Women in Local Production and Marketing of Palm Oil in Akinyele Local Government, Ibadan, Nigeria

Women in rural areas, constitute and play significant roles in palm oil production and marketing in Nigeria and thus occupy a dominant place in the socio-economic life of the country. In spite of these attributes, however, rural women remain the most economically and socially deprived in the society. This study, therefore, examined the challenges to production and marketing of palm oil in Akinyele Local Government Area (LGA) in Oyo State, Nigeria. From All women involved in oil palm production activities, from fruit picking to marketing, in the communities where oil mills are located in the LGA were selected for interview. The findings revealed that production and processing of the produce is largely rudimentary and inefficient, leading to production losses. The oil palm mills in the study area were all local mills and the palm species were the tall ones that are difficult to harvest. Marketing of the finished product was constrained by arbitrary and often poor unregulated pricing, leading to marginal profits. The study advocated the intervention of non-governmental organizations in the procurement and the provision of modern oil mills to boost production. Also, there is a need for government in collaboration with agricultural research outfits, to provide new breeds of oil palm species for quicker and less cumbersome harvesting of the palm nuts