Oil Palm Operators Trained On Best Management Practices
Oil palm farmers from the agrarian community of Obio Edere village in Itu local government area of Akwa Ibom state were on Thursday drilled on the best management practices of planting oil palm trees for optimal yields for consumption and agricultural business purposes.
The training which took place at Obio Edere community oil palm farm on the Okopedi -Itu road, off Calabar – Itu high way was organized by the FSP – Farm Services Provider covering Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states, Mrs. Bernadette Ekanem in collaboration with Foundation for partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) and SHERDA.
Presenting a speech at the flag off of the one day training, Mrs Ekanem who is a daughter of the soil from Itam in Itu local government, said the aim of the training was to equip the farmers on the best way to carry out the planting of oil palm to enable them earn a living.
Describing oil palm as the most flourishing tree in the history of mankind as confirmed right from the bible days, from the oil she referred to as “Red gold” to other parts of the tree which do not need mentioning as everyone is aware, she noted that no part of it is without usefulness to man, urging the farmers to engage in large scale planting of the product for all-round benefits.
The Farm services provider went down the memory lane, saying that “some years ago Malaysians came to Nigeria, precisely in Ibesit, the present day of Oruk Anam local government of Akwa Ibom state to collect some samples of oil palm seeds and through best management practices overtook Nigeria as number one producer of the cash crop while Nigeria shrank to the all-time low 5th position.”
Adding that, “since it was in Akwa Ibom state that Malaysians came to take the samples of the oil palm to their country to become the world “best”, it’s in Akwa Ibom that the process of Nigeria regaining its premier position of best producer of the product will begin and that is what we have just started.”
She therefore charged the participants at the training not to waste any knowledge acquired but to share it with other villagers who were not opportuned to attend the training for a spilled over or rippled effect.
The principal trainer from SHERDA, Prince Allen Njoku who was accompanied to the training by an expert and consultant in procurement of nursery oil palm, Obot Ita, emphasized on the need for oil palm farmers to source their nursery from genuine dealers, probably from NIFOR, saying that any mistake by farmers to get their seedlings from the wrong source will not produce the right results, even after a good sprouting.
Apart from the issue of wrong sourcing, Prince Njoku also stated that wrong planting method can also be a source of grief for ignorant farmers and used the opportunity to educate them on the proper planting method which is nine metre apart in triangular shape. Other areas he touched included feeding, pruning, harvesting and a lot more.
