Nigeria ready to reclaim position on global cocoa industry

Dr Akin Adesina

Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akin Adesina, has expressed readiness of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to reclaim its position on global cocoa industry.

Addressing participants at the 23^rd partnership forum organised by the World Cocoa Foundation in Washington DC, United States of America, last Wednesday on theme “Meeting Tomorrow’s Demand: Productivity, Quality, and Farmers’ Livelihoods,” Dr. Adesina told stakeholders how Nigeria is “developing a sustainable vehicle built on a public-private partnership platform to coordinate the whole cocoa sector that will be public sector-enabled but private sector-driven with all stakeholders playing active role.”

To demonstrate the commitment of Nigeria in developing the cocoa industry, the minister disclosed the plans on rehabilitation of “200,000 hectares over the next four years through an aggressive plan developed in partnership with private sector to provide employment for skilled professionals called ‘Professional Cocoa Doctors and Grafters’ over the next five years who would be able to deploy their skills to earn a decent living and rehabilitate at least 200,000 ha cocoa farms in Nigeria.”

According to the special assistant on media to the Minister, Dr. Oyeleye Olukayode in a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet, Dr. Adesina was quoted as saying, “with the support of MARS Incorporated, some personnel were sent to Indonesia to study Indonesia’s impressive cocoa plantation rehabilitation strategy.”

He also said the Nigerian Cocoa Investment Plan aligns with the theme of this partnership meeting very important to consider how to improve productivity, quality and livelihood to meet the growing demand for cocoa products estimated to reach some 5.0 million MT in 2020, some additional 1.0 million MT to the current cocoa beans output. 

Adesina outlined major problems militating against progress in cocoa business in Nigeria, to include production: practices, productivity, environment, labour, youth engagement; poverty issue; access to credits; market exposures; price volatility; land tenure; environmental issue; social issues such as  labour and migration. 

As said by him, despite these challenges, Nigeria still see a great opportunity in the face of emerging realities of the global cocoa economy.

“That is why we have put in place a Cocoa Transformation Agenda (The CocTA PLAN) with a vision of ‘Growing Nigeria’s Share of the World Cocoa market,” he assured.

Team leader for the Nigerian cocoa transformation agenda, Mr. Peter Aikpokpodion, noted that entrepreneurship in cocoa programme, hitherto lacking in Nigeria, is now being emphasised, as government is working towards facilitating stakeholders to recognise agriculture and cocoa production as business.

For the chief executive officer, Cocoa Products (Ile Oluji) Ltd, Akin Olusuyi, said that the federal government has been doing a lot to improve the cocoa economy under the present administration.

“We need to create institutions within a legal framework, within an act of parliament. We need to re-orientate the players in a cocoa value chain. We cannot develop the cocoa economy if all we do is produce for export. Cocoa plantations need to be seen as business, going beyond members of family, to generate wealth,” he advised.

Also speaking, Richard Rogers of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, advised that “work in cocoa has to be government-enabled and private sector-driven. Various players have to figure out what our roles are, how to work together collaboratively and what the opportunities are for the smallholders.”

Remmy Nweke/NaijaAgroNet 
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Farmers send SOS to Obi, FERMA over downpour

Heavy downpour may have forced farmers in Nawgu, Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, in South East Nigeria, to send Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the state governor, Mr. Peter Obi and the Federal Emergency Rehabilitation Management Agency (FERMA), reports NewsExpress.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that there was a heavy downpour in the area which resulted in damaging of crops and properties.

The report also quoted the spokesman of the farmers in the community, Mr. Sunday Nwozo as saying that the heavy downpour swept away their already planted crops for this year as well as creating ditches in their farm lands.

The community, therefore, solicited the assistance of the Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, and FERMA to urgently come to their aid, in order to allow them cultivate again before the season for that runs off and eventually have food to survive.

 

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British American Tobacco offer contracts to 140,000 farmers

The British American Tobacco (BAT) has revealed having contracts offer with some 140,000 farmers as part of its fair treatment and prices policies for farmers globally.

Group Head, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at BAT, Kingsley Wheaton, made this revelation in response to the World No Tobacco Day 2013 made available to NaijaAgroNet and entitled “What would a world with no legal tobacco industry really look like?”

He said that the company has direct relationships with farmers and helps them to provide consistent revenue and fair prices.

“We also provide advice regarding sustainable agricultural practices and crop rotation,” he said, stressing that the reality is that people will continue to smoke.

He argued that instead of buying legal taxed cigarettes, made by legitimate tobacco companies and sold by reputable retailers, people, whenever there is no legal tobacco industry, people are likely to turn to black market sources to get what they want.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that the World No Tobacco Day 2013, BAT believes the world may not after-all be as exciting as some people are painting, in the event the legal tobacco industry is forced out of existence.

Wheaton, pointed out that the tobacco industry is highly regulated, sells a legal product and has a legitimate business.

“We conduct our business in a professional and responsible way, abiding by the laws in all the countries we operate in, often going above and beyond our legal obligations,” he submitted.

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Nigerians must eat what we produce to create wealth - Adesina

r-l chairman of the occasion, Olakunle  K. Bello watching as guest speaker,

Dr. Adesina represented by Mrs. Ibukun Odusote being congratulated

by special adviser on regional integration, who represented  Gov. Babs Fashola, 

 after her address at Wilson Badejo Foundation annual lecture 2013.

To change the increasing unemployment rate in the country, Nigerians must eat food produced locally, in order to create jobs for the youths whose figure has continued to grow, according to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.

Speaking as a special guest at the annual lecture of Wilson Badejo Foundation in Lagos, entitled ‘Unlocking wealth for Nigerian farmers’ Adesina, who was represented at the occasion by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, told NaijaAgroNet that for this to change and add the creation of jobs for teeming youths in the country, Nigerians must eat what is produced by local farmers.

“We must produce what we eat and eat what we produce,” he declared.

Adesina also said at the occasion chaired by Deacon Olatunji K. Bello of Multiplex Limited, that his mission in the ministry of Agriculture is not to manage or maintain poverty in the rural areas, but to create wealth, lamenting that millions of Nigerian farmers, who for decades have toiled in hope but have been unable to get out of crushing poverty traps, hence he sees agriculture as a tool for creating wealth for millions of poor farmers.

He reiterated that creating wealth is what is at the heart of a major revolution underway in agriculture in Nigeria and in harnessing the power of the private sector, government needs to get out of certain aspects of agriculture and turn this over to the private sector in order to improve efficiency. 

“We need to focus on agricultural value chains and not just on increasing production,” he advised, wondering what will happen to the increase if there are no markets and no agro processing firms that will help mop up the increased yields?

Nigerian agriculture sector, Adesina said, has potential, but no one can eat potential except if transformed into food supply to deliver nutritious food and wealth to the growing population.

To reverse this trend, Adesina urged Nigerians to buy into the current government’s vision to make Nigeria an agriculturally industrialized economy; to create wealth, jobs and markets for farmers, and revive the rural economy.

“We plan to grow the size of the agricultural sector from the present level of $99 billion per year today to about $300 billion per year by 2030. We envision a Nigeria without oil. For nobody drinks oil and nobody smokes gas,” he said.

The minister further commended the leadership of Wilson Badejo Foundation (WBF) for sustained effort in engaging the youths and offering them the opportunity to become better enlightened and second chance to contribute to the society at large.

In her remarks, the Executive Secretary, WBF, Dr. Mrs. Kenny Kemabonta, commended those who have supported the foundation in past and urged for more support because the foundation has identified more societal challenges to tackle including how to rehabilitate the so-called ‘area boys’ who now have a kingdom of their own.

Key to achieving this, she said, is more investment in youth’s development via educational scholarship, which has risen over the years, even as the foundation needs more partnership.

So far, she said about 40 indigent students have been assisted with tuition fees for this year alone.

Welcoming guest to the event, the chairman, Deacon Olatunji K. Bello of Multiplex Ltd shared his experience on investing in agriculture, which created job for over 50 youths and urged more Nigerians to invest in agriculture.

“I want to encourage us to invest in agriculture to create more jobs, especially for the youths,” he said, citing investment in trees for instance, Bello noted that yes, it may take a while to grow, but it create jobs eventually.

Nigerian agriculture graduates, he said, do have degrees, but not work experience, because there is no place conducive enough for them to work, insisting that the youth must be assisted if the Nigerian society must be a better one.

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