Total Trains 50 On Oil Palm Production

Over 50 Local farmers from various communities in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ahoada and Emohua Local Governemnt Areas of OML 58 oil field in Rives State were given special trainings sponsored by Total E&P. Nigeria Ltd on International Standard of Oil Palm production.
A two-day training, which held between last Wednesday and Thursday by an Agricultural Specialist firm, (Maclyns Global Resources Limited) was held at Obite Community Civic Centre in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state.
Declaring open the training tagged “OML58 Oil Palm Value Chain Sustainable Development Training Workshop”, the Business Development Manager of Total E & P Nig. Ltd, Mr. Philippe Desriac, said the programme was part of the company’s social responsibilities to assist local farmers to grow from the level of local farming to Macro Agric-business to boost the economy of the State as well generate employment opportunities for the teeming youths in the State and the country in general.
Desriac stressed the company’s commitment to support genuine farmers on oil palm production farming to achieve the set goals in the project, saying that the palm oil project is primarily an economic employment programme designed to assist farmers and young people to operate and own farms and palm estates too export.
The company manager said that the firm is determined to monitor gradually the seriousness of the beneficiaries to make them role models to others to be contacted on the modern oil palm farming in the state.
He urged the trainees to see the opportunity as a divine one to transform their lives. In his speech, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Maclyns Global Resources Limited, Mr. Ugochukwu Mackintosh said the training was designed to make the farmers oil palm producing moguls as in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia.
Mackintosh, who described Indonesia and Malaysia as the leading oil palm producing countries world wide, said the local farmers would be trained on Indonesia and Malaysia systems of oil palm production farming for the first time in Nigeria.
According to him, the oil palm production project is a paradigm shift and diversification process from a mono-economy of crude oil to the oil palm agro-sector of the economy.
Speaking to The Tide, the beneficiaries in the training workshop, Mr. Andrew J. Egbelu, and Kio Miriam respectively said the training would go a long way to spur them in oil palm production.
Egbelu, a former Commissioner in the old Rivers State and an agriculturist said the training has exposed him to modern system that would boost the production of oil palm from local method of processing.
On behalf of the trainees, he thanked the management of Total E & P Nig. Ltd for the training and subsequent supports.

Enoch Epelle