Ondo plans aviation fuel production from palm oil
Aircraft
By Adetokunbo Abiola
The Ondo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Engr. Leye Akinola, has said the state government wants to drive agricultural industrialisation through the establishment of large-scale oil palm plantations for the production of aviation fuel from palm kernels.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Head of Publicity and Media Relations, Mr. Sola Omoboyowa, the initiative formed part of the state’s broader strategy to unlock agricultural potential, stimulate economic growth and attract large-scale investments to rural communities.
Akinola said investors were already in Nigeria and had expressed readiness to commence the establishment of large-scale oil palm plantations for the production of aviation fuel, subject to the availability of suitable land.
As part of stakeholders’ engagement activities for the proposed investment, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Engr Leye Akinola, led the ministry’s management team on visits to the palaces of the Oluboropa of Iboropa Akoko, Oba Babatunde Olaleye, and the Alauga of Auga Akoko, Oba Samuel Agunloye.
Speaking during the engagements, Akinola explained that the proposed investment was expected to stimulate economic growth, create employment opportunities and attract critical infrastructure and other development projects to the host communities.
The Permanent Secretary for the Agriculture Sector, Mrs Foluke Tunde-Daramola, reaffirmed the commitment of the Ondo State Government to harnessing the vast potential of the agricultural sector for the socio-economic advancement of its people, noting that local farmers would be actively integrated into the project, benefiting from the provision of improved seedlings and other essential agricultural inputs.
According to her, farmers would also have access to a guaranteed market through established off-take arrangements for palm kernel production.
In their separate remarks, the Alauga of Auga Akoko, Oba Samuel Agunloye, and the Oluboropa of Iboropa Akoko, Oba Babatunde Olaleye, commended Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for facilitating the proposed investment in collaboration with the Federal Government.
The monarchs expressed confidence that the project would unlock the area’s socio-economic potential, describing it as a significant opportunity for economic transformation and rural development.
They urged all parties to uphold the terms of any agreements reached, assuring the government and prospective investors of the availability of adequate land.
