TECHNOLOGICAL CAPABILITY OF SMALL-SCALE OIL PALM FRUIT PROCESSORS IN THE PRODUCTION OF SPECIAL PALM OIL IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This study assessed the technological capabilities of oil palm fruit processors in Akwa Ibom, Edo, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, and Osun States, Nigeria. This is with the view to ascertaining the availability of appropriate technologies for production of special palm oil (SPO). Relevant data were collected from 307 respondents, who were selected by multistage sampling procedure. Appropriate descriptive statistics (frequency of observations, percentages and statistical significance) were used to summarise the data and deduce inferences. Many of the respondents were between 50 and 59 years age group (27.0%) and between 40 and 49 years of age (25.4%), which indicates that a significant number of the processors were adults. Majority (87.4%) of the mills were owned by single private actors. Many of the respondents (63.93%) did not know about SPO production. The most and least available equipment were vertical digester and centrifuge which were found amongst 62.5 and 0.98% of the processors, respectively. Availability of stripper (p < 0.05), sterilizer     (p < 0.05), digester-screw press (p < 0.05), centrifuge (p < 0.05), and decanter (p < 0.05) were associated with highest educational attainment of processors. The paper concluded that technological capability of SPO processors was very low; hence the need for interventions that would increase respondents’ awareness about appropriate technologies for SPO production. This promises great boost in obtainable income and job generation for key actors in the oil palm value chain.