21st September, 2023
By Emeka Ibemere
The President of the National Coconut Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPMAN), Dr Mrs Nma Okechukwu-Okoroji, has revealed that Coconut Sub-sector can contribute over 400 billion dollars to the Nigerian economy annually.
Speaking ahead of the 2023 World Coconut Day celebration, Okechukwu-Okoroji, said coconut production can rival crude oil in terms of potential as a source of foreign exchange for the country.
She noted that about 265 tons of coconut are produced in Nigeria presently with 70 percent of it being produced in Lagos State.
However, she lamented that successive governments in the country have not been able to explore the far-reaching economic importance of the coconut sub-sector.
She said this has hindered the possibility of the coconut sub-sector making a massive contribution to the nation’s GDP and other possibilities in terms of the creation of jobs and poverty alleviation.
She disclosed that coconut is a tree of life, a cash crop that grows in over 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states, with Lagos State having the largest production area.
Okechukwu-Okoroji said an estimated 36,000 hectares is presently under cultivation mostly in Lagos, Akwa Ibom and Rivers state, adding that an estimated 1.2 million hectare of land is suitable for coconut cultivation, according to NIFOR 2008 reports.
She also revealed that the largest producers of coconut in the world are Indonesia and the Philippines, while Tanzania ranks the highest in Africa.
Okechukwu-Okoroji added that Nigeria is ranked 18th position in the world.
Okechukwu-Okoroji said the 2023 Coconut Planting Season Flag-Off is aimed at achieving the Actualization of Coconut Sufficiency in Nigeria by 2027 (COSIN), through the establishment of coconut tree planting, the establishment of 10,000 square meters of coconut farms in all Coconut Viable States and 1 Family 3 Coconut Trees and 1 organisation 10 Coconut Trees Initiative.
Meanwhile, the National Coconut Producers, Processors, and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPMAN), has taken a series of steps and measures to ensure that the economic importance and health benefits of coconut do not elude the Nigerian populace.
A farmer, agro-dealer, media strategist and the Imo State Chapter Chairman of the National Coconut Producers Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPMAN), Cos-Ukwuoma Nnamdi, while speaking to our correspondent, said it has become imperative that the organisation must go beyond the ordinary to key into the global vision of massive coconut production for health and for wealth.
“The key focus is to attract more coconutpreneurs/investors in the production, processing, commercialization and utilisation of the coconut.
“The crop can really play a significant role in the economic development of the individuals, organisations and states of our dear country, Nigeria,” he said.
“Apart from setting aside a day for the flag-off of coconut planting season, a day is also set aside to celebrate World Coconut Day.
“As Nigeria marks 2023 World Coconut Day on September 21, 2023, with the theme: Sustaining The Coconut Sector For The Present And Future Generation Through COSIN, it is my hope and expectation that critical stakeholders in the sector will wake up to glaring realities of our time, that investment in agriculture is the only shortcut and sure way to reducing unemployment and boosting the economy,” he said.
According to him, the Imo State Chapter of NACOPPMAN has initiated several steps and taken key initiatives to step up investment in the coconut sector in the state. There is a comprehensive plan to increase the productivity of coconut farmers and growers, to ensure sustainable livelihoods for them across the state. Through this strategy, we aim to double the yields through improved planting protocols, fertilizer applications, and routine agricultural practices.
“In addition to this, proactive steps are being taken to promote alternative income-generating activities for coconut farmers, ensuring an effective agricultural cooperative framework that benefits them and a more inclusive methodology to empower women farmers and the youth. As such, the imperative is a coconut cluster that will properly and profitably harness the value chain for the benefit of all players in the industry in the state, he concluded.