EHIME ALEX, Lagos
Ogun State Government says its oil-palm mill, established since 1958, needs to be refurbished for maximum output, adding that the facility sited on 8,000 hectares of land requires the Central Bank of Nigeria intervention for proper maintenance to enable it process palm oil in larger quantity.
Dr Adeola Odedina, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, said during an inspection tour to Apoje Farm Settlement, Ijebu-North Local Government Area, where an oil palm processing mill, under the management of Agricultural Development Corporation, is located.
In a released on Thursday issued by the Ministry of Information & Strategy, the commissioner, however, revealed that the CBN has expressed readiness to collaborate the state government towards boosting its oil palm production.
He said further that abandoned oil farms owned by individuals will also be revived, urging interested oil farmers to leverage on the CBN intervention scheme.
“We are turning our searchlight to this facility, to survey potential areas of intervention by the CBN, so that the State can improve its oil production. There are lots of applications for collaboration by private investors within and outside the country, the CBN is here to upgrade our State’s value-chain, through this window of opportunity”, he said.
In a remark, Head, Development Finance, Central Bank of Nigeria, Abeokuta Branch, Mrs Oluyemisi Olukoya, said oil palm is an essential commodity needed to be tapped, adding that there is need to visit the oil palm estates, in order to ensure sustainability for investment, expansion and rehabilitation in collaboration with the State Government.
“Apoje is synonymous with oil Palm, we have been hearing of this place for quite a long time, we see that a lot of investment had been put in place and there is room for improvement because there is a lot of potential here”, she said.
The facilities visited included the Oil palm mill, Steriliser, Boiler, palm-tree plantation, as well as nursery farm areas, and had on the tour the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Dotun Sorunke, the General Manager, Ogun State Agricultural Development Corporation, Mr Femi Soremekun on the Commissioner’s entourage.
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