Govt moves to raise cocoa output ~eral Govemmenl _ f.n"o,.... nuru:ry R'~n. 3.6 million cocoa ftdllngs of hi~h-ykld varimo: for ffl distnbudon to fal'1Tle'rs. Thls~ piln of the' initiatiYt by the Fedttal G<M:mme1ll10 rerum the country to iUr,rofilC',uamajorprodu(C'TO the commodity: ~cOllntryuscd to br tM Second l.arg~ pro-
'T1-J E ~ Iw
duceTof cocoa and accoumw
for 20 per «'nl of global prDdoctlon, against its rulTWt dlstilht founh pllsition. accounting for only fiw peT ani of world Output. The first batch of the hybrid pods which a~ ro be r!'pnlduel!d by f.mncfS to foml the
SfflIlings of lhe nat generation of high ykki cocoa !>!an. ~r!' provided (1ft benenclari~ Wlth coun-
lalions,
for
terpan fundIng from cocoa·
produdni5 .slales.. The production of Ole high yield and early ITldnlrtng vanrties which was approVed by the' Agrlculmrar· Rnrardi Council of Nigma (ARCN) ~ pan of the .lgrkultural uans-
formation agrnda of the ffltrral Govr.:rnmrnl was door In pannrrship with all the cOCOiI-productng st.Jl~ in IhecountT)t Speillking at Owen" near
'Akwa Ibom not in haste to rescucitate moribund firms' A KW" lbom
Stat~
gO\oem-
l"\mentsaldonSuncUvwt It would not takt! hap~rd mt!asur~ In rrsuSCiD.ling moribulld Industrt~ In the
m«
ThcSpKiaI~lO thtp
rmor on Investment And
Indusutallsation, Dr. St'nu Ukpanah. told tht' Nt!ws
N""'' '
onto"'~~ ...., rushing v.nr the ;iilling lndustri~ would be coumer-product:iYr. Ukpan.llh gjd that the goo.'m1mmt would be thorough tn the ~tion process of
1I1lulcLnion.
H~r, If we a~ on mutual temu ilnd pay what we ~ to ArstBanJi. tll!!n i't'acock Paint an be rNCtivaled In no distlnt lImt'," ht'
.. Id
lie .dded thilt a GHmoln group hitd O"pmsed Its Intff· CSt 10 buy Suruhlne Battt'lies
;tOO QuaIlIY Ceramics. Lhe ~gt'lstholt Ittakrstlmeto reactivate (h~ Indusuics b«.lIuse of OICoucd liabilities.
10000mness. probably as a
mult o f mlsman;tgemt'nt. pmbkmof1ackof raw materiills. Inad~uate powt'r or u!ldn<.apitilisltkJn.
Many cocoa farms have been abandoned or conve~ed 10 olher uses. I am here loday 10 lell you lhal Ihis will nol Ctlnlinue. This is the reasoo for Ihe transformation agenda in the cocoa sector that we are currently driving. Cocoa must again become the 'King of Commodilies Alrun. ()ndQ Stille, where the SC'edlln~ were ~n ~ (0 beneficlarlts. Minister of AgTiculUlre and Rural ~Iopnlt'nt. Dr. Akinwumi Adrsillil, said lholt the era of government neglect of lht' asutoJ ItuTiIi sector was ovt.r. 1bc minister, who was rq>~ 5enled by Dr.luJius ~ml. tht' Soulhlo\l'CSt RegIOnal director of th!' Federal Mlnisuy of lIgrIcu1ture, S<lid (hill NIgt'ria "I\a..s a history of ~ proJ~roUli. viable and Vibrant cocoa Industry In the ~ The
cocoa Industry ~
vtdrd us with fOrl!lgn VlchilOge and revenue. whkh l:Ji..rt1t for liS OtlTrndur·
ing InfraslnlCturt'. Instltu· tions;tnd ed.irKa "Sold 10sa): howf:yer, that tlue largely to the neglect of agriculture.as iI whol~, tht cocoa ~lor illso rufft'rm oKtvrrsdy
,1nd nOY.: from being IN second largest producer, we art' a distant founh. E~n Indonrsia has COfTlt' from the
(;tr behind ;tnd O'II'C'ffilkm us with some 500,000 melrk tOIlt'S. -M,lnY coc~ farms haYe been abandoned or COO\tit· m 10 other uses. I ilm h~ today to It'll you thill Lhls will not. continue. This is the ruson (or tM lransfol'1T\illlon agend .. In the cocoa .woor
thiI( we art! cuTRmly drMng. must .fgilin bKomt' the 'King ofCommodiUcs': At the certfl'lOfly whkh was also ,lltf:ndcd by the Ondo Commissioner for ~Iculture. Ademola OTorunfemi who said dWllM Impact of the CUrttnl Intervt'ntion would soon begm 10 yield mults. the firsl biilch of the seedlings ~rl! dislributt'd to ben~-nting rukehold t'rs while Tr~ Crop Units;tOO ;til lht' SUb-stilt Ions of the Cocoa Rtse.nch InsUlUle of Nig~ lOON) wuuld contin ur 10 n! ease the rt'St till the end of the season. '" bru.kdown of tM distributions showrd thai Multil1a COCo;t Industry. Cocoa I!.ssod;tlion of Nigerlil (CAN) as well .as rrp~I<ltM::5 ot the fiY!' states of 1Cogi, Odtl, <>gun. Oyo and EkitJ wm' allocated 2000 pods each for multiplication. while 250 pods werr givm to Fa~ Coope:rathla In ldilnrc. eOCN
""""" 0{ In Uyo WI
.lbandoned Indwtrles. "Go\'eIllrTX'nl Is laking Into .serious consXkRI6on (ftt;lin
pdramet:mand ~I~ts !hat will catalyse the ~ tlon of some of the ailing IndlJ5O'ies penciled down tOf
.--.1.
-, Gin ~nllon the ailing industrin In Am lbom, fWUf'ry factory, OUaltty uramics. Pf:oac::oclc Paints. Qua Steel MlII .lInd Akwa Palin. 1"heir l~bl1lti~ o1r!' mor-
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InouS, running Into billiomof nall"il, they rai~ bKau.se thry were m;maged and mn by gOW'm~L
"''e
arr now uying 10 prIviIlise. lhU! W!' are klOIdng lOr privatI! investors," Ukpanah
"Id
HI! said that Akwa P.llm
Industry with a hu~ palm estate of about 1.5oo"h«tam hAd oUUI.mdlng lI.. billtia running Into bllllOrnof rWr.t. -It railed b«,lIU5e It was m.m;tgm by gtI'\'WTlmenL Wr ;tn: now trying to priv.ltise. thus. ~ ;tre looking for priv.ue
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f;Kt.l<lm TTl«ung '''''''''''' Rome
"In 'Aim an ltalliln group from who want to .fcquire the p.Jlm estiItc<lOO takeownrtShlp. Wt
GET Arena, Oniru Estate (Before Shoprite) Lekki, Lagos. Friday, 2nd of November, 2012
are uill discussing with them," he said UkpcInah also disclosed that some group of PCOOk from lmo fwd ;tOO Indlaied Interest In ;KqulringAkm Palm. "Discussion Is ongOing beause ~ wan! an ~or that will ildd valul!' to our econol11)l -Sy ~Ing VoIlul!' I mean, for iostancl!'. thl!' 1l.1liiln group Wilnts to use thl!' crude p.1lm 011 and ship to Italy for their own IndusuyandtNtwilinot ;tdd value tooureoonomy. "If till!' ifM5tor COO'le and says thc hoI~t. lh;t( is the palm fruits will be ~ Into palm oil;tOO Il!'nned Into
<><he< produru Ii...... "'''' 011 aod so on, thm. thiI( win ildd villue; Ukpanilh
""""""'-
In till!' ase of reacock Paints, he said thilt tM Industry WilS cI~ to rcactMllon. ~ock paints borrowrd a loan of about ~30 million from ArslBank somc yeats boKk and thilt loan has grown to almost II HIOO miUlon. so we ~ to pay back. "So, ~ are MROlbtfng with ArstBank to rcauce tM inter· est. We also h..wI: till!' option of
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