Stakeholders support Afforestation, Reforestation to Sustain Charcoal Business

In order to sustain the charcoal sub-sector, the National Association of Charcoal Producers, Dealers, Exporters, and Afforestation of Nigeria (NACPDEAN) and other stakeholders have called for aggressive afforestation and reforestation.

They made the call at a stakeholders consultative meeting with government agencies organized by NACPDEAN, on Lagos state.

The event had the theme: “Sustainable Afforestation and Reforestation for Nigeria’s Posterity.” The stakeholders claimed that in order to diversify the economy away from oil exports and toward non-oil exports, a greater contribution from the charcoal subsector was required.

The event, according to Mr. Babatunde Edu, National President of NACPDEAN, was created to reposition the charcoal sub-sector as one of the economic drivers. Edu continued by saying that it was planned to make it easier to plant trees aggressively and turn waste into domestic and industrial charcoal.

“The focus of NACPDEAN is to fully embark on agrisilviculture (integration of trees and crops), the establishment of more private indigenous plantations, and the creation of industrial alternative charcoal that will not come from wood but shafts and waste for the economic growth and development of Nigeria”, he said.

Remarking, Mr. Muhammed Abdullahi, Minister of the Environment, who was represented by Dr. Peter Bagudu, Deputy Director, was timely given the recent lifting of the export restriction on processed wood, charcoal, and other related products.

On his part, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment’s Assistant Director for Commodities and Exports, Mr. Jude Amalunweze, promised continued support on behalf of the organization and stated that the ministry was dedicated to creating an environment that would allow the charcoal sub-sector to prosper.

Also, Mrs. Francisca Odega, a representative of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, urged members of the association to register their businesses with the council and other relevant agencies to facilitate trade and the export of their goods.

Agro Nigeria / Foluke Ibitomi