By Bisola Adeyemo
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar has said that cocoa documents will boost farmers’ productivity by going a long way to galvanize the cocoa industry in terms of extension services, production, processing, and export.
Abubakar stated this on Tuesday during a programme presentation of document, titled ‘Cocoa Production Update’ which was organized by the Director of Federal Department of Agricultural Extension, Engr Frank Kudla.
While receiving the documents, Abubakar assured that documents on the cocoa industry will boost farmers’ productivity as they are comprehensive to tackle various challenges.
“Without research their will be no innovation and it will cause stagnation where we are.
“A lot has gone on into the production of this manual as a result of articulated research by experts, meaning they have gone under over and above to find out why is cocoa production is not at the utmost best here, and I am sure they have found out and now knowing on that removing all the bubbles.
“Naturally you will have increased in yield, you will have reduction in post harvest, you will have reduction even you will have improved seeds, everything that you can think of because it’s in the manual, and is the research that brought about finding out all these things.
“And once that is done, I can assure you an increase in yield even in the ease of production plant in maintenance, and production.
“It has brought out things that are causing hindrance in becoming even better than what we used to be. So with this, we will know how to avoid the pitfalls. This must have been discovered during this period of research so that we can avoid those hindrances and be just as good as any other country.
“In fact, Nigeria should be the best cocoa producing country in the world. I think now it is time for us to even start not just exporting the raw cocoa but the cocoa powder so that it will increase the value chain, income for the farmers and producers of cocoa,” Abubakar said.
