In a bid to solve challenges and bottlenecks in Nigeria’s cocoa production industry, the Federal Government inaugurated the National Cocoa Management Committee (NCMC).
The committee was inaugurated by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar in Abuja on Tuesday, according to NAN.
The Minister added that the 11-man committee is expected to develop strategies to solve these challenges, ranging from diseases to infrastructure for the industry and also a strategic plan towards the establishment of a Nigerian Cocoa Board.
What the Minister is saying
The Committee chairman, Mr Abdullahi Garba Abubakar, from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture said, “Some of the challenges being encountered in the cocoa sector include pest and diseases, logistics such as rural roads and infrastructure.
- “Also, old cocoa plantations, ageing of our cocoa farmers, processing, access to finance, environmental concerns such as deforestation, climate change and absence of a national coordinating body.
- “The event was the culmination of enormous collective efforts including a recent visit by the officials of the ministry to Ghana to study the implementation of Living Income Differential (LID).
- “Ghana and Cote d’ Ivoire introduced the Living Income Differential (LID) as a premium on their cocoa and as tool to complement their prices of cocoa in international market.
- “The purpose of this is to increase the share benefits received by cocoa farmers in these countries.”
On the terms of reference of the committee, the Minister said:
- The NCMC shall develop a framework for the regulation and monitoring of the activities of the cocoa sector to make the industry more transparent.
- The NCMC shall develop a strategic plan towards the establishment of a Nigerian Cocoa Board.
- The NCMC shall develop a Nigerian charter towards joining the Ghana/Cote d’Ivoire initiative.
Permanent Secretary, of the Ministry, Dr Ernest Umakhihe, said this will be in line with the present Administration’s policy on diversification of the Nigerian economy from the oil to the non-oil sector of which Agriculture is playing a major role.
What you should know
- Nairametrics reported earlier that Nigeria’s agricultural export surged by 57.02% to N504.9 billion in 2021 compared to N321.5 billion recorded in the previous year, which is also the highest agro-export income on record.
- Nigeria’s top agro-export for 2021, was Nigeria cocoa beans, as Nigeria exported cocoa beans worth N209.89 billion in 2021, accounting for 41.6% of the total export earnings by Nigeria in the year under review.
- A further breakdown of the data from the NBS showed that Nigeria exported superior quality raw cocoa beans worth N37.42 billion while export of well-fermented cocoa beans was stated at N209.9 billion.
