THE NATION
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r .. lm 011 hult. Iwallins p10ctUi ns (InHt: Pllm n ub b«'.klns machinlrl.
Tilling
the land fora living RJCULTURE used to be the ec0nomic main stay. providing jObs
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or over 7D per rent of the population _ This was beloTe the IIdvenl of oil lind gas and telecommunications. With thf:o rilegation of agriculture, many worker! Idt ror more ~g and ~unng
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Bul to experts.. a~ht~ still h;u <II lot to offer m the ~as or jobs creallon. M1d econOmIC growth. An area, which they Aid, holds promise lor job seekers LS ~
Despite its relegation in the country, agriculture still holds a lot of promises for jobs. One area where such jobs ~'e in abundance is palm oil cultivation, writes AKINOLA AJlBADE palm oil industry. The industry. they Silid, has the apadty to ~ale jobs ilCT0S5 the value cham. In • research emitled : "Palm Oil Value Ch;tin Analysis in the Niger Delta-, condu c.ted by the Foundabon for Partnership Initiatives in Niger Delta. the palm industry is believed 10 have potentials to prOVide employment for millions 01 skilled and unskilled people The report said palm oil pr& duction can reduce fCw.erty itS people will make a hving from It throughl cultivation of palm fruits. The report said: "11lere are food and nonfood I15e5 of palm 011 products. Under the non-food !leGment, palm oil can be usea for the production of cosmetics and personal care products, soaps, candles, pharmaceuticals, lubrication and grease- lis other uses include industrial chemicals, cOiitings, paints, leather and hlo-diesels. Under tbe rood segment, palm Oil 15 used itS cooking oil. matgal1l1t'S and cocoa buller alterNtive. confect:ionary. ice CJ1'am and infant nutntion fats, among others."
The report said there is a huge palm oil demand. adding that it would be a source of income for people. Noting that the coun~ wu the world s leading producer of palm oil in lhe 60s, the report lamenli!d that 11 is .. net importer of the commodity to meet growing domestic demand. The development. the report said. has opened job opportunilies. There ilre two vanants of palm oil The Tedulical Palm Oil (TI'O) and Special Palm Oil (51'0). Household (Or'I$umerJ prefer 10 consume TPO beoIuse of \15 navour . Il ls complimented by an increasing demand for the SPO, whldlc:an be used to meet theneeds of industria] processors. Though domestic production of palm oil is nearly ~.OOJ melric tOlU1l!S, there is an estimilled overall gap in Nigeriil of between 150.000 and 3(0))00 lonnes of TPO and 200.000 tonne! of SPO, much of which is currently met through imports. Managing Director, 8.tst Foods Nigeria UmltafMr Emmanuel ijiwere Slid there are job opportunities in the palm oil Industry
People. he said, " at l worl; In Mea5 such as land clearing. sd!d j plaT tin~ cultivation. harvesting. 510..,&\. f.roo:rs5Ing. refining. and !iuppTying 0[['1 m .n1 1(1 (he end us-
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Th.t industry. l}e :;aId, c'1ln o-eale over a million jobs beauw II 15 Q'1ulti-faceted . adding thai it is Rt ·,", ill I,.yen for the unemployed, who go into II for survival People.. he said. C. IO crule: j<Jbs via palm fruits plantatIOn. hMvestmg and f!r0ce55ing. _There are 1115( , ~Illunltill'$ in hlmmg lhem into IIi and transportin~ oil to both direct and It-dhe..1 wen. Direct use~ of palm oil nre tht:se thai use it for cooking. be saId. a:ldmg lhal indirect users are comparu.es tJ-~1 use palm oil as a by·product In thei r J)roductlOfl. He said jobs can be c:n>alm. depending on the size of the ,.Mlrn fruils plantation. Research and devl lClpment. he said, has shov..n thiil there 5 iln Improvemenl m 5et."dlings. ilddmg trat the f;estation pro.
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