ibironkeeniola 
Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), has organized the first Cocoa Farmers Day in Nigeria to celebrate the exploits of the tree crop farmers in the country.
According to the Association, the event which was held at the International Conference Center, on the 17th of October 2019 at the University of Ibadan will be replicated in subsequent years.
In his welcome Address, National President of the Association, Comrade Adeola Adegoke said the event was to galvanize the comparative competitiveness of the sector, through the Association’s partnership with relevant stakeholders in the cocoa industry.
He added that the Association would work on increasing cocoa production and quality from 400kgms per hectare to a minimum of 800kgms in the next four years, solve cocoa communities’ infrastructural challenges, and activate cocoa farmers’ database, through the digitalization of the cocoa production sector.
Other focus areas listed by the President were subsidizing cocoa products inputs, insurance for cocoa farms/farmers against hazards, embracing smart climatic practices in the cocoa sector, and better funding of cocoa production in order to make credit facilities available to coca farmers in Nigeria.
Adegoke harped on the need for coordination between the value chain operators, such as cocoa farmers, local buying agents, buyers, processors and exporters to the common issues affecting the sector.
The high point of the event was the official flagging-off of the Digitalized census of cocoa farmers in Nigeria and support towards the building of Cocoa Farmers’ house, known as “Koko Pod House”.
Participants at the event were representatives of Government Ministries, Agencies and Institutes, Royal Fathers, Cocoa Farmers, stakeholders in the cocoa value chain within Nigeria and the West African subregion.
SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA