LAGOS – Mr Lasun Adesokan, the National Vice President, Cocoa Association of Nigeria, on Thursday appealed to the Federal Government to encourage young farmers to cultivate
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]cocoa for export.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that many young farmers were impatient with cocoa planting because of its long gestation period.
According to him, it takes an average of 36 months before newly planted cocoa begin to yield fruits.
“Cocoa production, like other cash crops, requires a lot of patience, perseverance and resilience, before farmers can harvest.
“Many farmers are leaving cocoa production for other fast germinating and yielding arable crops.
“This is not healthy for our agricultural system, especially at this time that everyone is clamouring for alternative sources of foreign exchange, due to the global fall in crude oil price.
“There are countries that rely solely on cocoa as a major source of income,’’ he said.
Adesokan appealed to governments at all levels to provide grants and soft loans to cocoa farmers, to attract young farmers to cultivate the crop on a large scale.
“Many of us are not rich enough to plant on a large scale.
“Acquisition of large land for cocoa cultivation is a major challenge that can only be resolved with adequate capital.
“Access to loans will also enable the farmers to buy quality cocoa seedlings, herbicides and pesticides that guarantee good harvests,’’ Adesokan added. (NAN)
banker of the day - FREE banker tips from experts