Paradigm shift for plantation industry underway

The African Agricultural sector is set to experience a major transformation. The incursion of the Incorporated Society of Planters (ISP) into the agric space to promote and improve the continent’s plantation industry is powering this transformation.

Founded in Malaysia in 1919, the ISP holds the promise of providing technical skills and plantation management training, seminars, conferences and academic courses to members in the plantation profession to enhance potential of the sector across the continent.

At the pre-launch media briefing in Lagos to unveil the regional chapter, the organisers revealed that the launch of the body, slated for the first quarter of 2024 in Nigeria, signifies a pivotal moment in advancing sustainable agriculture and fostering collaboration among planters in the continent.

They added that the event would be an insightful and impactful gathering that will pave the way for innovation and growth in the agricultural sector.
According to its mission, ISP aims to advance the knowledge, skills and welfare of planters worldwide, through accredited professional certifications, training and career development programmes.

It encompasses the agronomy aspects of varied crops – oil palm, rubber, cocoa, coconut and cassava among others, building sustainable communities and plantation development and management. This expansion reflects ISP’s dedication to fostering growth and facilitating knowledge exchange in a region renowned for its agricultural heritage.

The Group Managing Director & Founder, Agrinexus, Dr. Shermal Perera, who will be serving as the interim Chairman of the ISP Nigeria, said the organisation will enhance the capacity of the people in the agric space to develop themselves.

“It’s like an open door for planters in Nigeria. It is an opportunity to make planters in Nigeria and entire Africa have good knowledge, to bring back the glory day of Nigeria as one of the best agric countries in the world.

“There’s the education part, which will help planters to expand the industry. It allows those going into the agric space to have formal education. Nigeria in the past demonstrated its potential as a leader in the sector and now, there’s a move for agric to develop in Nigeria. This is the right place to start in terms of helping the continent. Nigeria has the population, which is a huge advantage and that is why it is good to start in Nigeria,” Perera said.

On his part, the Managing Consultant and Chief Executive Officer, Foremost Development Services Limited, Mr. Fatai Afolabi, who doubles as the serving interim Vice Chairman of ISP, regretted the lack of capacity on the side of some Nigerian professionals, noting that the country needs to look beyond its shore, “to develop our plantations because we could not get desirable crop of export within.”

Continuing, he said, “If we want to develop our agric sector today, we need to do it the way the rest of the world has done it. This is the main reason the ISP is coming at this time, to add value and make the agric sector as productive as it should be.

“Before now, ISP has been in Malaysia, but today through the effort of Perera, collaborating with Foremost Development Services in Nigeria, the ISP is being formally birth in Nigeria. It also means that Nigeria will be the hub for the entire Africa.

“We have the opportunity to build the capacity of agric stakeholders. Low productivity is one of the problems of the sector in the country, as it is one of the countries with the least yield per hectare. With the ISP, we now have the opportunity to boost our productivity through best practices.”

The Interim Secretary of the ISP in Nigeria, Ms Claudine Weerasena, said the body, is mainly for those working in the plantation industry as executives and above, adding that there are opportunities for training programmes, seminars and conference, among others.

She added that the main aim of the ISP is to reduce the skill gap of planters through training and local education. “Malaysia had good palm oil production, which they are using judiciously and earning them good revenue without borrowing from the World Bank to finance the projects of the country.”