Side view of RISONPALM
Port Harcourt–The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Rivers Council has commended the Rivers Government’s efforts to revive Rison Palms, a moribund agro-based industry now managed by Siat, a Brussels-based agro-industrialists.
The union made the commendation on Friday in Port Harcourt when the Olalekan Ige-led Press week committee visited the company as part of its fact-finding initiative to mark the Press week.
Siat (Société d’Investissement pour l’Agriculture Tropicale) is a company incorporated under Belgian Law in 1991 with a share capital of €31,000,000 fully subscribed and paid-up.
Siat, which invests and manages agro-industrial ventures in the tropics, is active in Belgium, Nigeria, Ghana, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire and Cambodia. Siat Nigeria Limited acquired from the Rivers Government the assets of Risonpalm.
The assets comprise a concession of 16,000 hectares of oil palm plantations,” plus the entire social and industrial infrastructure of such an industrial oil palm complex”.
Ige said that the visit to Risonpalm facility was to know what was going on in the state in terms of development among others.
According to him, the NUJ is keen to assess the contribution of the company especially in terms of employment, revenue generation, payment of taxes and its contributions to the host community.
“We all know the history of the Rison palm that went moribund and the effort of state government in reviving it through Siat Company.
We have also seen the fortune of the company and its massive turn around and call on other companies in the state to do more in youths employment and revenue generation for Rivers,” Ige said.
Earlier, Mr Gerald Ray, the Chief Operating Officer of Siat Nigeria Limited, had appealed to government and the private sectors to focus more on institutions to engage the Nigerian youths responsibly.
Ray urged Government and the private sector to create agricultural institutions, skill acquisition centres, schools or colleges in different states, towns and villages to train youths and employ them to contribute to economic growth.
He also restated that unemployment was one of the factors causing insecurity in Nigeria, adding that lack of requisite skills was responsible for youths’ unemployment in Nigeria.
“We need to focus on institutions that will train our youths to be engaged responsibly. We need to have technicians, Agricultural institutes and other skills to enable our young one be employed.
“These factors can reduce the rate of insecurity in the country because the youths are busy and responsible with their jobs,” Ray said.
He also commended the Governor of Rivers State for his foresight and support into Agriculture and security in the state.
“We commend the Governor for his support and foresight in agriculture and security in the state.
We also commend the Commissioner of the Police and other force that had been in good working relationship with us,” he said.
Ray said that the company employed 70 per cent of the indigenous workers out of the 4,900 workers in its employ to reduce the unemployment rate and insecurity in the area.
He said that the company spent about N4billion to revive the industry and created about 4,000 jobs for youths.
Siat Nigeria Limited operates palm plantations totaling 16,000 hectares in Ubima and Elele in Rivers.
It currently produces crude Palm oil, crude kernel oil and palm kernel cake among others.
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