The Senate on Tuesday in Abuja urged the Federal Government to ban importation of palm oil into the country in order to protect local production as well as encourage farmers.
This followed the unanimous adoption of a motion entitled: “Urgent Need to Halt the Importation of Palm Oil and its Allied Products to Protect Palm Oil Industry in Nigeria.’’
In a lead debate, the sponsor of the motion, Sen. Francis Alimikhena (Edo-APC), decried importation of palm produce into the country.

Alimikhena expressed concern that importation of palm kernel and allied palm products are threats to Federal Government’s campaign on diversification of the economy through increased agricultural production and exports.
He said that Nigeria imported about 450, 000 tonnes of palm oil to the tune of N116.3 billion in 2017.

“Nigeria was the world leading producer of palm oil at independence, but unfortunately, Indonesia and Malaysia have overtaken us and we are now importing palm oil.
“Malaysia which is widely believed to have collected its first seedlings from Nigeria some decades ago, is now exporting palm oil products to us.
“The government must reverse this trend with copious investments in the local palm industry and the protection of local producers from unnecessary imports,’’ Alimikhena said.

While acknowledging that Nigeria is endowed with the land and manpower to boost palm oil production, the lawmaker emphasised that the focus should be directed toward returning to pre-independence status in palm oil production.
“We have no business importing palm kernel or any oil palm product from any country.
“At independence, agriculture was the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy. More than 70 per cent of the population was engaged in agriculture.
“Apart from various food crops produced in the country, Nigeria was a major producer of palm oil/kernel, cocoa, groundnut and rubber.
“But following the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantity in the 70s, agriculture was neglected,’’ Alimikhena said.

He added that the importation of the product was harming the local palm industry and depleting foreign reserve.
“This is also threatening the viability of the industry into which many Nigerians have sunk huge sums of money in support of the government’s export promotion drive.
“If the palm industry is fully developed, it will guarantee mass employment and boost our foreign exchange earnings,’’ he added.
Contributing, Sen. Theodore Orji (Abia-PDP) said there was need to establish a special fund to encourage local production of palm oil in the country.
He also expressed concern that many oil production plants in the country were moribund.
According to Orji, palm oil used to be a major income earner for the country, but unfortunately many plants are dead.
On his part, Sen. Jibrin Barau(Kano-APC) called for introduction of policies that would be targeted at encouraging local production of cash crops.
Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano-APC) also urged the Federal Government to ban importation of cash crops that can be produced locally.
“Also there is need for the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development to invite the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) on why it has failed to deliver on its mandate,’’ Kwankwaso said.
In his remarks, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said that the importance of reviving the country’s palm oil industry cannot be overemphasised.
“There is need for this sector to be properly positioned to play its role as one of the major income earners for the country.
“When the palm oil sector is revived, it will boost employment,’’ Ekweremadu said. (NAN)

]https://orientdailynews.com.ng/agriculture/senate-seeks-ban-importation-palm/

My country Nigeria

I was working in the power industry I lost the job after privatization of the industry

I invested in Palm oil my government allowed importation of palm oil from Malaysia.
I made so much loses after everything my government want to ban palm oil from coming into Nigeria. Okay ooooo I will keep going, no giving up.

Wait, we import palm oil?

I am not understanding.

But why should nigerians import palm kernel into the country? Honestly its absurd....


Ds one baffle me o... abi na d imported one be original again?

Ok...o

They should better send their grandmother's to the farm ooo, anyway good idea sha

Curtail DStv activities upe

Deal with all these Telecom providers mba

Reduce your wages no way

Make law that Will benefit ordinary people no

That senator that is saying this has share in Okomu oil industry

Before banning the importation what are they measures put in place to sustain before we start processing it commercially

All this mumu APC senators and dulardinho president that stupidly ban the importation of rice without measures to harness the locals to produce in commercial quantity thereby making rice today so expensive to buy same thing gonna repeat itself in this palm oil case

For the Afonjas no More oil soup oooo

Am looking to see what bubu and his APC cohorts are smoking over there

Wait fess.

So naija has been importing palm oil?

Heeey!!!!

Seconded!

We import almost every thing in this country.... Pls import some fresh pwssy for me am tired of the ones here

Government of ban for the banners
By the banners
Without solution in place
Grazing law before implementation of ranching
Banning rice importation before being self sufficient on rice

Now you are working. Hope the man in trance signs this into law in future.

goooood

it's a pity.......

Elslim:
goooood

Gooder goodest

banning it will only increase d price of oil to abt 1k a bottle. Our ppl are not producing enough jare

So Nigeria do import palm oil
Some body help

I wish we could import our leaders as well

This would be great!

Personally made huge losses last year when I ventured into the "storage" business.

They should particularly check those bringing it in from Cameroon.

Great, another stupid protectionist law that will encourage smuggling and bribery while giving Nigerian producers the green light to relax on improving their productivity, just what the country needs!

Inane legislation like this is just what one should expect from a pack of imb.ecile lawmakers who have probably never even laid eyes on supply and demand curves, and were elected to their positions by sharing rice and chicken to illiterates.

[s]

omenkaLives:
This would be great!

Personally made huge losses last year when I ventured into the "storage" business.

They should particularly check those bringing it in from Cameroon.

[/s]
trash trash trash

Hence everything importable our next president should also be imported

A very good move. But most crucial, the govt must try to support agro entrepreneurs like myself to expand our palm oil mills so as to produce enough to cater for the needs of the populace after the import ban.
I have an operational mill and willing labour but I lack the funds to push beyond the level I produce, even though I have the capacity.
Bank of industry... Zero
Commercial banks... Zero
Bank of Agriculture... Zero
They are all giving me collateral conditions which unfortunately, I can't meet.
Any investor in my mill can make a tidy profit from doing nothing other than raising me some reasonable capital.
08068021774

seriously they should

They keep banning what is foreign without looking at how to improve local content. Most of these lawmakers even have foreign things in their homes. If Malaysia is exporting palm oil, we should also try to export ours as well and not focus on banning.

Suppose to be exporting in high quantity sef...but still dey import like mumu

kennygee:
Wait, we import palm oil?

We do and now its killing the effort of those of us that invested in Palm oil business.

banning is not the solution. yes my wife deal in Palm oil retail. the question is while should we buy Palm oil imported from Malaysia and snuggled through Benin plus the transportation cost for #9200 for 25liters keg . while the one locally produced in Nigeria is going for #11000. Govt should investigate while imported goods are cheaper than locally produce goods.