Solidaridad Unveils Sustainable Oil Palm Plan for Kogi

Solidaridad, a civil society organization, has introduced an Oil Palm Sustainable Management Plan (SMP) to the Kogi State Government to promote sustainable oil palm production. This initiative is part of the National Initiatives for Sustainable and Climate Smart Oil Palm Smallholders (NISCOPS) project, which supports smallholder farmers in enhancing productivity and market access.

The SMP focuses on four pillars: environmental stewardship, economic development, social inclusion, and governance. It aims to address issues such as low productivity, deforestation, and weak policy frameworks.

Ernest Ita, program manager of Solidaridad Nigeria, noted that the plan encourages increasing productivity on existing farms rather than expanding into forests. The initiative has reached over 10,000 smallholder farmers and nearly 5,000 palm oil processors, with significant improvements in yields.

Ita urged the Kogi State Government to integrate the SMP into agricultural policies to ensure sustainable production. Samson Shaibu, Project Coordinator, described the SMP as a practical framework for oil palm development.