Nigerian entrepreneurs urged to invest in forestry cultivation

Nigerian entrepreneurs urged to invest in forestry cultivation

Nigerian entrepreneurs have been urged to invest in the cultivation of private forestry as a guaranteed and profitable source of income and employment, especially among the jobless youth.

The Executive Director, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Prof. Solomon Badejo, gave the advice on Monday while addressing reporters in Ibadan.

Private forestry

He said the concept of private forestry had been in vogue in developed nations, especially the Nordic countries, and added that investors in such agricultural activity had no regret, given the degree of improvement in their living standards. 

Badejo expressed delight that some Nigerians had started to realise the benefits of private forestry, but observed that they were mostly old people who had other vocations.

“These elderly Nigerians are into private forestry because they realise that there is a future in it as well as the importance of trees to humanity,'' he said.
The FRIN executive director said that with increasing awareness about the economic and other benefits of forestry, the number of farmers and planters taking to forestry cultivation would increase.

He assured potential forestry cultivators that they would not regret venturing into such enterprise in terms of profit making, pointing out that modern fast growing species of trees were available.

Badejo said the harvested timber from such forest could be used for electric or telegraphic transmission poles which, he observed, were very useful in rural electrification projects.

NAN/Williams