Given the recent astronomical increase in the prices of some beverages and consumables, especially those made from cocoa, Nigerians have been complaining about the top-roof prices of these consumables, as  90 per cent of chocolate products in the Nigerian market today

comes from Europe and some  African countries like Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and South-Africa.

To ascertain the situation in the country’s cocoa production sector, Seye Adeniyi spoke with Pastor Samuel Olanipekun Awe, the current Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Association of Nigeria Co-operative Exporters Limited (ANCE) in Ibadan, Oyo State, on some pertinent problems of cocoa production, marketing, as well as the challenges facing the agricultural profession  in Nigeria. Excerpts:

You are a prominent cocoa merchant and expert with many years of experience.  You also  belong to many cocoa associations like Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN); Co-operative Federation of Nigeria (CFN), Oyo State Commerce and Industry and Task Force of Cocoa business etc, just to mention a few.  Are you not ashamed  hat up till now, Nigeria is still importing many consumable products made from cocoa like  beverages, chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa bread and cocoa powder, when it is on record that Nigeria was once rated as one of the few countries with the highest production of cocoa globally?
Honestly, it is sad and painful that the history of Nigeria in the area of cocoa production dwindle and the problem can be linked with oil boom, as well as with military intervention in Nigeria politics in 1986.  Ever since, cocoa production in Nigeria has continued to suffer a great set-back.  That’s why we have become the laughing stock of many European countries and some African countries in the way and manner we now import all the cocoa products listed above.

Why are you blaming the military? Do they tell them? farmers to stop planting cocoa and do they seize cutlass and hoes from them?
(Cut in) ...........  Let me enlighten you a bit.  Since we discovered crude oil in Nigeria, it is a known fact that agriculture was neglected and cocoa production, being an important aspect of agriculture, was also affected.  Many cocoa farmers abandoned their profession to become petroleum marketers.  Secondly, the military regime that came on board in 1986, scrapped all the Produce Marketing Boards because they wanted to export Nigeria money and since then, we have been having serious problems with cocoa production and marketing.  Any cocoa production practitioner or merchant would buttress this fact.

Also, since the scrapping of Commodity Marketing Boards in 1986, many illegal activities have started in cocoa industry and it got to a stage that cocoa from Nigeria was no longer wanted in the international market because of their poor quality and other factors.  This then gave room for countries like Ghana and Cote-d’Ivoire to take over the cocoa market and production from Nigeria and the result of that action has greatly affected the image of Nigeria in agriculture.  That is why we see different types of chocolates, beverages and other cocoa products being imported into Nigerian market since we can’t produce them despite our potential in agriculture, especially in cocoa production.

How far with the Cocoa Rebirth Programme (CRP) started by former President Olusegun Obasanjo?
We thank God for it, because the programme has revamped cocoa business and production in Nigeria.

Is this present government paying serious attention the programme?
Well, President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has made a pronouncement on the re-introduction of the Produce Commodity Marketing Boards in order to bring back the lost glory of crops like cocoa.  So we thank God for this action, although the board is yet to start action. Probably they would begin serious work in September, 2012.  Let’s wait and see.

What is the story on cocoa production now in the country. Briefly enumerates the challenges facing  the cash crop?
For cocoa seeds to be marketable and acceptable in the international market, it must be sun-dried and not artificially dried. Cocoa that is sun-dried, I must emphasise, will command good price in the  international market and its lovable aroma would be maintained.  We should note that cocoa is not cassava which can be artificially dried, so farmers must take note.  In fact, artificial drying of  cocoa started in 1986 during the military regime.

What is wrong with drying cocoa artificially?  
Like I explained before, artificially drieying cocoa will reduce not only the aroma, but it will also contain a lot of slaty cocoa seeds  and  European buyers will offer artificial dried cocoa a lower price, blend it with aroma-rich, sun-dried cocoa from Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.

Some experts have predicted that Nigeria crude oil may soon dry. What is your reaction?
(Cut in) It is not impossible and that is why the present Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina is working tirelessly to transform the nation agricultural sector and to revamp the cocoa sector. Just imagine, before the Produce Commodity Boards was scrapped by the military regime in 1986, cocoa price was N1,600 per ton. But now, the price is as high as heaven and almost  everybody has become a cocoa merchant without control or regulation.  That is the problem we are facing.

Not only that, many European buyers relocated to the country and were  going to cocoa farmers to buy it at the farm gate, thus creating problems in the sector.

What is ANCE doing to encourage cocoa farmers and to boost export business of the cash crop?
We operate as a central agency for the marketing of members’ produce.  We finance the purchase of members’ produce as well as facilitate lawful and proper means of production and marketing of produce of member cooperative societies.

We also encourage cocoa and produce farmers by engaging in shipping, stevedoring, clearing and forwarding agency.  We also have cooperative cocoa farmers in all the Yoruba speaking states of Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and even Lagos states. So we’re really helping farmers.

Is that the only thing ANCE does for produce farmers?
We do more. We have grassroot farmers called cocoa Cooperative Produce Marketing Societies (CPMU). As member, we give them money to plants and to process cocoa.  At the village level, we called them marketing societies and at the town level, the CPMU becomes a union known as Cocoa Cooperative Produce Marketing Union (CPMU). The CPMU it should be emphasised, are  scattered all over the five states mentioned and they formed ANCE at the apex level.

Any other message or advice for cocoa farmers in Nigeria?
Farmers can also make additional income  from cocoa pods aside the seeds.  Cocoa pods can be processed into animal feed, poultry feed, etc.