The National Rubber Producers, Processors and Marketing Association of Nigeria (NARPPMAN) has urged the Nigerian government to invest more in rubber plantations, saying rubber is becoming the most sought-after in the world as a means of survival for many countries.
Stakeholders of the association at the recent sensitisation workshop stated that if the government and investors could go into the business, it would enhance social-economic development and ensure the stability of the ecosystem, among others.
Speaking at the seminar, the chairman of the body, representing Osun State, Evangelist Oluwatosin Jeremiah, stated the benefits of rubber plantations for both the government and individuals.
According to him, “The cultivation of natural rubber on commercial scales presents a wide range of economic benefits, such as gainful employment opportunities (reducing criminality in the process), establishment of small and medium-scale enterprises and more tax to the government, among other benefits.”
Jeremiah said individuals who invested in rubber plantations would continue to make profit till old age, saying, “investment in rubber business has a life span of 65 years. It is harvested every time, except in March at the height of the dry season.”
He revealed that rubber has about 40 major products and over 5,000 by-products and is used in the manufacture of items such as shoes, chairs, tables, and cannot be compared with other crops like cocoa and cotton, among others.
He stated that the issue of finance had usually been the challenges faced by the body, and the process of getting land, planting and commercial processing required capital.
He, however, called on the government to empower the youth and farmers to begin cultivation of rubber plantations to encourage mass rubber plantations.
On his part, the Lagos State Coordinator of the association, Adejuyigbe Alo, rhetorically asked what the Nigerian government would depend on if petroleum is no longer available.
