A palm nut plantation
ABOUT
200 delegates converged recently in Accra for Africa’s Third Sustainable Palm
Oil Conference, hosted by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and
Proforest, to discuss the urgent need for a long-term sustainable development
plan for oil palm production in Africa.
Comprising
high-profile dignitaries, growers, NGOs, financial institutions and consumer
goods manufacturers, the meeting acknowledged that if African palm oil producing
countries achieved their ambition to convert from net importers to net
exporters, palm oil production would significantly increase.
RSPO’s
Assurance Director, Salahudin Yaacob, called for a “long-term sustainable
development plan” in the region, stating that “RSPO can only achieve its vision
of transforming markets to make sustainable palm oil the norm through
collaboration with all stakeholders, from growers to governments, and financial
institutions to NGOs.”
Abraham
Baffoe, Africa Regional Director for Proforest, said “a sustainable oil palm
industry in Africa is something we are deeply committed to – and it is
wonderful to have so much interest from companies and other stakeholders. We
look forward to seeing these connections deepen as a result of this conference,
as we all work together towards an industry which contributes to the economic
development of African countries, whilst preserving the crucially important
biodiversity of the region.”
Godwin
Nogheghase Obaseki, Governor of Edo State, Nigeria in a remark, stated: “If
you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. Let me
congratulate all of you here today, for demonstrating your commitment to a
solution… It is in the interest of all of us in Africa to make sustainable palm
oil the norm.”
Robert
Fagans, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Liberia, stated that, “working with
smallholders to improve their yields through sustainable farming methods is
critical for palm oil growth in Liberia.”
A business desk report
