The Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) has pledged to deepen technical and policy cooperation with Nigeria to revitalise the nation’s oil palm sector and align its supply chains with global standards.

Speaking during an interactive session with journalists on Saturday in Abuja, CPOPC Secretary-General Izzana Salleh confirmed that the council has initiated a mission to support Nigeria’s domestic production and food security goals. 

The partnership has prioritised the integration of smallholder farmers into the wider industry to ensure sustainable rural development.

Salleh, who has identified oil palm as indigenous to West Africa, has added that Nigeria was once a global leader in its production and emphasised that the opportunity before Nigeria has not been about looking back but strategically positioning itself for the future.

“Together, producing nations can shape a stronger, more coordinated global voice. One that protects farmer livelihoods, advances food security, and ensures balanced, development-oriented sustainability frameworks,” Salleh has said.

“Nigeria has the history. Nigeria has the scale. Nigeria has the opportunity. Recent data shows encouraging momentum. Nigeria’s palm oil production has increased from 1.28 million tonnes in 2020 to 1.57 million tonnes in 2025,” she has added.

Salleh noted that domestic consumption has risen from 2.45 to 2.61 million tonnes, creating a supply gap that has continued to be met through imports. 

She also added that the gap has not been merely a trade statistic, but has represented foreign exchange outflow, missed rural income opportunities, and untapped agro-industrial potential.

Other objectives of the mission have included strengthening South–South collaboration among producing countries, where experience-sharing has been based on practical lessons.

According to Salleh, the council is working towards recognising Nigeria as a full member. Currently, Nigeria has been a CPOPC observer country together with Ghana and Colombia.

Salleh emphasised that the council’s mission to Nigeria has been to advance both Nigeria’s national ambitions and Africa’s collective voice in global agricultural discussions.

“CPOPC respects Nigeria’s sovereign decision-making process. Our role is not to persuade but to partner. We stand ready to support Nigeria’s vision to strengthen domestic production, enhance food security, and build a competitive and sustainable palm oil supply chain,” she has said.

Dr. Alphonsus Inyang, President of the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN), stated that Nigeria’s membership of CPOPC is expected to expose the country to technologies that have improved its position in Oil Expansion Ratio (OER) in palm oil and palm kernel. 

Inyang identified other benefits to include capacity building and the provision of hybrid inputs to enhance the production capacity of smallholder farmers, who have remained the highest producers of palm oil in the country.

Source: NAN