Post by Trade facilitator on Jan 20, 2013 1:52:33 GMT 1
The National President, Cocoa Association of Nigeria, Mr Sayina Robinson Riman has said a ban on the cocoa beans export will not improve the fortunes of local farmers.
Riman, who was reacting to a statement credited to Cocoa Processors Association of Nigeria (CPAN), which called for a ban on the export of cocoa beans from Nigeria, said local farmers need the export market to earn income.
Besides, he added that the cocoa processing factories lack the capacity to handle cocoa produced locally since their installed capacity is lower than the country’s production estimate of about 270,000 metric tonnes.
While acknowledging the huge investments involved in the setting up of cocoa processing plants, he said the cost of running these factories profitably and the challenge of infrastructure failure.
The CAN chief noted that the position taken by the processors was not only myopic, but smacked of selfishness and intolerance.
Riman stressed that each link in the value chain of cocoa was as valuable as the other and none may undermine the relevance of any other.
He noted that farmers and traders play critical roles like input providers, researchers, warehouse and collateral managers, exporters, processors, transporters and development agencies.
While recalling that a similar attempt to ban the export of cocoa beans in 1992, also championed by a group of cocoa processors,led to farmers abandoning cocoa farms and even many farms being destroyed, Riman warned that suggestions about placing a ban on the export of cocoa beans would send the wrong signals to the government and the international community.
Riman said the position being canvassed by the processors was alien to free enterprise, adding that neither Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroun, nor any cocoa producing country banned cocoa beans export.
He described as disturbing the press interviews by cocoa processors, saying there is a platform for such views in CAN.
He urged the cocoa processors to look inward to solve their challenges instead of dabbling into what would cause ripples in the sector.
According to him, processors should take advantage of the cocoa transformation agenda of the Federal Government to embark on backward integration to overcome their supply challenges.
He wondered why the processors wanted to truncate the cocoa transformation agenda of the government. He noted that the objective of the scheme was to increase production by over 100 per cent in the next three years.
Chairman, Ondo State Farmers Congress, Evangelist Joshua Oyedele, said the processors were misguided.
According to him, any attempt to ban cocoa bean export will be resisted by his colleagues.
He stated that the move by processors was retrogressive, and anti-people.
Oyedele sees the move as an attempt to defraud cocoa farmers since the processors will collect their beans without paying for them.
He urged them to act like businessmen that they ought to be and stop chasing shadows.
“If the government bans cocoa beans export do the processors have capacity to take up all the cocoa we produce in Ondo State, not to mention Nigeria? ” Oyedele queried.
“If they had that capacity, then they would not be asking for a ban on cocoa beans. This is a free enterprise economy.The days of cocoa board are over. No one will deceive us any longer. We shall fight anyone who wants to kill us and our children to the last blood,” he added.
Oyedele asked the government to ignore the processors, adding that their request ran contrary to the government’s policy to increase cocoa production from the 250,000 metric tonnes to 500,000 metric tonnes in the next three cropping seasons.
“They have tried to use every means to steal our sweat and have been unable to do it. Now they want to use the instrument of the government. It will not work,” the farmers’ leader added.
Source: thenationonlineng.net/new/business/agriculture/cocoa-export-ban-wont-help-farmers/
Riman, who was reacting to a statement credited to Cocoa Processors Association of Nigeria (CPAN), which called for a ban on the export of cocoa beans from Nigeria, said local farmers need the export market to earn income.
Besides, he added that the cocoa processing factories lack the capacity to handle cocoa produced locally since their installed capacity is lower than the country’s production estimate of about 270,000 metric tonnes.
While acknowledging the huge investments involved in the setting up of cocoa processing plants, he said the cost of running these factories profitably and the challenge of infrastructure failure.
The CAN chief noted that the position taken by the processors was not only myopic, but smacked of selfishness and intolerance.
Riman stressed that each link in the value chain of cocoa was as valuable as the other and none may undermine the relevance of any other.
He noted that farmers and traders play critical roles like input providers, researchers, warehouse and collateral managers, exporters, processors, transporters and development agencies.
While recalling that a similar attempt to ban the export of cocoa beans in 1992, also championed by a group of cocoa processors,led to farmers abandoning cocoa farms and even many farms being destroyed, Riman warned that suggestions about placing a ban on the export of cocoa beans would send the wrong signals to the government and the international community.
Riman said the position being canvassed by the processors was alien to free enterprise, adding that neither Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroun, nor any cocoa producing country banned cocoa beans export.
He described as disturbing the press interviews by cocoa processors, saying there is a platform for such views in CAN.
He urged the cocoa processors to look inward to solve their challenges instead of dabbling into what would cause ripples in the sector.
According to him, processors should take advantage of the cocoa transformation agenda of the Federal Government to embark on backward integration to overcome their supply challenges.
He wondered why the processors wanted to truncate the cocoa transformation agenda of the government. He noted that the objective of the scheme was to increase production by over 100 per cent in the next three years.
Chairman, Ondo State Farmers Congress, Evangelist Joshua Oyedele, said the processors were misguided.
According to him, any attempt to ban cocoa bean export will be resisted by his colleagues.
He stated that the move by processors was retrogressive, and anti-people.
Oyedele sees the move as an attempt to defraud cocoa farmers since the processors will collect their beans without paying for them.
He urged them to act like businessmen that they ought to be and stop chasing shadows.
“If the government bans cocoa beans export do the processors have capacity to take up all the cocoa we produce in Ondo State, not to mention Nigeria? ” Oyedele queried.
“If they had that capacity, then they would not be asking for a ban on cocoa beans. This is a free enterprise economy.The days of cocoa board are over. No one will deceive us any longer. We shall fight anyone who wants to kill us and our children to the last blood,” he added.
Oyedele asked the government to ignore the processors, adding that their request ran contrary to the government’s policy to increase cocoa production from the 250,000 metric tonnes to 500,000 metric tonnes in the next three cropping seasons.
“They have tried to use every means to steal our sweat and have been unable to do it. Now they want to use the instrument of the government. It will not work,” the farmers’ leader added.
Source: thenationonlineng.net/new/business/agriculture/cocoa-export-ban-wont-help-farmers/
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