The National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN) says the Federal Government will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Malaysian Government to develop palm biomass in the country.
Amb. Alphosus Inyang, President of NPPAN, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
Inyang identified palm biomass as a multi-billion-dollar economy.
“Biomass simply means agricultural waste, and we are talking about turning waste into wealth.’’
The president said NPPAN was working with its counterpart in Malaysia to replicate what was happening in Malaysian palm biomass and other biomass in Nigeria.
He said that development of palm biomass could contribute 10 billion dollars to the national gross Product (GDP) within four years and generate over five million jobs within five years
Inyang said that Nigeria generates millions of tons of agricultural waste annually, adding that signing the MoU would enable the country to produce industrial goods, generate electricity, produce medicine, and produce fertilizer, among others, as applicable in Malaysia.
He said most of the furniture materials being imported, like high-density fibre wood, medium-density fibre wood, and other products being produced from biomass, could be produced within the country once the MoU was in place.
“This gesture will help to regenerate our environment because most of these things are being ploughed back into the soil and help to gain carbon credit for Nigeria; it will also help in preserving our forest, conserving our environment, and creating jobs.
“The palm tree is 90 percent biomass and 10 percent palm oil.
“So, the palm tree, the trunk, is biomass; the palm kernel shell makes up fiber; the empty bunches; the palm front; and many other parts of the tree are biomass, which are currently being wasted in Nigeria.
“But in Malaysia, it has become a multi-billion dollar economy.
”They are using this biomass to generate electricity, to produce furniture material, organic fertilizer, medicine, and a lot of other things.
“We have gone around many of these factories in Malaysia, and they have agreed to sign a MoU with our government to replicate the same thing in Nigeria,” he said.
The president said that the association is currently working with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment for the development of a national biomass master plan for Nigeria.
Inyang identified the plan as a template or policy document that would serve as a guide to the implementation of palm biomass.
According to him, the MoU is between the Malaysia Biomass Industry Confederation and NPPAN.
Inyang said that the master plan would be in place by June.
He, however, appealed to the Ministry of Industry to facilitate the development of the National Biomass Master Plan for Nigeria. (NAN)
