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CRIN,
FMITI task farmers
There is no official letter that can be attributed to the threat order on Nigerian cocoa produce being said to be sanctioned for rejection in the European markets against next year, Food Farm News findings revealed.
This finding is
coming on the heels of recent notification of European Union (EU) to stop
taking the nation’s raw cocoa beans in their market for reason of substandard
production of the produce.
The National
President of Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) Mr. Adeola Adegoke in
a press briefing held in Abuja had hinted few journalists about the new development,
and this has since been generating reactions even as the Vice President, Yemi
Osinbajo had advised farmers on the need to ensure best agronomics practices to
avert this threat from coming to pass.
Our check on Federal
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) and Federal Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) could not get a clear picture of
whether such notice has been officially issued from the EU to Nigerian
government for one to ascertain the substance in the released information.
Many other
stakeholders especially the Umbrella body of the cocoa productivity, the Cocoa
Association of Nigeria (CAN) leadership have distanced themselves from such
pronouncement saying they did not know where such information may have
emanated.
Mr. Mufutau
Abolarinwa, the CAN President in a chat with Food Farm News said his
association may not want to affiliate with such threat order from EU since
there has not been any official letter to confirm such allegation, adding he
had even asked for the source of the information from the originator.
Speaking with Food
Farm News on the development, the Executive Director (ED) Cocoa Research
Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) Dr. Patrick Adebola has said that any sanction can
only be averted through best agronomics practices on the part of the cocoa
farmers, thereby advised on strict adherence to standard production with the
use of right chemicals and drying methods.
Dr. Adebola said
that CRIN being the research institute that has the mandate to ensure and
ascertain any scientific agro products related to best agricultural practices
in cocoa productions from seedlings to application of chemicals wants National
Agency for Food & Drugs Administration& Control (NAFDAC) to ensure
clearance of any chemicals and pesticides by his Institute before such product
is given certification to be used by farmers.
The CRIN boss
position is following the same taken by the Vice President Yemi Oshibajo who
had through one of his aids Eze Kindsley Uzoma urged farmers to ensure best
agronomics practices in order to avert Nigerian cocoa beans from being rejected
by 2022 in European markets.
Adebola stated that
‘’ Farmers must take the issue of quality very serious in cocoa. They have to
be sensitised and they must get involved. Good agricultural practices by cocoa farmers
are essential to get high quality cocoa beans. Farmers must stop the use of
unregistered and unapproved pesticides in cocoa farms. Irrational use of
registered pesticide must be discouraged. NAFDAC should partner with CRIN and
ensure there is certification from the Institute before agrochemicals on cocoa
are registered’’
Also a Deputy
Director (DD) Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) on cocoa export Mr. S.O G Twageringha has
tasked stakeholders to check themselves against sharp practices especially when
it comes to adding other substances into cocoa bag as many players are found of
mixing palm kernel into cocoa bag to just dubiously add weight for economic
gains.
Twageringha urged
farmers, local buying agents, merchants and cooperatives to be transparent in
their dealings along these value chains so as to ensure standard as unwanted
particles are not mixed up with cocoa produce just as he suggested the need for
extensions workers that would ensure best agronomics practices by farmers
especially in the application of recommended chemicals and pesticides to be
sprayed on cocoa pods.
He suggested that
stakeholders should fish out the cartels in their mist who are out to cause
sabotage in the process, saying the right jute bag to package the produce must
not be compromised with old ones in the name of saving cost. He that the 10
year national cocoa plans put together by the FMITI, FMARD, CAN and ICO had
made provision to enhance cocoa economic sustainability.
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