Nigeria presently produces about 20 percent of the domestic coconut demand.
“We cannot continue to import what we can produce locally. To achieve this, it is imperative to build the capacity of National Coconut Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, to scale up their capacity to efficiently manage the coconut business in Nigeria.
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The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador, Mariam Yalwaji Katagum, said this during the flag-off of the 2021 coconut planting season held in Abuja yesterday organized by the National Coconut Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPNAM).
“The Coconut is a commodity with lots of economic, medicinal and nutritional value and the market for it in Nigeria is huge. Unfortunately, the local supply can only meet about 20 percent of the demand, hence the need to urgently address the supply side constraints,” she said. She said the Association is promoting the establishment of 10,000 hectares of Coconut Plantations in each of the Coconut viable States in Nigeria, under the “One Family Three Coconut Trees” campaign.
“This is a programme that can reposition the Coconut industry in our country to be among the largest Coconut producers in Africa and the world at large. Therefore, the 2021 Coconut Planting Season flag-off, is a vital step in a series of activities to actualize the coconut master plan for economic, health and export potential,” she said.
