The National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria has urged the Federal Government to provide articulated palliative for the general public.
Amb. Alphonsus Inyang, President of the association, made the call in an interview on Tuesday.
Inyang said the palliative should be for all strata of the economy to cushion the effect of petroleum subsidy removal on the masses.
He described the removal of the subsidy as a “welcome development,”
Inyang said: “We support the policy of subsidy removal on petroleum product but we want government to come out with well articulated fuel subsidy removal palliative for all parts of the economy not for only civil servant.
“We expect primary producers those involved in primary agriculture palliative that is targeted at them, we expect palliative targeted at transporters and people involved in logistics, marketers, buyers and sellers.
”We expect palliatives targeted at manufacturers, people that use palm oil to produce product and the general strata of the economy or the democrat in order to reap the benefits,”
Inyang specifically urged the government to plunge the money saved from subsidy removal into production at the primary level of agriculture and cultivation in different products in communities that can sustain the economy.
He also advised the government to channel the money into public transportation.
“Government should at least buy vehicles for logistics and passengers and give them out as subsidise rate to be able to cushion the effect of subsidy removal on the transportation sector.
“Government should also give soft loans to people in haulage business who carry goods and commodities from one point to the other.
“It should borrow money and inject them into different sectors of the economy,’’he said.
On the impact of subsidy removal on oil palm produce sector, Inyang identified oil palm as a heavy product as the policy has affected transportation of the product by 200 per cent.
According to him, this has resulted to the hike in price of the product locally.
