The Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to prioritize funding for the National Cocoa Management Committee (NCMC) to enhance cocoa production and sustainability.
In an open letter, CFAN’s National President, Adeola Adegoke, emphasized that inadequate funding has hindered the NCMC’s operations in quality control, contract arbitration, child labor monitoring, and other critical areas.
Adegoke highlighted the cocoa sector’s significant contribution to Nigeria’s economy, noting a 304% increase in cocoa exports in the first quarter of 2024, which accounted for 42.4% of the N1.04 trillion agricultural exports during that period.
He urged the government to transform the NCMC into a fully funded board, support the National Task Force on the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and provide subsidized inputs to cocoa farmers to boost productivity.
Adegoke also reminded President Tinubu of his campaign promise to establish boards for critical agricultural commodities, emphasizing that cocoa should be prioritized as a leading foreign exchange earner and revenue generator for Nigeria.