COCOA VALUE CHAINS DRIVE TO BUILD COCOA PRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION:

The Cocoa Value Chain is charged by the Government to grow Nigeria’s share of the global cocoa market by doubling cocoa production to 500,000 MT by 2015, improve production efficiency and income of farmers through capacity building in good agricultural practices and business skills,

driving up local value addition and consumption, and strengthening public-private sector partnerships through established institutional framework.  It also seeks to create additional sources of income for farmers through diversification and engagement in other enterprises and creation of over 390,000 jobs in the next four years.

GOALS

Ø  Double national cocoa output to 500,000 MT through increased farm-level productivity.

Ø  Improve family   income and   livelihood   of   250,000   farm   households     through   capacity.

Ø  Building in good agricultural practices, invest-decision making and professionalization.

Ø  Create      390,000   new    jobs along    the value   chain   through   increased   production.

Ø  Processing, professionalization, value addition and marketing activities.

Ø  Increase value addition and local processing (grinding) to not less than 25% of national cocoa beans production.

Ø  Raise local consumption to not less than 5% of annual production.

Ø  Build strong institutional governance structure for the Nigerian cocoa   industry established on a sustainable public-private partnership platform.

OBJECTIVES

Ø  Engage and support activities that will deliver improved high yielding and early maturing varieties to farmers and deliver productivity-enhancing technologies to achieve increased cocoa farm productivity and production in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible manner.

Ø  Achieve an annual production of 500,000mt, based on the land size of 800,000ha planted to cocoa and a yield of 600 - 650 kg/ha.

Ø  Promote and achieve the certification of at least 25% of Nigerian cocoa production.

Ø  Achieve 25% processing of national output within four (4) years and 50% within ten (10) years.

Ø  Promote the establishment of small/medium-scale enterprises within clusters of farms to produce fast moving consumer cocoa products from cocoa and its by-products.

Ø  Enhance local consumption by 5% of the annual production in 4years.

Ø  Create additional sources of income for farmers through diversification.

Ø  Carrying out consistent monitoring and evaluation of progress to ensure goals are being met.

Products that were redeemed to cocoa farmers:

Fungicides:

Ridomil                            -           100 sachets/farmer

Fungunran-OH                 -           100 sachets/farmer

Champ DP                        -           100 sachets/farmer

Ultimax                            -           100 sachets/farmer

Kocide 2000                    -           100 sachets/farmer

Insecticides:

Actara                               -           25 sachets/farmer

Esiom                               -           25 sachets/farmer

Fertilizers:

Teractiv Cocoa Fertilizer                       -           2 bags of 50kg/farmer

Cocoa boost                                             -           2 Liters/farmer

ACHIEVEMENTS:

§     47,774 farmers redeemed various types of agro inputs and fertilizer in 2014 cocoa GES, programme.

§     Distributed 573,013 improved early maturing hybrid cocoa pods (20.05 million seedlings) free of charge to cocoa farmers for rehabilitation and new planting.

§     Supporting international collaboration in states: In support of the on-going Cocoa Transformation Agenda, Ondo State Government has embarked on cocoa Revolution Programme in the State. The State has signed a partnership agreement with SPAGNVOLA Chocolatiers Ltd. LLC from Maryland, United States of America for the production of Made-in Nigeria.

§     Developed a partnership with the GIZ to implement the Smallholder Agric-Business Programme for the training of 25,000 cocoa farmers on Business School and establishment of Community Seed Gardens in Cocoa Producing States in Nigeria.

§     Conducted a Workshop on Agro Commodity Certification Training materials with Solidaridad in collaboration with FDAE to set standards for Cocoa, Sorghum and Fish Value Chain.

§     Organized a Cocoa Summit sponsored by Cocoa Processors association of Nigeria (COPAN) in collaboration with Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), Cocoa Exporters of Nigeria and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

§     Developed an Institutional Framework For Cocoa Value Chain

§     Provided a befitting office for COPAN Secretariat as well as a residential accommodation for its Secretary General.

Conclusion:

The value chain is posed to enhance the Cocoa production and promote strategies that will stimulate private sector participation in up-scaling processing, value addition and marketing; thereby increasing wealth creation for all stakeholders in the sector.