The call was made when the Vice Minister Foreign Affairs, Republic of Indonesia, Mr Pahala Mansury met with the minister in Abuja, according to a statement signed by the Principal Information Officer FMAFS Obe Mabel and made available to Bushlink.
The minister said the move was to enhance food and nutrition security, job creation, value chain, and export opportunities, while noting that the forum would create a platform for identifying possible areas of collaboration and partnership between both countries and to explore the vast economic opportunities that abound within them.
Hear him, “We have big space to accommodate investors and farmers who are ready to work with us to take the oil palm as a commodity to the next level of economic growth and development”.
He said the best solution for Nigeria’s import substitute was to have an export-driven strategy that would not only boost food security and reduce poverty but also bring about sustainable economic development, in the statement.
Optimistic towards the partnership, the Indonesian foreign minister said that palm oil does not only boost food security but agricultural development which would alleviate poverty and increase the income of smallholder farmers.
He outlined the areas of collaboration to include Palm Agriculture, Research and Economic Development Cooperation, as well as facilitated private sector investors in both countries.
He said through this partnership, “ Nigeria could become a member of the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) as it has all the potential”.
Lauding the move, the President of, the National Palm Producer Association of Nigeria (NPPAN), Dr Alphonsus Inyanga stated that the Association’s focus is not limited to plantation but on the population of palm trees at household and community levels for Nigerians to partake of the prosperity that comes from palm oil.
He also appealed to the Indonesian government to partner in the area of processing technology, supply chain facilities, and storage.