Godwin Ukwu, the National Vice Chairman of the Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Rivers states zone, has attributed the decline in cocoa production in Cross River State to government neglect. He mentioned that Cross River used to be the second-largest cocoa producer in Nigeria, following Ondo State.
Speaking at a training workshop in Calabar for key stakeholders in the cocoa, coffee, and oil palm sectors, Ukwu pointed out that the cocoa estates established in the 1960s by Dr. Michael Okpara, the former Premier of the defunct Eastern Region, have aged and are deteriorating due to a lack of regeneration plans.
Ukwu emphasized the need for a strategic development roadmap to achieve significant growth in the sector and praised the recent formation of a committee on the strategic development of cocoa, coffee, and oil palm by the state government.
“It has been challenging to secure a roadmap for cocoa in Cross River State. We have repeatedly advocated for this plan. The current administration seems committed to revitalizing the neglected cocoa sector, as our plantations have aged and are now dying,” Ukwu stated.
He argued that Cross River should be the leading cocoa-producing state, hindered only by the lack of political will and support to boost production and regenerate the estates. “With the efforts of the government and partners, it is highly likely that the state will achieve the number one spot, which has always been our dream,” Ukwu added.
The training workshop, aimed at developing strategic plans for the cocoa, coffee, and oil palm sectors, was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) in collaboration with the Cross River State government.
Professor Susan Ben Ohen, Chairman of the committee on the strategic development of cocoa, coffee, and oil palm, stated, “We are developing strategies for these three crops in the state. We have had extensive meetings and set goals and objectives. The training for members and stakeholders will help them understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in these sectors. The outcomes from these processes will benefit farmers, processors, marketers, banks, government, and others.”