so that they can have access to better market", he maintained.

In his remarks, the Senior Programme Manager, National Initiative for Sustainable and Climate -Smart Oil-palm Smallholders (IDH NISCOPS), Mr. Ogwu Dayo, said NISCOPS participated in the stakeholders' meeting to facilitate sustainable market trade and to ensure that trade is possible.

"At the national level, we are convening with relevant stakeholders. Also at the state level, through this forum we also have the national and state MDAs, we brought them together to brainstorm on socio-environmental, and climate issues"' he stated.

According to Dayo, palm oil trees can co-habit with the forest without necessarily cutting down trees that made the the forest.

" What NISCOPS is telling them is that oil palms and forest can still co-exist. That is why we are preaching about climate matters and conservation.

"Our message is that, If you want to go into oil Palm plantation and production, don't forget that the forest also needs to be protected. 

"Don't go cutting down trees without thinking of regeneration. Incase you want to expand, ensure that you have a geo- location or geo- map of where you want to plant.

"It is not because you want to cultivate oil Palm plantation you begin to indiscriminately cut down trees. Know that this programme is all about protection of the forest," he stated

He enjoyed palm oil farmers to make use of best management practices to increase their yields, stressing that the stakeholders meeting which comprises of relevant stakeholders in the oil Palm production industry is to assist stakeholders brainstorm on socio- environmental, and Climate issues.

 _About NISCOPS_ 

 NISCOPS is National Initiative for Sustainable and Climate Smart Oil Palm Smallholders
(NISCOPS). It is funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

 The project is supporting smallholder oil palm farmers to increase their yield and income through climate smart oil palm production and sustainable land use.

Solidaridad implements the project in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu and Kogi states, while it's partner, the Sustainable Trade Initiatives, implements in Edo state.