Kenneth Udeh , Abuja
Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has urged the Federal government and other relevant stakeholders in the country to pay more attention to the production of cash crops.
Kalu stated this on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday at the resumption it’s the plenary after its annual recess.
Kalu, in his contribution to a motion moved by Senator Onyewuchi, Ezenmwa representing Imo East on the urgent need to revive the palm oil industry in Nigeria.
He stated while addressing the Senate that crude oil in the country would soon become irrelevant in sustaining the Nigeria’s economy as a major revenue earner .
In his words: “If you realise what is happening now, industrial users are importing palmoil from Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries.
“And you will discover from history that Indonesia, Malaysia picked up their first palm seedlings from Nigeria in the early 70s but today countries like Malaysia earn over $150 billion as revenue from palm oil production.
“There is nothing like “waste” when it comes to palm oill processing. Electricity can be generated through its residuals, and we can do all kinds of things with palm.
“I support this motion and I must say that the revival should that not only be in palm oil sector but also in groundnut, shea butter, Gum Arabic , cocoa, coffe, even tea and all other cash crops that we have abandoned.
“We must return to the glory days of this country if we really believe in what we are doing as a nation.
“The hay day of crude oil is almost gone; we have to return to the cultivation and processing of these cash crops if truly we want to return this nation to its past glory,” he concluded.