Given the. recent astro omlc81 Increase In the prices of some beverages and consumables, especially those made from cocoa, Nigerians have been complaining about the top-roof prices of these cODsumables, as 90 per. centlof chocolate products in the Nigerian market today comes from Europe and some Mrican countries Il,ke fGhana' lCote d'Ivoire and South-Africa. . To aschthiI\ the situation In the country's cocoa production sector, Seye Adenlyl spoke with Pasto r Samuel qlar!lpekun Awe, the: current Managing Director/ Chief Executive of the Association of Nigeria Co-operative Exporters Limited (ANCE) in Ibadan, Oyo State, o.n 80me pertinent problems of cocoa production, marketing. a s well as the challenges facing the agricultural profession in Nigeria. Excerpts:
'That Nigeria exports cocoa to import chocolate is sad' ~u
an:: a prominent cocoa Olerebanl IlQd
.I. ~ wWt manrI ya:srs q{ ~
CJ: '
You also
belong to rruuw 00000 G:5IiIIOdotioos lib CocoP M5vdation (!{NigeriQtcAN): ~ ndenItion qf Nigeria j'C7NJ, Oyo State Cbmtnerae and Industry and Ttuk Fbn:et:!lCbalo lllcsinessac.just. to mmtion afeuL N'e yPU not ~ hal. up tilll1(JUl, ~ 15 stiLI importing manyClOflSUll1able pnxfucts modeftU'n cxx:oa like ~ chC"CDWte. oocoo butter; CXQ)Q bn!ad ond cxx:oa ~ Ulhen it is on ~ that Nigeria was 0fI0e rcued os one q{ the fao ooun.tries with the highest produc:tion oj COODO glDbaJly? l-k. .:stly. it is Ad 100 pWnfuJ that the hisImy cLNrgena in lhc arm dC1JCJJ8 prod 1Ctionw.'1ndkand the probbn mil be linked "'"th oIIl<lo1l'1. as \\~ as v,1th mllltruy bllCf\oUltJon In Nlgerla polItIcB in 19E6. E'w:t" snoe. COC08 prtXIuctiro In ~llBScondI1lxdto!ll.lfli:ra~lset-back. lhat'swhy we ha~ bcmmr: the iHughing.stock d many Eun:Jpcan oountJ1es and some African oounlJ'lell bllhc way and manJlI!r \\"e now tmport all U.... alCOa pn:.xtucts listed abaIIc. Whyareyoubkunlny themiUWry'? Dothey tal them? f~fosu.,plantln!JCOCDOCJnddDtIv!y~a.fI1oss
and hoctJJrom th em? (Q.aL in) ___ Lt: 1 me
enI~ten }Q.I a bit. Sirn: we 0/1 UI Nigeria. It Is a known fact U1a! agriculture was n. g lected and cocoa production. being an Imporlant ESpect of agriculture, was al.so affected . Many C'lcoa ranners abandoned their profession La become petroleu m marketers . S«ondly. the mllllalY regime thai came on board in 1986, scrapped a illhe Produce Marketing Boards bea\use they wanted to export Nigeria money a.n d since then, we l1a\'" IlC1:I1 having serious problems wtU, cocoa product Ion and markeUng. Any cocoa production prac tiUf> Il'r or merchant would buUress thls facL Also. sIr1cc: !he SO'3ppt~ dCmrmodlty Mark~ Boan1s .,1986. manyBlqplIk'1t'1lics~st.arted Inmooa lndustJy ;md It P to a st.~ thnt 0JC0Il fiufIl Nigeria was no IOI"agrt" wanted In the IBemoltonal market because rL their poor lJl8IIly and othe" [aetas. 1hl!: then §lW: roan b' countries tIke Ghana and {);)(e.dlv;)R to lake ~ the cocoa fl1ilI'iIa an:1 producUon IiuIn N{!em and the ~I d thai action has geatly affecttd th" mJage rLN~ In ~ture. lllat 8 v.'fly \\~ 9CC: (llkrmf tyPl'!"l d chocolala beYerages and IXheJ" cocoa prodla IS I'Clog Irnpor'tm buo ~ market siJlCe W'C can't prod '0· U~m lksplte our potenUal In agtullwe. csptda.Dy h 0JC0Il pnXIuction. How far with th, ! Cocoa Rdlirth Prognurune (CRPI started bJUorrrwrPrr..idatt 0fI.u0egun ~ We thank God rOI 1- because the progranmle has n:o.amperJ OOIXQ busirlstJ and producUofl In ~ Is this pnsent gcr rmment paying .5Ierious attentiDn
dI9ooo,'efUI CI'l.Kk:.
~d aupI like IXlCIJIL
So we thank God for this 1JCI.U1. ahttough th e baud 15 yet toswt action. Probably they ~ begin !D1aus \\Uk ~ 5qlterntcr. 2012. Let's I1t'3.it and sec.
"
Wha.t l.s the story on cocoa production now til the o:JU1ltry. Brit:fJy ~Ute~fodng
the
cash""",? FCI"" 00CXlD
seeds
10
be tllilrkctal* and
acn:pCabIe In the inun"JalkJooJ market. II nusl besun-<IrWI aod nat artA:taJIydrled.
Cocoa that 15 !'Iun-tlrled. I must cmphas9;, wID <XJlI1fT1IIrd good prU In the InlematlonaJ market and lIS kr.<)bIc aroma \\'Ol1kI be mabltaJned. We !hook! mit that OJCOO. 15 not ~va \\tdch em be arUIIdaIIy drted.. 90 farmers must take nate. In fact, artJ8daI dl)'tng rL mooa .startrrl In 1 ge6~!.he military n:gIme. What is uwong lDiLh drying 0DaXI cu1:trldally? Uke 1 expIalned berore, arUndally dt1ey:Ing cocoa wID n:ducc not only th e aroma. bull! w!JI abo cmtaln a Jot d 0JC0Il SI!ICds and European ~ ",1D otrcr artI8cIaI driI:d 0Xll8 a ~ pr1ce. bk:nd Ii with aroma-r1ch. sun-di1ed 0Xll8 fium Ghana and Cote d1Yotre. Some experts r.ave predicted that. Nigeria a-ude oil may.soon dry. What is your n!Odfon? (Cut. fr\I lt 8 nat lmpa!!sIbIc and that ls \\11)' the Jft9CIl l Minister r:A AgJ1cuItUJ'C, OJ" AkillWllnU Adestna b ~ ~ 10 1J'an'IIbm-oLI)C n ,1tJoo agrK:uIturnI sector and to ~np Ule cocoa scrur. Just ~, bei::n: U1e I'nxIuce Commodlty Boards "'~ .!CfUppaJ by the mDltruy regime 111 1986. cocoa prtoc:was NI ,600 per 10\. But now. Ule p1C:r is as hIg11 a!J heaven and alI11091 eo.'C)'body ha!'I bco:Irne a IXlOOB II1O"Chant wtlto..U COI l lrol or n:gulatian. l h nl 8 Ule probk:m ~ an: ~ Nat mlIy that, many European bu)'CJS rrlotat£d 10 the alum)' an:1 were ptg to cocoa fanners to buy It al the rann
.'y
WIle. thU!'l cn:aIJrl!: ~ In (he 8IlCtOT, What is NICE doUtg to encoumge ODaXIfarme1'"3 and to boostil!lCJ'O'1 ~qflhe cash crop? We apernle as it a:ntml agency fOr t.he marktUng 01 mOTi)er.f pnxb.Jce. We Ilnnnce: the pun:hage. 01 merrbem' produce as wdI as fadillatc lawful and proper mei!m 01 produ::tlan and markdiJ'IJ dproduced membercoopo-alJ\.'le
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Weam encourageCOCOQ and ~ I'armer.; by engagIr@: In shipping. ~ clell~and bwardbJgagtncy. We also ha~ oooperatM: CXJQIJQ IilmlCl"S In aU the Yorubaspcakbl!:
... "....-onmvtI
sta.tc.srLOyo,Ogun.Ordo.Omsn.EkIUam~~states..
WdI. ~ QocIj!h.1Ck Joralhan's adrnIn1o!tmtDt has made a pronolllranen'l an the re-lntrodUOOl athe Produce
So
~'r'C
n:alIy hclpbl(t fannen.
.Is that the r:.dy thing NKZ does.Jrxproducef anrterS1
~t ~~~~ ~W~~bo*~~tl~~~bo~~r-________~rr
Re~SOnIS Iyou must ferment {l'ER
A:.
~hlcl1
::it
t ng
______________~,
pcoa seeds
COC03to ds Crom trees, there are some comp IIOry processing lechnlquell or IIU I ~nlques Is what Is c:alled
mas mU!l do In order to get good proOL One
~taIbj.
F : g ofb a 6CI:ds ah d be done far ave days til order la add ~vn1W: la II In Ule InlcmaUOnaJ TIlb would . 18) boost Us ruuma. whleh 8 a nec:essa.ry factar (or any Eu buyem Ttl fI 01 ~ open, Ule ripe. haMSted. pods WIth a knife to the embedded seeds. Aller that. put tilt sc:eds h19kIe hag. tccbruqucs scalI! and leave It like thallOr fh-e marE days. If It dors nat fennhll very well. qlt buyer wUI c:U!to;unt Ute price, that l!i. cocoa bnJ"ICls 'i\'t~ be oiTen:d Jess morq
mark
,I
~
Wlfermm.ted
'c:!O's, ",-=,-~___________________________L..________________J
We
do
~
We
ha~
gassroot I"annc:B c::aIkd oxoa
Coop:r.IUvc: Produce Markctlllg SocIcUe:s (CPMUj M member, ""egM:them moneytoplant!'l and la ptx:CI5coa-. At the YIIIage kvd, WI: called Ihem ~ SJCIdIcs and al tI)C town k:vel the O'MU becorncs a union kl1Q\O,-11 as Cooou CocperalM: Produa: p,~ Union (CPMUl. The
CPMU It shluld be cmphaslsed. are sc:attcml aD ~ lhe 1M. states mentJancd and they Ii:Jnned N«::E at the apex 1=1. Aug ather mcs5ICIge or advfa! for 0DaXI farmers in
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Farmcs can aJi!Jo make addltional In:one tram cocoa pock B!IIde the 9«ds.. Cocoa pads can be ~ Into
animal ICed.. pouIuy feed etc.
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