CFAN Tasks Tinubu On Clear Policies To Revive Cocoa Industry

An umbrella body for small-scale cocoa farmers that constitute over 90 percent of cocoa stakeholders and owners of farms Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), has called on the incoming administration of Bola Tinubu to come up with defined policies to revive the cocoa industry.

The national president of CFAN, Adeola Adegoke, spoke in Akure after he and 11 others were elected to lead the association for another four years.

 He said the association rejects any attempt to bring total deregulation into the cocoa economy.

Adegoke said cocoa farmers expected a lot from the administration of Tinubu but said they would work with the administration to bring about regulations.

He disclosed that they would push for the establishment of a board that would not be involved in buying cocoa but would ensure farmers were provided with necessary input and develop the cocoa industry.

According to him, “We have seen that we don’t have better sustainable practices and we have seen that the focus of commitment to grow the cocoa economy in the most cocoa-producing states is no longer there again.

“We have seen the government’s nonchalant attitude both at the federal and state governments level, many of us as farmers cannot go to farm again.

“So, we are going to push for a board that will start developing cocoa, which will bring policies that will make sure that the farmers are provided with the necessary inputs that can bring Nigeria back.

“The agenda of this association in the next two to three years is for us to be the highest cocoa producer in the world and to increase our productivity.

“We will work with the government to make sure that the National Cocoa Management puts in place the enabling environment that will spur the regulations on the development of the cocoa economy which will bring back more investment in the sectors.”