The Minister of Agriculture, Jeanine M. Cooper, has launched the National Oil Palm and Action Plan (NOPDAP) of Liberia to improve the lives of Liberians and promote the economy.
“We all know the importance of oil palm production to Liberia, which is our second agriculture crop. Our country relies on the export of oil palm,” Minister Jeanine said. “The five-year strategy will benefit the sector and its staffers, who have been striving, and will contribute to the economy with collective effect.”
Oil palm is an important tree crop in Liberia that covers more than one million hectares. About 21.1% of the farming household produce palm oil, and more than 220,000 people are employed in the palm sector. But worldwide, oil palm production is given little value, and Liberia needs more effort for the sector’s integrity, maintenance and amelioration,” the Minister added.
“Oil Palm and its production are widely viewed negatively around the world. That is why the five-year strategy is important because we live in a global community,” Minister Jeanine said. “We need collective effort that will move the entity forward and transform its employees’ lives.”
The National Oil Palm Strategy and Action Plan runs from 2021 to 2025. It is part of the government’s human development plan to improve the lives of the downtrodden masses.
“The organization was founded between 2015 to 2016 and kept improving with ideas, and today it will be launched. It will buttress national government’s ‘Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development’. It will last for five years and vows to make headway in Liberia and in the world,” said Wymston Benda-Henries, who gave the overview of the program.
NPSAP had vowed to promote its seven goals, which include compliance with national standards for the Liberia Oil Palm Sector; develop an enabling regulatory framework for the oil palm sector; develop a 5-year financing mechanism to guide sustainable oil palm development; provide support to improve livelihoods for smallholder farmers and communities; develop a conflict resolution mechanism and a feedback grievance redress mechanism; develop an integrated land use plan in conformity with the Liberia Land Rights Act of 2018, with specific focus on the acquisition of deed for customary and integrate sustainable conservation practice in oil palm production landscapes, in conformity with the Liberia Nation Redo+ Strategy and other relevant national and international commitments.
“It will require the government to establish and/or strengthen existing systems of compliance with national and international standards. It will ensure compliance with national standards that guide the production, processing, and marketing of palm oil,” Galah Toto said, presenting NOPDAP. “Liberia had no improved regulatory framework to guide the oil palm sector until 2020 when the ‘RSPO’ Board of governors endorsed the country’s RSPO-National Interpretation.”
The RSPO is the roundtable on sustainable palm oil, and aims at transforming market to make sustainable palm oil the norm.
According to Liberia’s Palm Oil Association, Liberia started oil palm exportation in 1910, but expressed frustration that Liberia is still at the bottom of benefits and global recognition.
“I believe that the five-year strategy will benefit our sector greatly. Sweden embassy representative, please be aware that we can eat crumbs that drops from financial tables. Please drop some of your financial crumbs to the oil palm sector so that we can benefit,” the association’s president said, gazing at the Sweden embassy’s representative with all his might.
Representatives of other entities, including the UNDP, pledged their unflinching support to the organization and its members’ well-being. They also called for collaboration in the sector, noting that it will serve as a driving force to put the entity on the right trajectory.
The oil palm, which was established by an act of Legislature in the 1970s as an alternative tree crop for export, besides rubber, has gained relevance in the agriculture sector.
“I would like to officially launch the National Oil Palm Strategy and Action Plan of Liberia (2021—2025) here today, and thank you all very much,” Minister Cooper said.