Cocoa Farmers Demand Regulatory Board to Develop Industry

NIGERIA’S cocoa farmers have called on President Bola Tinubu to establish a regulatory board that will mainly focus on the promotion and development of the industry.

National President, Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), Comrade Adeola Adegoke, who made the call on behalf of the farmers said the farmers were calling for a regulatory board that would not be involved in the buying and selling of the commodity, but solely for the development of the industry across the supply chain in a sustainable path.

“It has become imperative to reiterate and clarify our position regarding our demand for a regulatory board from President Bola Tinubu in order to reposition the cocoa industry for growth. Some erroneous impressions are being generated that cocoa farmer’s demand for a marketing board instead,” he said.

Adegoke noted that the farmers could not forget in a hurry the pain they suffered due to the price stabilisation policy of the dissolved cocoa board before 1986 that enslaved the smallholder cocoa farmers completely.

He said this was in view of the prevailing challenges facing the sector and the preparation towards evading the European Union (EU) ban of unsustainable cocoa beans in the year 2025.

CFAN, Adegoke said, had said it thousands of times that the dissolution of the cocoa board was like throwing away the baby with the dirty water, due to the setbacks the industry suffered thereafter.

“No doubt, Nigeria has witnessed a negative paradigm shift in all spheres of the industry after the dissolution, especially in production, productivity, quality, livelihood, deforestation, GAP, extension, policy and plan, research and development, ecosystem, child labour, among others.

“This, therefore reinforced our position that the price stabilisation policy of the dissolved cocoa board led to its downfall, but not the overall promotion and development mandate of the board that gave rise to the giant production, productivity and good quality of our cocoa beans with the best aroma in the 60’s and early 70’s in West Africa.

“CFAN is making its position clear to Mr President and the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, that what cocoa farmers are demanding for is a regulatory board that does not involve in the buying and selling of our cocoa beans, but solely for the promotion and development of the cocoa industry across the supply chain in a sustainable path,” he added.