The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched the National Cocoa Management Committee (NCMC) to tackle challenges in production of the crop
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar inaugurated the committee and said it aims to solve challenges and bottlenecks in Nigeria’s cocoa production industry.
The 11-man committee is expected to develop strategies to solve these challenges, ranging from diseases to infrastructure for the industry and also a strategic plan towards the establishment of a Nigerian Cocoa Board.
Challenges encountered
“Some of the challenges being encountered in the cocoa sector include pest and diseases, logistics such as rural roads and infrastructure. Also, old cocoa plantations, ageing of our cocoa farmers, processing, access to finance, environmental concerns such as deforestation, climate change and absence of a national coordinating body. The event was the culmination of enormous collective efforts including a recent visit by the officials of the ministry to Ghana to study the implementation of Living Income Differential (LID). Ghana and Cote d’ Ivoire introduced the Living Income Differential (LID) as a premium on their cocoa and as tool to complement their prices of cocoa in international market. The purpose of this is to increase the share benefits received by cocoa farmers in these countries,” said the Committee chairman, Mr Abdullahi Garba Abubakar.
The NCMC shall develop a framework for the regulation and monitoring of the activities of the cocoa sector to make the industry more transparent. It will develop a strategic plan towards the establishment of a Nigerian Cocoa Board. The committee will also develop a Nigerian charter towards joining the Ghana/Cote d’Ivoire initiative.
Permanent Secretary, of the Ministry, Dr Ernest Umakhihe, said this will be in line with the present Administration’s policy on diversification of the Nigerian economy from the oil to the non-oil sector of which Agriculture is playing a major role.
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