Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr Sayyad Ruma, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to grow the agriculture sector through tree crops production, marketing and research.
The Cocoa Association of Nigeria, citing the minister’s address delivered at the swearing-in of the new national executive members of the association in a statement on Friday in Lagos, said the government had invested huge funds to revive the agriculture sector towards ensuring food sufficiency.
Ruma, who was represented by a director in the ministry, Mr. Olu Ayoade, said the government currently gives 50 per cent subsidy on all agro-chemicals, nursery hybrid seedlings and other farming inputs to boost production.
According to him, the government would employ public private partnership to achieve the set goals.
He explained that the introduction of the National Cocoa Development Committee had
brought back those farmers who abandoned cocoa farms.
He said that many cocoa farmers had been trained, with hybrid seedlings distributed towards meeting the government’s annual cocoa production target of 800,000 tonnes.
Ondo State Olusegun Agagu said the state had introduced interest-free loans to farmers to enhance their standard living and encourage large scale farming.
“The state government has raised over three million cocoa seedlings which had been distributed free to farmers across the state and additional two million sold at over 70 per cent subsidised rate,” he said.
Agagu urged CAN executive members to bring their experience to bear in wooing more farmers to the sector.
The new president, Mr. Joseph Adegbulu, urged stakeholders to team up with the CAN in its plan to consolidate on the current achievement of producing 400,000 tonnes of cocoa per annum.
He said the new executive would focus on capacity building for farmers, increase the establishment of cottage industries and discourage the use of banned chemicals.

In addition, Adegbulu said CAN, under his leadership, would mount campaigns to raise local consumption of cocoa.