The Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), during the flag off of the free distribution of the Cocoa Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Handbook to cocoa farmers in Ogun State held at Idayat Hall, Ijebu-Ode on 16 May, 2022, desires to increase the country’s cocoa production by 80%.
The President of the Association, Comrade Adeola Adegoke, dropped the hint during his opening speech. He stated that “the launching of the free distribution of Cocoa GAP Handbook across the entire cocoa producing states and Ogun State today will mark Nigeria path to sustainable cocoa production and good agronomic practices in the cocoa supply chain ahead of other cocoa producing countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Indonesia. Our focus is to become the highest sustainable cocoa producing country in the world in the year 2027 with 80 per cent organic cocoa production bean”.
“We intend to partner with our value chain stakeholders to increase our locally processed beans and value addition before export from the current 10 to 50 per cent, in order to generate more employment opportunities, more foreign exchange earnings, improved living income of our cocoa farmers via the collection of better pricing, and sustainable improved infrastructure around the cocoa communities.”
The ED CRIN, Dr. Patrick Adebola, appreciated CFAN for partnering with the Institute to achieve this noble feat of making the free books available to cocoa farmers. The Institute is well noted for capacity building and strengthening of cocoa farmers through constant training on available best practices. The ED opined that the Cocoa GAP Handbook will further assist farmers in the production of safe and sustainable cocoa.
CFAN President noted that the Association, in partnership with the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Harvestfield Industries Limited, EBAFOSA, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Cocoa producing State Governments and other stakeholders, are working towards the protection of human rights, remediation and conserving our environment in cocoa communities and plantations. This is in response to the EU due diligence framework on child labour eradication and deforestation free cocoa beans production.
CFAN and other value chain partners are currently committed to support a sustainable living income of our smallholder cocoa farmers through the collection of $400 Living Income Differential (LID). Nigeria is regarded to be losing over #60 billion annually for our non-collection of this LID by our cocoa farmers above the floor cocoa price or the International selling cocoa price rate.
