Expert Wants Oil Palm Producers To Benefit From Loan Scheme

An agriculturalist and former Commissioner in the old Rivers State, Elder Andrew Egbelu has called on the Rivers State Government to accord priority to oil palm production in the implementation of its interest free loan scheme to boost the economy of the state.
Egbeln, a farmer with over 122 hectares of farm land of oil palm production made the call Monday in a telephone interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt .
According to him, oil palm production is the next alternativerea the state can easily divert its economy from oil and gas to create employment.
He said the only area in agriculture to complement oil and gas is the oil palm production, if the government supports private sectors to expand the farmers, oil palm farms in the state.
The Agriculturalist said though his oil palm estate is a small scale farm, it had employed no fewer than 30 persons.
The former Commissioner, who expressed the need for governments to give loan to farmers, said oil palm production business alone could reduce unemployment to the barest minimum.
Egbelu also advised farmers in the Niger Delta region to consider the climate condition of the region as a means to determine the type of farming to engage in.
He said a successful farming depended on the type of crops that suited the weather condition of the area .
He identified rice, oil palm, fish pond and potatoes as the farmable crops in Niger Delta region that could boost the economy if properly handled in the region.