Mr Dapo Olakulehin, the General Manager, Lagos State Coconut Development Authority (LASCODA), says the coconut value chain has recorded over 500 per cent increase in processing rate in 2021.
Olakulehin told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the increase has influenced the huge demand for importation of coconut seedlings from other neighboring countries in West Africa.
He noted that Lagos had more than 2,000 or more processors, who demand for coconut on daily basis but the farmers can not meet up with the processing needs for coconut oil, art and craft, coconut bread and other products.
He noted that in spite of the increase in coconut production, the farmers in the value chain had not been able to meet the huge demand due to the increase in processing rate by cottage industries.
He said that the coconut production had been on increase since 2014 by about 2.5 per cent.
He added that about 300 products can be derived from coconut and each can be a stand-alone industry thus the value chain becoming a fast growing industry.
According to him, Nigeria is spending a lot of money on coconut importation not because we are not producing, In actual sense, the coconut production has been on the increase since 2014 by about 2.5 per cent.
“In 2016, Nigeria produced 283,774 metric tons of coconut and this increased to 288,615 Mt in 2018.
“About 300 products can be derived from coconut, and each can be a stand-alone industry on its own, adding that there is a multi-dimensional depth to the produce.
“But the processing rate has increased tremendously. We are talking about 500 per cent increase in processing industry.
“The implication is that local production will not meet up with the processing need. It is not because we are not producing, we are producing but the demands is in actual sense is increasing on annual basis.
“As the processing rate is also increasing, there is need for our farmers to increase their production level too.
“In Lagos now, we have more than 2,000 or more processors who demand for coconut on daily basis but the farmers cannot meet up with the needs,” he said.
Olakulehin said that with the renewed interest in coconut production in the country, the narrative would change in the next few years, adding that a lot is on going to improve the value chain.
He noted that the change would actually take some time to manifest considering the gestation period of coconut.
“By the nature of coconut, it has a long gestation period, about four to five years . A coconut tree will start production massively in its fifth year.
“Am of strong opinion that with the renewed interest in coconut production in Nigeria, and in a matter of four to five years, the narrative will change. But it cannot just happen overnight, it is not vegetable.
“Apart from Lagos State, we have egg plantation in Nassarawa and Kaduna State. We have in about 26 states of the federation that are cultivating coconut massively.
“Last year, from Lagos State alone, we exported coconut seedlings to other part of the country. The narrative will change but it cannot be immediately or sudden change,” Olakulehin noted..
“Personally and professionally, I don’t see anything wrong in importing coconut even if we have enough or producing enough.
The LASCODA boss said that the Lagos State Government was investing massively in reviving its coconut plantations as well as supporting coconut growers with hybrid seedlings with short gestation period.
“The Lagos state government is doing a lot in the coconut value chain, in 2019, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu directed the release of more than 140,000 seedlings to coconut growers across the state which we did.
“In 2020, the government also directed the sale of coconut seedlings at highly subsidised price to farmers and we sold close to 500,000 seedlings at highly subsidised price.
“A coconut seedling costs about N2,500 but we were selling it at N500 to our farmers in 2020, it was highly subsidised.
“The Lagos State government is doing a lot with the recent $200,000 Unilateral Trust Fund Agreement (UTF) for development of coconut value chain between the state government and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO-UN) .
He said that the new agreement underscored the commitment of the administration of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu in restoring the pre-eminence of coconut as the foremost cash crop in the state.
