The Osun state government has identified about 60 million active cocoa trees to produce ‘Cocoa-Omoluabi.’
The state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola announced this when he had a meeting with Cocoa Produce Merchants in the state at the Government House Banquet Hall in Osogbo today.
He explained that for the state to start on a good footing at producing ‘Cocoa Omoluabi,’ the state has enumerated and identified 60 million active cocoa trees in the state.
He said that with new cocoa development initiatives in the state, there will be a new cash inflow to make the economy of the state prosperous.
According to the governor, the state has also signed a Memorandum of under standing with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on the development of agriculture and production of massive food production as alternative to oil.
The agreement, according to Aregbesola, involved releasing of 204.39 hectares of land in Ago Owu Farm Settlement to IITA for the purposes of conducting research and setting up demonstration farms for best farming practices.
IITA will also carry out cassava, plantain and other crops multiplication, including Cocoa and to train the youths in the state in modern, commercial and profitable farming.
Governor Aregbesola said that a commodity board will be established and will be supervised directly by the office of the governor to ensure that Osun ranks among the best cocoa producers in Nigeria within the next two years.
He told the produce merchants that the economic situation of the state has been badly affected with the pillaging of the national treasury by the previous administration.
Aregbesola said that the situation with the drop in oil prices and the sharp reduction in the Federation Accounts from N1.2 trillion in 2012 to N369 billion in November allocations shared in December 2015 has reduced the running of government to little or nothing, hence the need to look inward for increased Internally Generated Revenue.
The governor said that the state government will henceforth criminalise any action of farmers and merchants that runs foul of government laws on cocoa.
He pointed out that government will soon be registering all farmers in the state for easy implementation of government policies on agriculture to give adequate room for monitoring and giving the necessary support for farmers.
“To show the people of the state that we are ready to face agricultural business squarely in Osun, I am establishing a commodity board that will be supervised directly from the office of the governor.
“Our bags of cocoa in Osun will be branded with this; government will be able to ensure that the quality of cocoa coming out of the state meets international quality. When there was free money coming from oil, no government was looking at what cocoa could bring to the economy. We are back to the days where cocoa will be the main stay of our economy in Osun.”
The governor hinted about Produce tribunals that will be set up across the state and that special colour will be given to vehicles that will be transporting cocoa within the state.
Aregbesola said that the State Executive Council meetings will be held in rural areas where cocoa farming is thriving in the state for about six months to one year after the formation of his cabinet.
Earlier, the Chairman of All farmers Association of Osun state, Chief Raheem Adeniji said that the association is ready to partner and cooperate with government to revamp the cocoa farming in the state.
He lamented the poor economic state the country has found it in, with the neglect of cocoa.
Adeniji commended the government for introducing E-payment. [myad]
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