The Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) has flagged off the distribution of booklets on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in cocoa production to small-scale cocoa farmers in Osun State and Oyo State, respectively.
The National President, CFAN, Mr. Adeola Adegoke, at the flag off, disclosed that the distribution of the booklet is intended to increase cocoa production, eradicate child labor, stop deforestation, encourage responsible usage of pesticides, up-scale traceability and certification in the cocoa value chain.
Free copies of the cocoa booklets were co-sponsored by CFAN, the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), EBAFOSA Nigeria, Harvest-field Industries Limited, the Federal Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and other stakeholders.
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Adegoke urged farmers to embrace training on certification, keep records of sources of seedlings, dates of planting and other information that could help in tracing places of production and other labelling information.
He also used the opportunity to call on the Osun State government, royal fathers and other stakeholders on the need to stop the destructive and negative activities of miners across cocoa plantations in the state.
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“The reality of this threat by the miners in the state has reduced the state’s cocoa production capacity drastically and made many of our farmers jobless as a result of the destruction of their farms in the state.”
“The living incomes of our smallholder cocoa farmers have dropped in the state, while many of our indigenous cocoa farmers are now being forced to migrate to other states for cocoa farming activities as tenants, due to the negative activities of these miners who invade cocoa farms at will.” Adegoke noted.
