The Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria, CFAN has lamented that the country loses 60 billion naira annually to non-collection of Living Income Differential, LID.
President of the association Adeola Adegoke announced this in Abuja on the sideline of a workshop meant to review cocoa production policies and strengthen the production of cocoa, organised by Agricultural Policy Research in Africa, APRA and the University of Ibadan, Oyo state. The workshop was themed: “Cocoa commercialisation in Nigeria: Issues, prospects and policy requirements”.
He also explained that the association is poised towards leading the country to regain its lost glory in the comity of cocoa producing countries.
Adegoke stated that with their dominance as global cocoa producers, Ghana’s and Cote d’Ivoire’s new Living Income Differential, LID was a bold new move by the two countries to make a fundamental change to the structure of global markets.
On his part, the Chairman, House Committee on Agricultural Colleges, Universities and Institutions of Agriculture, Munil Uba- Danabundi, said formulated policies should be well implemented. According to him, cocoa farming is one of the most sustainable investments that will give employment to the teeming Nigerian youths.
Also speaking, Country Lead and Principal Investigator of APRA in Nigeria, Adeola Olajide, stressed that the government needed to create a cocoa utilisation and consumption policy, adding that Nigeria must consume its own cocoa.
