An integrated agricultural company, Saro Oil Palm Limited has embarked on pre-planting activities in preparation for the development of a 10,000-hectare oil palm plantation in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State.
This was disclosed by the Managing Director of Saro Oil Palm Limited, Dr. Tunde Faturonti, during a facility tour and meeting with leaders of Evboesi Community, Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
Speaking at the farm, Faturonti explained that the company is setting up a 30-hectare nursery, adding “Our plan is to plant 400,000 thousand this year. The plan is that, when you have the pre-germinated nuts, we plant it and nurse it for three months. So, when it’s three months, we will now transfer to the nursery in a bigger bag.
Team Lead of the Edo State Oil Palm Programme (ESOPP), Mr. Churchill Oboh, said Saro Oil Palm Limited has recorded impressive progress with the project’s implementation in Evboesi community, calling on other communities to urgently key into the industrialization drive of the state government so as not to be left behind.
“When we started our engagements with communities to cooperate with the investors, some community leaders refused to cooperate with the investors. But Evboesi is a success story because the leaders saw well ahead of time that Governor Obaseki means well for Edo people. I urge such leaders to cooperate with the government and investors to transform all the communities in the State,” he said.
The Ohenosa of Evboesi, Chief Billy Akongie, said “Obaseki is our son, we are pleased with what Saro is doing in Evboesi because we had had situations in the past where previous governments brought investors and the investors did not deliver the projects.
He added: “They will go and buy project vehicles and brand them and after a while, the contractors will disappear, and that will be the end of the project. But with Obaseki as governor, the story is different. He promised he would develop Orhionmwon local government area when he was campaigning for re-election and he brought Saro to partner with us on this project.
“We are pleasantly surprised at what Saro is doing in Evboesi; our youths have been gainfully employed on their farm and we are very happy about the 500 KVA transformer that Saro Oil Palm gave to us. They have delivered all the things we requested from them and Saro and our people are partners on this project that will cater for our children and grandchildren. With this project, Obaseki’s name will never be forgotten by our people.”
