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Showing posts with label Proforest Initiative (UK). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Proforest Initiative (UK). Show all posts

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

RSPO builds capacity for stakeholders on palm oil



Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The Solidaridad West Africa and Proforest Initiative (UK) have consolidated on their alliance with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) by supporting an awareness raising and programme in a two-day Africa Roadshow event in Nigeria.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that RSPO which is the Nigeria National Interpretation Initiative organised the event to raise awareness and build capacity among key stakeholders on the best practices contained in the RSPO, in addition to creating an enabling environment for the uptake of the RSPO standard.

Major stakeholders in the palm oil supply chain that were present at the event included growers/millers, processors, manufacturers/end-users, associations and NGOs/environmentalists, financial sector, development agencies, state governments, federal ministries and government parastatals and so on.

In his welcome speech,the Facilitator, RSPO Initiative in Nigeria, Mr. FataiAfolablsaid the event was to create more awareness and build capacity among the stakeholders in the oil palm supply chain.

Afolabi noted that RSPOrequires oil palm producing countries to develop their respective National Interpretation of the RSPO principles and criteria, and if Nigeria would aspire to rise back to the number one position, it has to develop its oil palm industry on sustainable and globally acceptable principles.

He said that players in the consumption of oil palm products across the globe have set 2015 as deadline for investors in the agro-sector to have their products certify.


Currently, NaijaAgroNet gathered  RSPO is delivered via a set of eight principles and 37 criteria thatis subject to reviewing every five years, while Ms Audrey Versteengen and Mr. Isaac Abban-Mensan of Proforest and Dr. Harrie Hendricks of Solidaridad, conducted the capacity building programme for the stakeholders at the road show.

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