Cocoa Production To Hit 500,000tns By 2024 – FG

The Federal Government has unveiled plans to increase the production of cocoa from the present 340,000 tons to 500,000 tons by 2024.
A statement by Mr Mohammed Gana, Information Officer II, in the Ministry of Agriculture, which was made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt, said the Minister made this known during a courtesy visit by the Executive Director, International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO), Mr Arrion Michel,  on Tuesday in Abuja.
Noting that Nigeria ranks 4th among cocoa producing countries in the world, Abubakar assured that the country can achieve an increase in cocoa production.
This, he said, is based on the present drive of the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders towards utilisation of improved varieties.
To achieve this, he said, traceability and transparency in the cocoa sector, national cocoa farm irrigation, improvement of the cocoa sector through research, input delivery, production, value addition, processing and export,are very important.
“Nigeria has made a remarkable move to join the Living Income Differential (LID) initiatives which was established by Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana in 2019, which aims at guaranteeing the livelihood of small holder farmers through LID of $400/ton of cocoa beans sold.
“The two countries are benefiting, while Nigerian cocoa farmers are at disadvantage of this benefit due to unregulated and liberalised cocoa industry in the country”, he said.
According to the Minister, the interactive meeting between the Nigerian delegation and Ghana cocoa board has yielded a positive result with the recent approval by the Ministry to establish the National Cocoa Management Committee (NCMC).
He stated that the committee  would consist of stakeholders in the cocoa industry who would develop a framework for the regulation and monitoring of activities in the sector to achieve transparency, traceability and sustainability.
The Minister further stated that the NCMC would be powered by legislation through the National Assembly to give the process a legal backing.
He also pledged that the Ministry would implement the LID system in Nigeria as it strives to take cocoa production to a new height.
Earlier, the Executive Director, ICCO, Mr. Arrion Michel,  informed that Africa produces about 80 per cent of cocoa but the price is determined in Europe, saying  there is need to address the market force.
Noting that Nigeria is the fourth producer of cocoa, behind Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Ecuador consecutively, he said  the product is a key to smallholder farmers in many countries.