05-06 Sep, 2012 - Accra, GHANA
La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra
La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra
The expansive area of the Congo Basin rain forest in Cameroon is currently of interest to investors in search of land for palm oil plantations. Many Asian palm oil companies are investing heavily in Central African countries to expand their production areas. This is chiefly due to the pressure to meet the rising demand for food and fuel, to limit deforestation, cope with increased land shortages and aid in closer scrutiny of land acquisitions.
Patrice Levang, a scientist at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) and Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) said, “Cameroon is of special interest to many Asian palm oil companies due to the excellent biophysical conditions, availability of cheap land and labour, political stability, the willingness of the government to develop its agricultural sector, and more importantly the closeness of the country to high-valued European and North American markets.”
The Cameroonian government is willing to offer concessions to companies in search of large acreages of land for palm oil production in forested zones since industrial palm oil production is a key element of the government’s poverty reduction strategy. According to Patrice Levang and David Hoyle (WWF), a new national strategy should invest in increasing the productivity and yield of the existing palm oil plantations as well as focus on sustainable development with minimum impact on carbon emission levels and biodiversity conservation.
Details on palm oil development in West and Central Africa, investment opportunities, sustainability, yield improvement and other aspects of oil palm plantation will be discussed at Palm Oil Africa which opens in Accra on 05-06 September. See here for more information on program agenda. Registration is opened so one may Register now, or contact Ms. Hafizah at hafizah@cmtsp.com.sg for enquiries and information.
Read complete article here.
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