AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF OIL PALM INDUSTRY TO THE GROWTH OF OKITIPUPA, 1960-2024

This study shows that since the pre-colonial period Okitipupa has been known as one of the leading producer area and exporters of palm oil products in Ikale. The production of palm oil has been effective to drive the socio-economic development in the town progressively since then till the contemporary times. Yearly, the number of palm oil that came through the mills has increases rapidly, thus increasing the productivity of farmers in the town. The palm fruits trees also has a lot of benefits apart from the palm oil and this includes palm press fibre or chaff which can be used for making fire, palm leaves for making brooms and raffias for making baskets. The kernels also generated oil which was used as ointments among other uses. However, the study shows that much still need to be done to ensure that the ultimate value of palm oil production in Okitupupa can be harnessed. Firstly, it has become obvious that certain palm trees that are scattered across the town need to be replaced with new breeds because they are no longer yielding as they should. It is recommended that the state government should help to introduce new palm seedlings that produces much oil within 5-10 years just as was done in some states like Ebonyi, Imo and calabar so that the production of palm oil can be enhanced all round the year. There is also a need for the farmers to collaborate with the government and private firms in the oil sector to facilitate access to credit facilities that can help them to be purchase new millng machine that can help to take away the harsh burden of using the local method of palm oil production. It would also be recommended that stateholders in the oil palm production sector should also advocate for better renumerations for farmers so that the poor farmers engaged in palm oil production should not be marginalized or exploited. This can be done through control by the establishment of a marketing board or a government agency who would be authorize to see to price control, upwards review of prices yearly and monitoring compliance at all levels in the palm oil value chain. Opportunities should be made available for palm oil farmers to have access to training and retraining by relevant stakeholders about global best practices on how to effectively produce palm oil of high quality that can be shipped abroad. It is also recommended that the surplus of palm oil produced in Okitupupa should bring about the discovery of the avenues that the oil can be converted to generate energy supply as is done in advanced economics. This would further open up the town to investment opportunities in the energy sector through provision of alternative energy source different from crude oil and sunlight. Lastly, the people of Okitupupa, government and other stakeholders should encourage afforestation rather than deforestation which can stop the nascant falling of palm trees in the bid to allow urbanization. If this is not done, the gradual felling of palm trees would reduce the position and economic potentials of Okitupupa as a major palm oil producing town in Ondo State and Nigeria at large.