Edo’s pineapple patch faces  palm oil squeeze

In Aduhanhan, a farming community tucked inside Uhunmwonde LGA, the mood has shifted from pineapple harvest to protest.

Two weeks ago, more than 400 pineapple growers took to the streets, worried that the land they’ve farmed for six decades could be reassigned to make way for an oil palm investment. For them, this isn’t just a policy tweak,  it’s a question of survival.

“We’ve been here for over 60 years,” says Alhaji Bako Dogwo, the Edo chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria. “This land feeds our families and contributes to food security. Taking it away would be injustice dressed up as development.”

The farmers operate under the Taungya system within a forest reserve. Historically, they were permitted to grow food crops , cassava, yam, maize and, crucially, pineapple , alongside forest trees. Cash crops were off limits. They say they complied.

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And pineapple is no small matter. Nigeria is Africa’s largest producer and ranks seventh globally. Edo State is widely regarded as the country’s pineapple powerhouse, with Aduhanhan second only to Ekpoma in output. The community alone accounts for over 1,000 hectares of mixed crops.

So when rumours surfaced that their plots could be cleared for oil palm, alarm bells rang.

“We hear they want to allocate 15 acres to 400 people,” one community leader told Daily Trust. “Is that realistic? It’s a capital no.”

The farmers have appealed directly to  Monday Okpebholo, the governor, describing him as a “listening governor” who allocated over N70bn to agriculture last year — the state’s highest ever. They argue that eviction would contradict that commitment and undermine efforts to tackle food insecurity.

The state government tells a different story.

David Oginbor, director of Agric Services at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, says no one is being summarily ejected. Rather, the government plans to reclaim degraded forest land and reintroduce oil palm as a restorative forest crop.

“The forest is meant to protect biodiversity,” he says. “It has been degraded. Oil palm can help replenish the environment.”

Officials insist there will be profiling, crop valuation and compensation. Buffer zones may be created. Engagements are ongoing. No one, they stress, is being asked to leave “today”.

Still, the tension is structural.

On one side: smallholder farmers who see pineapple as both livelihood and patriotic contribution to food supply. On the other: a state eager to attract investment, restore forest cover and plug into Nigeria’s oil palm revival.

The economic logic is not trivial. Palm oil promises export earnings and industrial value chains. Pineapple offers food security and rural employment. In a state that leads national output in one and seeks to expand the other, land becomes the battleground.

For now, the pineapple fields still stand. But the question hanging over Aduhanhan is simple: can Edo grow more oil palm without uprooting the fruit that made it famous?

Obidike Okafor is an award winning, seasoned journalist and content consultant. Obidike has left his mark on the global stage, writing for prestigious publications in Nigeria, the UK, South Africa, Kenya, Germany, and Senegal. He also has experience as an editor, research analyst and podcaster.

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