NATIONAL President of Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), Comrade Adeola Adegoke, has stated that the launching of the free distribution of the Cocoa GAP Handbook across the entire cocoa producing States will mark Nigeria’s path to achieving 100 per cent premium cocoa production with 500,000 MT targets and sustainable practices in the cocoa supply chain in the year 2024 and the highest cocoa producing country by 2027.
He stated this while speaking during the flag-off of the free distribution of the Cocoa GAP Handbook to Oyo State smallholder cocoa farmers in Ibadan, the state capital.
He said the launching is also in response to the need for the protection of human rights and the protection of the environment in our cocoa plantations and communities.
Adegoke stated that the Cocoa GAP Handbook gesture is intended to increase Nigeria’s cocoa productivity and production, quality assurance of Nigeria’s cocoa bean, production of the premium cocoa bean, child labour eradication, stop deforestation, upscale our traceability and certification in the cocoa supply chain.
Also, responsible pesticide application, MRLs reduction and enlightening cocoa farmers on nature-based solutions and smart cocoa practices to fight climate change across the fourteen major cocoa-producing States in Nigeria.
He said Nigeria’s total cocoa plantation size is about 1,700,000 hectares and about 600,000 cocoa farmers spread across the 14 major cocoa-producing states; Ondo, Cross River, Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Edo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Kwara, Kogi, Delta, Taraba and Adamawa.
“If we are to collectively consider the huge past development in the cocoa sector, especially during the Western Regional Government era and the great contributions of the cocoa proceed /incomes to the Western region GDP which was about 71 per cent and the number of investments, employment opportunities in the cocoa sector, cocoa quality and the average living standard of our cocoa farmers then, perhaps, we would say that Oil boom must be Oil doom.
“In consideration of numerous achievements done in the past in comparison to the growth of the cocoa industry now; the first tallest building in Africa built in this Ibadan known as Cocoa House, first television station, first radio station and well-structured farm settlements adorning the entire South West region.
“No doubt, Nigeria was regarded as the second largest in the ’50s & ’60s with about 590,000 MT. Therefore, the need to reverse this ugly trend is now not later.
Speaking further he said CFAN and other cocoa partners like Harvestfield Industries Limited (CFAN biggest partner), Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), EBAFOSA Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and others, are seriously building synergy to increase Nigerian Cocoa Agroforestry practices and seriously improve our transparency across the cocoa supply chain.
Adegoke added that the need to improve the living income of the smallholder cocoa farmers vis-a-vis their standard of living led the Association to partner with the Federal Government through the FMARD, FMITI and the National Assembly, on the need for Nigeria to join Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana in the collection of $400 Living Income Differential (LID) for the smallholder cocoa farmers of Nigeria as a matter of priority.
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