FARMERS FIELD SCHOOL FOR OIL PALM FARMERS ON NURSERY ESTABLISHMENT, FIELD ESTABLISHMENT, HARVESTING AND MARKETING HELD AT HOTEL CODIAL LIMITED, CHIME AVENUE, NEW HEAVEN, ENUGU, ENUGU STATE
THE OCCASSION OF FARMERS FIELD SCHOOL FOR OIL PALM FARMERS ON NURSERY ESTABLISHMENT, FIELD ESTABLISHMENT, HARVESTING AND MARKETING HELD AT HOTEL CODIAL LIMITED, CHIME AVENUE, NEW HEAVEN, ENUGU, ENUGU STATE, ON WEDNESDAY, 25TH AUGUST, 2021.
Please recall that approval was given for the Value Chain to convene Farmers Field School on nursery establishment, field development, harvesting and marketing for oil palm farmers/associations from the twenty four (24) oil palm producing States; Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Benue, Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa and Kaduna at Hotel Codial Limited, Chime Avenue, New Heaven, Enugu, Enugu State. The workshop which held on Wednesday, 25th August, 2021 was organised by the Oil Palm Value Chain and is aimed enhancing the capacity and skill of oil palm farmers in areas of nursery establishment, field development and maintenance, harvesting and marketing.
The training/capacity building was attended by 80No. participants, drawn from Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Benue, Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa and Kaduna. Representatives from Enugu Young Farmers Association (ENSYFA), NIFOR, Oil Palm Value Chain and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development (FMA&RD), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Radio Nigeria, NTA, TVC News also attended the training.
Welcome Addresses
The welcome address was delivered, by Mr Nwaogu Peter N, Enugu State Coordinator. While welcoming participants, he underscored the importance of the training and encouraged them to make good use of it, to enable them improve their knowledge and skills for effective nursery establishment, field development and maintenance, Harvesting and marketing.
He concluded by thanking the Ministry for organizing this training and encouraged participants to transfer the knowledge and skills that would be acquired to other oil palm farmers.
Address by the Honouable Minister, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The representative of the HMA, Mr B. C. Ukattah (Deputy Director-Tree Crops) in his address informed the participants that oil palm value chain is among the commodity value chain being promoted by FMARD. He further disclosed the objectives of the Value Chain and the strategies for addressing the shortfall such as production and distribution of improved tenera oil palm seedlings for hectarage expansion, encouraging Semi–Wild Grove (SWG) Yield enhancement by the gradual replacement of old and unproductive palms with improved planting materials, promoting the use of motorized harvesters, medium scale processing equipment (MSPE) and automated nut cracker separator (palm kernel recovery), to enhance farm operations and increase production as well as building the capacities of oil palm farmers along the entire Value Chain etc. The HMA stated the main objective of the training which is to enhance the capacity and skill of oil palm farmers in areas of nursery establishment, field development and maintenance, harvesting and marketing.
He ended his address by encouraging farmers to be attentive and make best use of this opportunity to improve their knowledge and skills on nursery establishment, field development, harvesting and marketing.
Technical Session
During the technical session lead paper was delivered by Mrs. Philomena Ehionehen on Best Practices in oil palm Nursery establishment/principles and practices in oil palm plantation development; this paper amongst others disclosed, the procedures for establishing and managing a good oil palm nursery as well as Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for oil palm plantation development.
Practical Session/field demonstration on nursery establishment/Field development:
Participants were taken to the field, and the technician conducted Field demonstration on how to prepare oil palm nurse
ry and field establishment.
Questions/Issues/Discussions
After the presentation by the resource person, and the practical session, participants made the following appeal practices.
- Need for the Ministry to conduct more training for farmers to enhance their skills in good agricultural
- Need to provide free inputs such as improved tenera sprouted nuts to farmers
- Need for the Ministry to continue to provide support for farmers in the areas of oil palm processing, for value addition.
- Need for the value chain to tackle the challenge of importation of crude palm oil into the country.
- Adequate support for plantation development, research and the need for the Value Chain to go through commodity associations in implementing its activities.
- Need for the Ministry to reach out to farmers/Associations (OPGAN and NPPAN) directly.
Response
In response to the above, the following comments were made.
- Participants were informed that the Ministry will continue to train farmers in nursery establishment/field development for best agricultural practices.
- The participants was also informed that the Ministry will continue to give out inputs such as improved tenera sprouted nuts free to farmers for plantation expansion
- Participants were encouraged to replicate the knowledge, skills/techniques acquired to other oil palm farmers in their localities.
- On the issue of support for processing, research and plantation development, it was indicated that the Value Chain was already promoting the use of Medium Scale Processing Equipment (MSPE), Automated Nut Cracker Separator (palm kernel recovery) etc., for production of premium crude palm oil and vegetable oil products, and encouraging farmers to access credit from Bank of Agriculture (BOA), to realize their agricultural projects.
- Participants were informed that the Value Chain was in active collaboration with NIFOR in the areas of research and seedling production for plantation development.
- They also, were informed that the Value Chain is in active collaboration with different commodity associations in the Value Chain.
