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Reasons rubber production is declining
The National Rubber Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NARPPMAN) has called on the federal government to come up with a national policy on rubber production and development, as well as for increased government's intervention in the sector to boost its production and value chain in Nigeria.
It disclosed that lack of national policy on production on rubber and non-intervention were crippling the sector and its value chain in Nigeria.
Speaking with journalists in Benin, the NAEPPMAN national president, Igbinosun Peter, also noted that the absence of government's intervention had forced many plantation owners to close production.
According to him, most the rubber trees are above 40 years and have no economic viability.
'Some of them need to be brought down and new ones planted, but most of the farmers have either abandoned their farms or cut down the trees for furniture and planted cash crops,' he alleged.
He said that as a result of the development, the few rubber companies in the country did not have enough raw materials to feed their industries to drive production; hence they rely on importation.
'Before now, Nigeria used to have about 200,000 hectares of rubber plantations, but today, we can't boast of 165,000 hectares.
'Nigeria can plant 18 million hectares of rubber plantation because rubber can be planted in 24 out of the 36 states, but due to the absence of government's intervention and policy, Nigeria is now behind Cote d'Ivoire in rubber production in Africa,' he said.
He said only 40 per cent of Nigeria's rubber production potential was being utilised, adding that Nigeria's rubber production potential remained untapped and called for urgent intervention to revive the ailing sector
He added, 'We want government's intervention and a national policy on rubber plantation and development. It will give investors the direction to go, as well as information about rubber production. This will revive rubber production in Nigeria.
'We want the federal government to also come up with a policy through the Central Bank of Nigeria to fund long gestation crops like rubber.'
Igbinosun said intervention in rubber production was crucial because commercial banks were not willing to fund plantation development or put their money in an investment where they would wait for seven years before recouping.
He said that following the decline in rubber production, Nigeria is now a market for other African countries to sell their products because we are not encouraging our players in rubber value chain to compete with them favourably.
'We want the state government to collaborate with the NARPPMAN by initiating a rubber policy and development, as well as provide land for rubber plantation and its value chain,' he also said.
Igbinosun, who also identified lack of data base for agricultural crops, including rubbers as a major challenge in Nigeria, noted that it helped to put strategies and policy in place for investors to look at and know how to come in for intervention.
He said the past government inaugurated a technical committee to revamp the moribund rubber sector and industries in Nigeria, but for over three years, nothing had been heard about that policy although the NAPPMAN completed the assignment on plantation development and submitted.
'The government should introduce a national rubber policy, revive the rubber board and encourage players through subsidy and planting materials. That was how Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire started, and now, they are ahead of us,' he revealed.
He also called on the government at all levels to encourage rubber production and its value chain, saying the NARPPMAN wants to see the 'Renewed Hope Agenda' in the rubber value chain
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