The cocoa association deplores the invasion of farms by miners
Farmers producing cocoa in Osun and Oyo States have been urged to adopt good agricultural practices, preserve the environment and ensure the quality of cocoa beans to avoid rejection in the international market.
The National Chairman of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), Mr. Adeola Adegoke, said this as the distribution of booklets on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) in cocoa production to smallholder cocoa farmers on Monday in Osun State and Tuesday in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Farmers have been advised to avoid the use of child labor, unapproved agrochemicals, bush burning, deforestation and other brutal practices that can endanger the environment and put consumers in danger.
They were also asked to undergo certification training, keep records of seedling sources, planting date and other information that could help trace production locations and other labeling information.
The manual illustrates the steps and practices for increasing cocoa productivity per hectare and overall national annual production.
Nigeria has 14 major cocoa producing states Ondo, Cross River, Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Edo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Kwara, Kogi, Delta, Taraba and Adamawa.
The association commended the Osun State government for supporting farmers in cocoa production and value chain development, and for providing an enabling environment.
Osun and Oyo marked the fourth and sixth cocoa-growing states where free distribution of Cocoa GA booklets was carried out by the association, respectively.
Adegoke said, “We intend to join with the state government, our royal fathers and other stakeholders in Osun State on the need to stop the destructive and negative activities of miners in our cocoa plantations in the state.
“The reality of this threat by state miners has dramatically reduced the state’s cocoa production capacity and resulted in many of our farmers being left jobless due to the destruction of their farms in the state. State.
“The subsistence incomes of our small cocoa farmers have plummeted in the state, while many of our indigenous cocoa farmers are now forced to migrate to other states for cocoa farming activities as tenants, due to the negative activities of these miners who invade cocoa plantations at will.”
He said protecting human rights and redress, conserving the environment (ecosystem) in cocoa communities and sustaining livelihoods through cocoa production was a top collective priority of the association.
He added that the Living Income Differential (LID) of $400 advocated by the association could only be achieved through meticulous implementation of the booklet’s guidelines.
MEANWHILE, cocoa farmers in Oyo State yesterday at NUT Guest House Hall, Ibadan received free copies of cocoa booklets co-sponsored by CFAN, the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) , EBAFOSA Nigeria, Harvest-field Industries Limited, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and other stakeholders.
The Chairman, Adogoke, said the distribution of the booklet is aimed at increasing productivity and production of cocoa in Nigeria, quality assurance of our cocoa beans, production of premium quality cocoa beans, eradication of labor children, halting deforestation, large-scale traceability and certification of cocoa sourcing. production chain and responsible use of pesticides in the major cocoa producing states in Nigeria.
