The chairman of the Oil Palm Industry Corporation (OPIC) board Robert Stuart Tatauro vowed to fulfill the Marape/Rosso Government’s set target for the industry to achieve K10 billion GDP earnings by the year 2032 by ensuring the board work closely with the minister, government and other important stakeholders.
“We will implement government policies especially for the Ministry of oil palm being the biggest commodity in terms of export earnings and we will try to improve from where we are to what the government wants us to produce especially the targets that are set for us” Tatauro said.
“We will also try and disseminate and improve the current status of extension services. This has deteriorated in the past 50 years but we will ensure that we get back into the basics and make sure we drive the industry through the smallholder sector.
“We will also look into establishing other smallholder sectors in other provinces as our Minister stated recently that the industry goes throughout the country and to roll out the same programs that we have into other provinces that are now ready to take up oil palm as a commodity within their electorates.
“We will be looking at ensuring that oil palm is cultivated in most of the coastal provinces. We will ensure that we will meet up with all the government targets, implement every policy and build a good working relationship with government bodies, departments and our stakeholders within the oil palm industry.”
Acting Secretary for the Department of Agriculture and Livestock Dr Nelson Simbiken also added that OPIC was responsible for providing extension services to the smallholders, out-growers and settlers within the precincts of nuclear estates of oil palm growing provinces.
