Salako Emmanuel
From Benue State, Godwin Ogbor, 49, came to Ekiti State in 2018 with two wives and three children to work at a local palm oil factory in Falaju Camp, Emure local government area. On January 9, 2024, Godwin sat under a small shade with a bowl of palm oil and a yellow 25-liter keg beside him. He was the only man at the factory, along with his wife, Mary Ogbor, and his second wife, whose name was not disclosed.
Godwin, who used to boast about how lucrative the palm oil business is, is now in a sad mood, “This is not the right time to come. It is very dry now; you can see it is just us that we are working,” pointing at all the machines that had long been idle. Since joining the factory workers six years ago, he has shared in both the good and bad seasons of the palm oil business.
On a Monday evening, Olumide Idowu, a climate change activist and the Executive Director of the International Climate Change Development Initiative, remarked that Nigeria’s palm oil industry has suffered from weather changes. According to him, variations in temperature and rainfall affect palm tree growth and productivity. For instance, he said, “Droughts and floods can harm palm palms, reducing yields and oil quality.”
At Falaju Camp, Godwin recalled when palm oil production was surplus and demand was high. “Before everything became dry in early 2023, I used to go to the farm with other farmers to collect plenty of banga (palm fruits), and we handed them to the women at the factory.
Godwin Ogbor filling a 25-liters keg with palm oil
“We also joined them (the women) to cook the banga until we finished the production, and everyone took their own oil to the markets around the community or left them at the factory for people who would come and buy them directly from us.
“But things have changed now,” Godwin said. “It is very hard to produce a 25-liter keg of oil now.” Meanwhile, at the time when there were enough palm fruits, the factory workers could have more than 20 kegs for sale in a day. He said they worked in groups, so the production process was always smooth and faster.
Abandoned drums and machines meant for cooking palm fruits
But now? The groups have dispersed, and the workers are gone. 30 of our workers had to leave in search of other business. Aside from Godwin and his family, the only factory worker who also stayed behind was Mariam Samson.
Mariam, 40, who stayed was only waiting for her husband’s return from Jos before she could decide her next step. Mariam’s husband, Samuel Samson, had to travel to Plateau State after motorcycle accident which he engaged in after palm oil production went dry Samson travelled back to his state shortly after the accident and told Mariam he would come back when he’s fine and the palm trees on the farm start yielding.
Low Production
According to Mariam, the little rain that fell in 2022 affected crop production in 2023. Even though the rain fell ‘very well’ in 2023, Mariam and Godwin mutually hope there will be more palm fruits by March or April this year, and all the people that have left will start coming back to the factory.
The climate change activist said palm oil factory workers depend on palm oil fruit supply and quality. “Since weather can stunt palm tree growth and diminish fruit yield, it can lead to palm oil factory layoffs, job uncertainty, and lower compensation. Farmers can also lose income and output when droughts or excessive rainfall destroy crops.”
Like Mariam, her income depends on the amount of palm oil they produce at the factory. “They pay me with oil,” she said. “When I work for them, they will give me oil.
So, I sell the oil and get my own money. They can give me up to three-liter kegs of oil or more, depending on how many we produce.”
“The least price of each 25-liter keg,” Godwin cut in, “is between #21,000 and #22,000, and sometimes, you can sell more, depending on the market.” Now the business is dry, and there’s pretty nothing to sell for Mariam.
However, inside the same local government area, Emure, there are other local palm oil factories near Adebowale hotel, a 30-minute drive to Falaju Camp. Life at these factories is different from Godwin’s factory.
One of the palm oil factories near Adebowale hotel
At 2:06 p.m on January 23, Abdullah Olugboye, 35, was sitting beside his two siblings who were removing the palm fruits from their bunches. Three women and a sexagenarian man were moving around, monitoring the wet mixture fruits on the fire, boiling.
Abdullah does not permanently work here but comes often to check on his siblings and other factory workers, including his Mom who owns the factory. Having been coming around for more than a decade, he said the palm oil business is one of the businesses you’d invest in and you’d be happy you do. “From the bunch, to the nut and the kernel, every single thing that falls off from the palm trees is ‘money,” he said. And he also attested to Mariam’s claim that the rain was not enough in 2022 which affected some of the palm fruits in the farm.
Abdullah showing the reserved palm fruits at their factory
“Although we have some palm fruits here,” pointing at the stored fruits, “we pay farmers who go to the farm to cut down the palm fruits for us, and we pay them #100 or #200 per bunch.”
Nigeria’s Palm Oil Industry
In 2018, the World Bank recorded Nigeria as the largest consumer of palm oil in Africa. According to the data, Nigeria consumed approximately 3 million MT of fats and oils in 2018, with palm oil accounting for 44.7% or 1.34 million MT.
The Central Bank of Nigeria also said that if Nigeria had maintained its market dominance in the palm oil industry, the country would have been earning approximately $20 billion annually from cultivation and processing of palm oil as of today.
But what has affected the Nigeria palm oil industry? According to research, climate, regional shape, and soil conditions are some of the factors that affect the productivity of palm oil crops. While in Nigeria’s context, the rapid change in climate is the major factor affecting crop production.
“Weather changes have far-reaching effects on farmers,” Olumide said, “and sustainable farming techniques and ways to prevent climate change’s impact on these livelihoods should be stressed.”
