Resuscitating cocoa production to boost national economy

The effect of the drop in oil price on the average family brings to mind the adage that says, a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. It also underlines another that says the devil you know, is better than the angel you do not know.

Since the oil we know has disappointed Nigerians and the economy is now begging for diversification, a nation with good memory should not fail to remember the good old days when the old Western Region rose and went to bed with cocoa which the earth yielded abundantly.

Now there is a general consensus to look inwards and forget the politics of crude oil and the nightmarish corruption that defeated so great a gift from God to Nigerians, it is now proper to initiate realistic ways of reviving the country’s economy.
Economists point out that the country’s mono-product economy aptly explains why the negative trend in international oil pricing has caused a downturn in national income.

The development has consequently triggered dwindling monthly allocations from the Federation Account to the three tiers of government.

The experts note that the development is the rationale behind the failure of many states and local governments to fulfill their financial obligations, particularly the payment of workers’ salaries.

As governments are battling to find a lasting solution to the current economic challenges facing the country, analysts underscore the need to diversify the economy.

They insist that increased emphasis should be placed on agriculture, the erstwhile mainstay of Nigeria’s economy prior to the discovery of petroleum in the country.

At the recent National Executive Council meeting of Golden Cocoa Growers’ Association held at Ilorin, National President of the association, Chief Moses Aliwa urged government to devise pragmatic ways of boosting the economy via improved agricultural production alternative. Chief Moses Aliwa stressed that Nigeria was going through an economic crisis because of the years of neglect of the agricultural sector.

He said that government should strive to encourage the youth to participate in farming, particularly cocoa cultivation, as part of efforts to guard against the country’s economic collapse and growing army of youth unemployment nationwide.

“We want government to provide credit facilities such as grants and loans, which would encourage our youths to go into cocoa farming.

“We also want government to also provide genuine agro-chemicals such as pesticides to protect our cocoa farms from pest attacks,’’ he said.

Aliwa, who decried the inability of farmers to get market for their produce, also appealed to government to intervene by getting markets for the farmers’ produce so as to avoid post-harvest losses.

He also expressed confidence in the ability of the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, to turn things around.

Nevertheless, one of the trustees of the association, Mr. Umogbai Benji  urged government to make improved seedlings available for cocoa farmers across the country.

“There are varieties of cocoa that can produce within 18 months and replace the old ones which have become aged.

“We want government to make it possible for the reactivation and establishment of cocoa seed gardens close to the farmers.

“If every cocoa grower is sure of getting improved cocoa seedlings from cocoa seed gardens, he will acquire and plant them, while expecting a good harvest,’’ he said.

Besides, Benji advocated the inclusion of cocoa drinks in the Federal Government’s school feeding programme.

He stressed the need for Nigerians to eat what they produced, saying that other countries were making better use of cocoa products like chocolate and cocoa drinks.

“What is government going to do? That is why we talk about off-taker, where government buys from farmers, instead of allowing his produce to waste.

“These were the challenges that led to the nosedive in the production of cocoa and some other crops,” he said.

Arosanyin, who is a former chairman of the All Farmers’ Association (AFAN), urged the government to recruit youths, while giving stipends to them, pending the maturation of their farm produce.

He added that cocoa could also be inter-planted with crops like cowpea, potatoes and soya beans, among others, which would mature earlier, saying that such arrangements would enable young cocoa farmers to eke out a living before harvest periods.

“Also, there must be access to credit at single digit rate of between five and six per cent.

“The issue of moratorium should also be examined because most farmers do not have the wherewithal that would enable them to say `let me take loan today and the interest will start to count tomorrow’.

“So, there must be a moratorium, at least to defer payment of interest in the first year. Let the farmer invest and make profit before government begins to charge interest.

“The issue of collateral should as well be waived. Most farmers do not have land with C of O (Certificate of Occupancy).

“These are major impediments, and government needs to look at them holistically,’’ he added.

Arosanyin then identified one of the major factors hindering the development of agriculture as inconsistency in agricultural policies due to changes in government.

He said that there used to be a ‘policy somersault’ whenever there was a transition in government.

“Each time one government goes and another comes in, there is always a policy somersault, so we move forward and move backward or remain static,’’ he said.

He therefore, stressed that any new government should always review the policies and programmes it inherited, without any form of prejudice or bias, in order to acknowledge the good ones among them and make good use of them.

Arosanyin particularly advised the youth to explore and use the existing potential of agriculture to their advantage, urging them to also see agriculture as a worthwhile venture. We should not forget that agriculture used to be the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy before the advent of oil.

“Food has been the basic sustenance of man, after air we breathe. We think food, we talk food and any nation that cannot feed itself cannot claim to be a sovereign nation,” he said.

“If you see the amount of money government is spending on food imports, you will understand why the economy is in serious crisis.
“Nigeria has no business in importing rice, importing fish and the likes. What needs to be done is for government to improve agricultural production by creating an enabling environment for increased
participation of citizens, particularly the youth.’’

All in all, stakeholders, including farmers’ groups, insist that agriculture remains the most viable way of boosting the Nigerian economy.

They therefore underscore the need to initiate pragmatic strategies to diversify the oil-based economy into an agriculture-driven economy.