Hassan Gbadebo Adewusi 143
D. edulis ensures uninterrupted control on the management of the produce.
Since the export potential of D. edulis has only recently been recognised, no
state regulation governs its production. The Nigerian Export Promotion Council
is however encouraging the exportation of non-oil products, particularly
agricultural and forest products. The Raw Material Research Council of Nigeria
is currently working on available local sources of raw materials for different
industries. Tax exemption for locally sourced materials could be another
incentive for the use of NTFPs, and D. edulis occupies a strategic position in
this regard.
Two members of the National Agricultural Research Institutes (the National
Horticultural Research Institute and the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria);
the Forestry Commission, Enugu; the botany, forestry, agricultural sciences
and food technology departments of most Nigerian universities, particularly
those within the humid lowland ecological zone, are provided with facilities
and the mandate to carry out research on non-timber forest products in general,
including indigenous fruits. In a similar vein, PRODA, FIIRO, and the Raw Material
Research Council of Nigeria are being sponsored to develop industrial products
from NTFPs, including D. edulis.
The non-inclusion of the contribution of certain NTFPs in the national and
states food balance sheet, despite their importance in the informal economy,
was highlighted by Olayide et al. (1972). This situation has remained unchanged.
The Federal Office of Statistics in Nigeria is yet to include the contribution of
NTFPs to the national economy in its database.TRENDS AND ISSUESDynamic changes
Despite the recognised economic importance of D. edulis in farming as well as
in the nutrition of the people, the majority of studies of the species have focussed
on the biology, socio-cultural or ethnobotany, physico-chemical properties and
industrial potentials of the species (Emebiri and Nwufo 1990; Emebiri 1993;
Ejiofor and Okafor 1997; Okafor 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1998a, b). However,
the need to select and breed for improved varieties for effective domestication
is critical. These should also include the selection of germplasm for
multiplication and conservation of the genetic resources for immediate and
future needs.
An improvement in the production, processing and marketing of D. edulis
in Sakpoba Forest Reserve will better the living conditions and enhance the
status of the producers. This will have multiplier effects on the conservation
of the available wild materials, including the wild relatives. Since the D. edulis
fruit has been traded for years in the study site, its global commercialisation
will encourage more cultivation.Key issues/problems
With about 95% production from cultivation and 5% from wild collection in the
case study area, understanding the proportional contribution of wild gathering08dacryodes.p65 143 22/12/2004, 11:05