Enugu United Palm Products Limited (UPPL), a joint venture between Pragmatic Palms Limited and the Enugu State Government, has commenced commercial palm oil production for the Nigerian domestic market, while unveiling plans to expand downstream refining through a new agro-industrial complex.
The Managing Director of the firm, Prof. George Nwangwu, disclosed the milestone on Monday while leading the board of directors to the Government House in Enugu to present an operational update to Governor Peter Mbah on the venture’s performance over the past two years.
Nwangwu reported that the venture has successfully rehabilitated dormant state plantations across Ibite-Olo, Umulokpa, and Ugwu-Oba, located within Ezeagu, Uzo-Uwani, and Oji River Local Government Areas.
The company has cleared and replanted more than 1,000 hectares, steadily replacing senescent palm stands that had exceeded 50 years of age.
“When we assumed operations, the estates were entirely overgrown and economically dormant. We have converted these neglected tracts back into high-yielding commercial plantations.”
“We cleared the sites, salvaged salvageable stands, and embarked on systematic replanting. The legacy palms were decades past their economic life. We have replanted over 1,000 hectares to date, with the long-term objective of systematically renewing the entire plantation footprint,” Nwangwu explained.
The Managing Director emphasized that UPPL is prioritizing downstream value addition over raw agricultural extraction, having installed modern milling capacity to improve domestic processing yields and product consistency.
He announced a capital commitment of $2.2 million toward an advanced industrial refinery designed to process Crude Palm Oil (CPO) into refined olein, industrial stearin, and refined palm kernel oil (PKO).
“Agriculture must extend beyond primary cultivation to viable commercial manufacturing. Processing and industrial value addition remain paramount. We have deployed modern mills, substantially upgrading both our extraction efficiency and refined quality.”
“We are committing roughly $2.2 million to establish a complete refining unit capable of processing our crude palm oil into food-grade olein and industrial stearin, alongside a secondary line for palm kernel oil refining,” Nwangwu remarked.
He added that the company is currently developing an integrated agro-industrial park to house its expanding milling, fractionating, and packaging operations.
Nwangwu revealed that the venture’s commercial palm oil brand, EVOP, is already circulating through open food markets and retail supermarket chains across Nigeria, with consumer-sized sachet packaging slated to hit store shelves within a fortnight.
Explaining the brand identity, Nwangwu noted that the EVOP moniker pays homage to the regional industrial heritage of the defunct AVOP vegetable oil brand originally manufactured in Nachi, Udi Local Government Area.
“We adopted the EVOP brand to preserve continuity with the region’s agro-processing legacy. Many citizens recall the renowned AVOP vegetable oil processed in Nachi, Udi. This enterprise belongs to the people, and we wanted our identity to reflect our industrial heritage,” he explained.
Nwangwu reiterated that UPPL’s core operational objective is delivering unadulterated, sustainably produced, and completely traceable edible oil to Nigerian households directly from its cultivated estates in Ibite-Olo, Umulokpa, and Ugwu-Oba.