NAN-H-26
Palm
By Mercy Osajiugo
Lapai (Niger) April 1, 2017 (NAN) Dr. Samuel Ibrahim, a senior lecturer with the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai has advised the Niger State Government to enact a law to protect palm trees in the state.
Ibrahim, of the Department of Geography and Regional Planning, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Minna, that wine tappers had reduced the palm trees to “wine producing items”, instead of allowing them to yield palm nuts that would produce oil.
“The palm trees are abundant in Edati, Mokwa and Lapai Local Governments, but my fear is that they may soon go extinct due to the illegal activities of these palm wine tappers,” he said.
He alleged that the illegal tappers usually “offer little tokens to village heads so as to be allowed to waste this important economic tree”.
Noting that the palm tree value chain was endless, he said that its economic potential was being vastly wasted as it “dries up and dies within six months”, if used for wine tapping.
“If the palm trees in Niger are well managed, their life span will be increased and the yields will multiply and boost the economy,” he said. (NAN)
MNO/ETS
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Edited by Ephraims Sheyin