Wilmer/PZ Cussons Oil palm Plantation in Cross River will commence production of 1,000 tonnes of refined quality palm oil in 2018.
The Plantation Head , Ho Dye Joan, explained that there were three plantations with 600,000 high yield palm trees while 2.1 million seedlings were in nursery stages.
He said the Calaro oil Palm Estate at Mbarakom, Akampa Local Government Area, Mbarakom Oil Palm Estate, Ibiae and Biase, were fully mechanised and cover 50,000 hectares of land.
They are expected to produce between 1,200 tonnes and 1, 500 tonnes of refined palm oil daily by 2018.
The high yield palm trees being planted in the plantations would start fruiting after about 38 months.
He also said that a training school established to provide skilled labour had trained 60 Nigerians in the past 15 months while 22 more were about graduating.
Joan also said in addition to providing suitable accommodation for most of its 13,000 direct employees at the plantations, schools and health facilities were being incorporated.
According to him, a scheme has been established to ensure that out growers could access the milling facilities of the agro business giant, thereby adding value to their products.
“The scheme will improve extraction of oil from the local palm tree growers/ fruits as well as increase their quality and yield,’’ he said.
