Abubakar Kyari, minister of Agriculture and Food Security, has inaugurated the National Palm Oil Traceability Framework and Inter-Agency Committee to boost the production of palm oil, drive consumer confidence and export.
Speaking during the inauguration of the committee in Abuja on Wednesday, the minister, represented by Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, permanent secretary in the ministry, said the Palm Oil Traceability Framework Committee is aimed at tackling adulteration, poor processing, and packaging, among others.
Kyari said the Committee would serve as the driving force behind the traceability system, fostering coordination across federal and state government agencies, private sector actors, farmers’ cooperatives, processors, market associations, development partners, and donors.
He revealed that “the establishment of a national traceability system for palm oil is a clear demonstration of our determination to modernise agricultural value chains, enhance global competitiveness, and promote responsible production and sourcing throughout Nigeria’s oil palm sector.”
He pointed out that “traceability is essential for boosting consumer confidence and upholding product integrity.”
It helps to eliminate adulteration, enforces compliance with national and international quality benchmarks, and strengthens the competitiveness of our palm oil in key industries such as food processing, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics’’.
The minister explained that the committee will operate under the National Initiative for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Oil Palm Smallholders (NISCOPS) in Nigeria.
“Nigeria must not only produce for local consumption but also export to boost the country’s revenue,” he added.
In his welcome address, Iwara Edet Bassey, director, Federal Department of Agriculture, said the initiative would establish a comprehensive National Palm Oil Traceability System that monitors production, certification, value and supply chain data, among others.
In his remarks, Kennechukwu Onukwube, programme manager, Oil Palm of Solidaridad Nigeria, stated that “Solidaridad has borne the responsibility to midwife a process that has, first, opened the consciousness of people to the need for a traceability system for our oil palm in Nigeria — because that is currently non-existent — and the need for all stakeholders to align around a common policy that will enable us to process a sustainable future.”
The highlight of the event was the inauguration of the Inter-Agency Committee on Palm oil traceability, a statement by Ogbuagu Charity Chika, principal information officer of the minister, said.
