Jatropha value chain can employ 14m Nigerians – AEA

The MD/CEO of Abuja Enterprise Agency, Mal. Arabi Muhammed Tukur, has said if Nigeria taps into the planting of Jatropha seeds, it can create employment for 13 to 14 million people through the value chain. Tukur was speaking at a workshop organised by the Euphrates Renewable ENT and Jatro Solutions to evaluate the improvement of […]

The MD/CEO of Abuja Enterprise Agency, Mal. Arabi Muhammed Tukur, has said if Nigeria taps into the planting of Jatropha seeds, it can create employment for 13 to 14 million people through the value chain.

Tukur was speaking at a workshop organised by the Euphrates Renewable ENT and Jatro Solutions to evaluate the improvement of Jatropha seed over the years.

He said Jatropha is one of the products in the agricultural sector that can be used to generate revenue for the country and create employment if tapped into.

“The Abuja Enterprise Agency is aligning with this, because as a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises development agency, we feel that a lot of our clients will fall into the activities of production and make money for themselves and help the nation,” he said.

“It’s a value chain product. Jatropha seed is a fruit from a tree used to produce a lot of things and it has oil. The chaff can be used to generate power and energy; its chaff can be used to produce food for animals and fertilizer so it has a value chain and it can employ nothing less than 13 or 14 million people,” Tukur said.

The CEO of Euphrates Renewable ENT, Emmanuel N. Nnadiri, said the reason the company is promoting Jatropha is because fossil fuel is causing damage to health.

“Oil from Jatropha will help to stop the damage caused by fossil fuel. Currently, what they are using in Europe is biofuel and it is environmentally friendly. That is why our German stakeholders decided to come to assist us and reveal their expertise on farming Jatropha,” he stated.

He said if Jatropha is produced in the country, it will create job opportunities for the youth and biofuel used for rural electrification, cosmetics and candles.

A representative of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mrs Musilat Yusuf, said with the energy situation in Nigeria, the country needs to diversify and explore renewable energy. “Jatropha is an energy crop and we believe that if people go into the planting of this crop, we will get biofuel and it will serve as an alternative for us,” she said

The Senior Consultant, Jatro Solutions, Dr Brigitte Bohlinger, said the company has been working for over 10 years on improving Jatropha seed.

“Now we have improved seeds that will increase yield from 3500 to 5000 tonnes per annum,” she said.