The Lagos State Government says it will establish a coconut processing factory in Badagry to further optimize the use of coconut and harness the economic potentials in the value chain.
The State Acting Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, stated this Wednesday at the Year 2020 Coconut Day Celebration at Lagos Farm Centre, Agege.
The event was organized by the Lagos State Coconut Development Authority.
She said that the factory would be solely dedicated to the processing of coconut husk to coir, and cocopeat among others, under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.
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She noted that these initiatives further reinforced the state’s position as the number one coconuts producer in Nigeria in addition to providing employment opportunities for the teeming citizens.
She said the processing factory would also catalyze the entire industry, such that more people would come within the sub-sector and create more business opportunities in the value chain.
According to him, Lagos State is the largest coconuts producing state in Nigeria, contributing over 70 per cent to what the nation produced.
“I believe Nigeria as a whole produces over 350,000 tonnes of coconuts annually but it is far behind what the likes of the Philippines, Malaysia, and other Asian countries are producing on an annual base.
“We are very much far behind. To further optimize the use of the coconuts value chain, the state has proposed to establish a coconuts factory in Badagry, solely dedicated to the processing of Coconuts husk to Coir, coco peat, etc. under a PPP arrangement in her 2021 Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWPB).
“It is believed that with all these efforts, Lagos State will continue to be the number one coconuts producer in Nigeria. This will to a great extent provide jobs and employment for teeming citizens.
“The support will also lead to various job creation in other areas aside from the above mentioned and contribute to export and foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria,” she said.
Olusanya reiterated Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to adopting a much more robust food security strategy for the state next year.
The acting commissioner said the theme of this year’s celebration, “Coconut in the 21st Century Economy,” was aimed at creating awareness for the promotion of production, processing, utilization, and commercialization of the coconut value chain.
She said that the occasion took into cognizance the fact that Nigeria ranked l8 among over 92 coconut producing countries of the world, of which Lagos State contributes about 70 per cent of the national production of coconut and its products.
“Undoubtedly, agriculture remains the fulcrum of human survival with the majority of the resources donated by nature.
“As such, it is not an overstatement that the crop we are celebrating today is perhaps one of the most single useful crops known to man in terms of versatility, product utilization, and longevity.
“This occasion, therefore, serves as another timely wake up to go back to the basics and rekindle the interests and values of coconut and its plethora of products for social, environmental, economic, and wellness advantages as seen to be practiced and enjoyed sustainably by coconut driven economies.
‘Lagos has a comparative advantage for coconut production, processing, utilization, and commercialization and as of today, remains the hub of coconut in Nigeria and all coconuts traversing the West Coast of Africa,” she said.
Olusanya noted that the implementation of many initiatives in the coconut sub-sector by the state government was to further bring awareness to the potentials in the coconut subsector of Agriculture that has not been fully tapped.
She congratulated all the coconut value chain actors and assured them of continuous government’s support in providing an enabling environment to unleash the potentials of the wonder crop to an enviable level.
“I strongly advise actors in this value chain to make optimal use of the opportunities of this year’s commemoration of World Coconut Day to network, share information and diversify innovation among others in order to better their lots.
“The government alone cannot drive the initiative therefore, more investors are invited to partner with the state government by investing in the sub-sector to ensure sustainable job creation and food security.
“The development of the state can only be achieved if all hands are on deck,” she added.
In his presentation, Dr. Joshua Odewale of the Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Benin City, urged the government to set up an endowment fund for coconut and coconut products national consumption and export for about 20 years, noting that the Philippines set a 25-year endowment fund goal.
He said there was a need for the government to take coconuts as a personal crop with a focus on development for enhancement of survival as if there were international lockdown restrictions on the importation of any coconut product both secondary and downstream products.
He said the government must know the crop and identify the genuine stakeholders in the coconut industry as well as identify the secondary industry product need of the industry.