In line with the mandate handed out by the Executive Director of Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) Mr Segun Awolowo, to increase the quantity of cocoa production in Nigeria, the Council in Ondo State has developed strategy to ensure the fulfilment of the vision to rank Nigeria among the best producers and exporters of cocoa across the globe.
The Ondo State Head of the NEPC, Mr Rufus Durotoye, who stated this in Akure, Ondo State capital, said the moves were targeted in replacing crude oil and to boost agriculture in the country.
He said apart from cocoa, 13 other National Strategic Export Products (NSEP) have been targeted by the Council to replace crude oil to shore up the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
Rufus said the council had met with stakeholders across the 16 cocoa producing local government areas of the state saying that cocoa farmers in the state have expressed their readiness to work with the council.
He said “the mandate given to us is to move the quantity of cocoa production from the current 240,000metric tonnes to 400,000 metric tonnes within the next five years and as a product specialist we must put in our best to achieve this target.
He commended the traditional ruler of Ile Oluji, Oba for his support for the council in its vision to increase the quantity and quality of cocoa in the state.
“We are working with the traditional ruler of Ile Oluji, who has made available about 200,000 seedlings of cocoa to farmers in his community freely.
“We have been moving round the state to educate and encourage farmers on how they can boost their production and increase their income.”
He said ” apart from this, we have visited some of the local government like Irele, Ondo East, Okitipupa local government areas. We have also been able to meet with the Senate of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, because the school has a faculty of agriculture with special interest in cocoa production and they already have their nursery and I believe this help in the area of increasing our production.
“When we are talking of expanding our cocoa production, we must look at it from the grassroots and we must think of what to do with the present cocoa we are having and how to improve the quality.”
Speaking on the other 13 products, he said they were grouped into three categories, agro industrial, mining related products and oil and gas industrial products.
For agro industrial, this include palm oil, cocoa, sugar, rice and cashew while mining related are cement, Iron ore/metals and auto parts while the oil and gas industrial products have petroleum products, fertiliser/urea, petrochemical and menthol
He said the key initiatives for promoting the sector, especially in the areas where the council had comparative and competitive advantages were targeted through its various programmes.
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