Rubber producers in the country have called on the Nigerian government to invest more in rubber plantations, saying the commodity is becoming the most sought-after in the world, as many countries now depend on it for survival.
Specifically, stakeholders of the National Rubber Producers, Processors and Marketing Association of Nigeria (NARPPMAN) made the call a sensitization workshop they held recently.
According to them, 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 association in Osun State, Evangelist Oluwatosin Jeremiah, said investments in the business would create employment and boost the government’s tax revenue, while individuals can reap the benefits till old age.
He said, “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), the establishment of small and medium-scale enterprises and more tax to the government, among other benefits. “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 explained that rubber has about 40 major products and over 5,000 by-products and is used in the manufacturing of items like shoes, chairs, and tables, and cannot be compared with other crops like cocoa and cotton, among others. However, he said access to finance has continued to be a major setback to members of the association, as the process of getting land, planting and commercial processing requires capital.
Meanwhile, he called on the government to empower the youth and farmers to begin the cultivation of rubber plantations to encourage mass rubber plantations.
