The Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa, Nigeria Chapter, and the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria have lauded the efforts of President Bola Tinubu for approving the National Cocoa Management Committee to the cocoa regulatory board.
At a press briefing in Lagos, the two leading cocoa farmers’ organisations, led by Adeola Adegoke, said the board has been the demand of the Nigerian cocoa farmers and other stakeholders in the last five years.
He appreciated Tinubu, the entire members of the Federal Executive Council, and the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari.
According to him, stakeholders in the industry have called for a board that will be solely responsible for the regulation and development of the industry, but will not be involved in the marketing of cocoa.
He said the major assignment of the board will be to support the regulation, production, productivity, and the incentivisation of the industry through direct support to the cocoa farmers whose livelihoods have been threatened by the fluctuation of cocoa prices.
Adegoke said Nigeria is currently in seventh position in the global cocoa production and fourth in Africa, according to ICCO figures.
“However, it is our belief that Nigeria has what it takes to become a leading cocoa producing country in Africa if the board is put in place to drive the Nigeria Cocoa Plan and put in place enabling policies backed up with funding that will create a resurgence in cocoa production across the cocoa producing states.
“We can achieve this by carrying out massive rehabilitation along with sustainable practices that align with international standards, which entail traceability, agroforestry & agroecology practices, due diligence, quality control, local processing, and youth inclusiveness.
“It is the belief of the Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa, Nigeria Chapter and Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria and other cocoa industry players whom have been consistently agitating that the Nigeria cocoa industry cannot continue to be on autopilot position but that there must a deliberate plan to repositioning it in order to regain the lost glory of the cocoa economy.
“The cocoa industry which has contributed to the generation of foreign exchange, provide employment for millions of people, livelihoods for the thousands of cocoa farmers and their families and generated a total exports values of N356.16bn worth of cocoa beans and its allied products in 2023 while about N2.7tn ($1.76bn) was approximately the total cocoa value exports in the year 2024,” he added.
He appealed to the Ondo State governor, Lucky Ayedatiwa, to look into the plight of the cocoa farmers in Ore, Odigbo local government whose livelihoods have been threatened by the approved oil palm production investments in the area which have gravely affected cocoa farms of some of the cocoa farmers in the affected communities located in the Government Reserved Areas.
“We plead that Ondo State Government should look into the matter discreetly bearing in mind that the state is a leading cocoa producing states in Nigeria with about 90,000 metric tonnes which could affect the cocoa production expansion future of the state if care is not taken and also negatively impacted the livelihoods and survival of the affected farmers with their dependable families,” he added.
