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.
NaijaAgroNet
.. Linking agrobiz, people & technology