A former Commissioner of Agriculture in Ondo state and the former Chairman of Cocoa Revolution Project in the state, Dr. Jibayo Oyebade, has empahasised the need to increase the quality and quantity of cocoa production in the country and international market
Oyebade who stated this during a one-day programme organised for farmers by the Nigeria Exports Promotion Council (NEPC) in Idanre, Idanre local government area of the state, said this can be achieved by deploying new techniques of fermentation, drying and sustainable farming.
He lamented that Nigeria has been relegated to the background in the area of cocoa production in international markets and advocated for the return of the Marketing board.
He noted the drop in Nigeria’s cocoa production, saying other countries such as Ghana, Cameron and Cote D’Ivore were competing with Nigeria in the past but have relegated Nigeria to the background and the nation’s cocoa no longer competitive.
He commended the NEPC for its regular advocacy programmes and disclosed that the programme would go a long way to enlighten the farmers on quality conformity and compliance to global requirements.
He said the frequent training will also ensure that farmers uphold good agricultural practices towards producing premium cocoa.
He noted that the council is determined to make cocoa a game changer for the Nigeria economic growth and development and solicited for the cooperation of the farmers to join hands with the NEPC to bring cocoa to its rightful place in the commity of cocoa producing countries.
He said “this is a regular programmes by the Nigeria Exports Promotion Council, where farmers usually get cocoa farmers together and give them both advocacy and production techniques, that is the management techniques, Cocoa based processing techniques for good quality in international markets and they regularly did it around.
“Regularly, we teach farmers the way forward in good Cocoa production. Few aspect of it is that farmers don’t know that poor quality processing reduces the quantity and weight.
“The weight reduction goes to the Federal government and the state because when you’re expected to see a particular kilogram of Cocoa weight and if you process and ferment standardly you will see the good weight of that very product but if you process and ferment haphazardly, you going to lose weight vividly, that is the sensitive point of weight loss and will affect the output of the Cocoa.
“When they said our Cocoa is going down, it’s not going down actually but it’s going down because the government has neglected what the marketing board of then was doing.
When they cancelled marketing board they should have put in place what marketing board was doing, and to be supervised by another body and that finished Cocoa”
He disclosed that “the NEPC now engaged farmers in various locations and different states where they know there is high Cocoa production. Idanre local government is the largest Cocoa production in Ondo state that why we decided to organize this program here and we have been going into the villages to teach them the standard processing techniques, good maintenance, especially pruning of old trees and they should not condemn the trees like that. If they prune it , it starts to fruiting again
“This advocacy is supposed to be national, now that we have about 21 states can produce Cocoa, we don’t talk about six states of the south west anymore so it suppose to be stimulated to replace oil and the NEPC Director, Chiefs Segun Awolowo has put in place one idea which he called zero program to forget about oil and now give every state one agricultural product. We have Cocoa here in Ondo state because we are leading and with a lot of assistance and advocacy.
“Nigeria can take its rightful position in the comity of nations producing Cocoa with the advocacy from the NEPC but its left for the state government of the states that are producing Cocoa, especially the south west to come to the rescusitate of Cocoa farming in Ondo state. The first thing is that they must protect our Cocoa, so that they will not cart it away to other other states”
He recalled that “We have been able to do this when I was a Commissioner in the state. I banned movement of Cocoa, ungraded Cocoa outside the state and we make 70,000 returns, excess of the previous year, so it is possible if the government has a strict control.
He said this should be backed up with laws and said “I sponsored a bill at the Assembly on Produce and Allied matter laws signed into law by governor Agagu.
“Government needs to use that bill and enforce the bill to generate revenue and increase employment and the farmers will also be happy because they will receive good price for their product.
“The price of our Cocoa now is about N1,000 part tonnes and still is about that on the Internet and when you get to abroad with our Cocoa they say Nigeria Cocoa is recognized, we have tried our best and I think we are making gradual progress.
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