Vice-President Kashim Shettima says the administration of President Bola Tinubu is fully committed to reviving Nigeria’s cocoa industry.
Shettima spoke on Monday during a meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja with a delegation from the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), led by Chris Vincent, its president.
Shettima said the administration is putting everything in place to ensure that Nigeria moves from merely producing cocoa to processing, by promoting sustainable cocoa farming and forest preservation.
He said the recent approval by the federal executive council (FEC) to set up a National Cocoa Management Board (NCMB) is part of efforts to revamp the country’s cocoa industry.
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“Let’s walk the talk. We used to be one of the world’s leading cocoa producers, but because of the advent of oil, we have been relegated to the background now,” the vice-president said.
“But we can reclaim that lost glory, and the President is fully committed to revitalising not only the cocoa industry but all agricultural value chains.”
Stressing that the cocoa prices have surged worldwide, Shettima expressed confidence that, under the president’s renewed hope agenda, Nigeria is ready to go “back to the drawing board.”
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The vice-president emphasised the importance of beginning local processing of cocoa products and informed the WCF delegation that the country has a skilled workforce, particularly young Nigerians, eager to seize employment opportunities in the agricultural sector.
“We don’t want to be producers of cocoa; we want to be processors of cocoa because a tonne of cocoa will fetch you $9,000 now, but processed cocoa will get you $30,000. If you turn them into chocolate bars, that might fetch you $50,000,” he said.
“So, we have the manpower, the average age of the nation is 17. We have very virile young men who are willing to work if they have the opportunity. So, I’m speaking from the heart; we are willing to partner with your organisation.”
‘WCF READY TO WORK WITH FG TO REVITALISE COCOA INDUSTRY’
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On his part, Vincent expressed the foundation’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to revitalise the country’s cocoa industry in line with the European Union’s sustainable regulations.
“We are in the middle of a global cocoa supply shortage, and the prices have risen four times over the last three years. We are looking for new supplies of cocoa, sustainable cocoa in particular,” Vincent said.
“The key thing here is that we have a clear alignment with industries which need to grow in supply sustainably, and I’m aware of the Nigerian State’s ambition to grow cocoa as a crop, and I know the opportunity is now.”
He noted that the current global supply shortage presents a prime opportunity for growth over the next two to three years.
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