Spotlighting the Odogbolu Oil Palm Value Chain: A Pathway to Sustainable Intervention

Oil palm cultivation is a vital agricultural activity among the inhabitants of the Odogbolu Local Government Area in Ogun State. Despite the importance of this value chain in both industrial and rural development, actors involved are struggling to expand their operations due to several challenges. This necessitates this study, which explored the oil palm value chain through interviews with 50 actors and four key informants, revealing an intricate web of issues that all contribute to low productivity. Small and medium-sized producers are not adequately integrated into the value chain. While women are at the forefront of the trading and retail side of the business, this chain is characterised by unfair sharing of the consumer’s payment, and urban retailers earn the highest value share. In this unregulated market, several actors easily exploit price differences and control information to their own benefit. To improve the situation with respect to these challenges, several key areas need revitalisation to strengthen connections between different parts and stages of the supply chain. With the support of effective collaboration across the stages of the value chain, an equitable share, a competitive value chain, and a sustainable oil palm industry can be created in Ogun State. Keywords: Value chain, Value share, Value chain governance, Causal diagram