Dr. Jibayo Oyebade is a former lawmaker in the Ondo State House of Assembly and Chairman, ODHA Committee on Agriculture, former Commissioner of Agriculture, Fishery and Forest Resources, former Chief Instructor to FUTA Teaching and Research Farm, Pioneer Chairman, Ondo State Cocoa Revolution Project and current Acting Director, AAUA Teaching and Research Farm. In this interview with ADEKOLA AFOLABI, the agriculture expert spoke extensively on why the quality of cocoa reduced in Ondo state and Nigeria in general and ways to reclaim the lost fortunes of cocoa.
As an expert in cocoa production, what is the place of cocoa in Nigeria economy?
Cocoa occupied very important position in the economy of the country before now and you can see that Awolowo did so many things with cocoa in 1950s in the Western Region. Later our cocoa started going down because of poor processing techniques and other things.
But Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) is now taking the bull by the horns. They want to start real advocacy on cocoa processing. They want to start real awareness about rehabilitation of the old farms apart from establishing new farms; federal government is doing something on it. Cocoa is the next alternative to crude oil. Awolowo did so many things with cocoa in 1950s, but we are going down. Cocoa died as a result of the demise of the Western Nigeria Marketing Board under Chief Olu Falae and others.
A lot of people lost money to the cooperative. A lot of farmers were disenchanted and the value of Cocoa started going down. When the cocoa got abroad they reduced the price. To now restore the lost glory of cocoa, there must be strong advocacy and training on cocoa production techniques. How do we go about the old farms and also start new farms? There is hybrid cocoa now which can have fruits within three years unlike the old ones that will take seven years in those days; they call it Baba ma roju. I know it because I was officially introduced to cocoa business in 1957. My father was the Treasurer of the largest cooperative in the Western Region. I was trained with cocoa money up to the university level. The reality is that cocoa must be resuscitated back to its past glory. Government must support the advocacy, and this should not be a lip-service, but real advocacy. Government should establish new plantation that will bring fruits in two years.
And if government want to clear land for cocoa plantation, they must not use bulldozers because the equipment will compact the soil and will not allow the tap roots to grow properly. The technology we are putting in place now is one cocoa tree, one plantain sucker by its side to serve as shade, and we have this in Agangan in Ose local government area now. When in the Ondo State House of Assembly, I was the first lawmaker that sponsored Private Member Bill up till today with millions of naira. The bill was on Produce and Allied Matters which specifically included cocoa, groundnuts and cashew for good quality for export.
There and then, I was made Commissioner by, late Dr. Olusegun Agagu, and later I left politics and joined FUTA as Chief Instructor to the Teaching and Research Farm. After that during the administration of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, I was made Chairman, Cocoa Revolution. I did the revolution for about two and a half years. I’m now with them at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) as Acting Director, Teaching and Research Farm in the University.
What has become of the Private Member Bill you sponsored?
It was passed into law, and it was also signed into law by late Governor Agagu in 2006. The law is Produce and Allied Matter, 2006. The law is in Ondo State Law compendiums. It included cocoa specifically. I was trying to bring the law out before I left Cocoa Revolution but so many evils are around agriculture, including the Ministry people and a lot of others, so they sabotaged it. But the original bill is there and if any government tries to implement the law, there will be heavy revenues from cocoa.
Of what benefit will the law be to cocoa production?
One, it will sanitise the quality of our cocoa for export. It will go back to the olden days grade one premium under the Western Nigeria Marketing Board which late Chief Obafemi Awolowo established. Then, it will make all cocoa farmers to obey fermentation period and produce good cocoa including palm kernel and cashew. It will increase turn increase revenue generation. The law will make you register, secure license, get buyers including exporters. We don’t observe good fermentation period and that is why our cocoa is bad.
How many days are the fermentation period?
Thank you. It is good five days, the day of poding is not included. If our farmers can obey this it will increase the weight of cocoa. We did that in Oda Cocoa Revolution when I was Chairman and the farmers there were amazed. It will also ensure good quality of cocoa. Poor fermentation and processing techniques lead to poor quality and 15 per cent weight loss. That is the main reason the annual cocoa production in Nigeria is going down gradually. Poor processing techniques reduce overall weight.
Cocoa production itself is already going down; farms are old. But I personally refuse to accept that old trees cannot fruit. It only need specific thing which farmers in the olden days did, that is, pruning. We did it in 1954 plantation that Awolowo established and they started fruiting again. The Bible says prune the apple trees, it will fruit more. So if you prune any tree that is fruiting it is going to increase fruiting.
So, when I was Chairman Cocoa Revolution, I thought it within me that I did not want cocoa to die, and that is why I introduced it to AAUA and they bought it. Now in Adekunle Ajasin, we have 10, 000 seedlings. The Council approved 30 hectares for the project and we have planted five hectares. As time goes on more will be planted. This will increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the University. The University is the only University in Nigeria with Cocoa Curriculum in their Syllabus in the Faculty of Agriculture. Apart from this, they are the only University now that will totally answer the required developmental things that should be done about cocoa. Cocoa pod is big money, but it’s decaying all over big farms. We did it in Oda Cocoa Farm. Dry cocoa pod is good for soap making and other things.
The decaying ones are good for organic fertilizer. Why now government will keep quiet? Cocoa is enough to generate revenue and increase employment. Chief Adekunle Ajasin established Owena Mill that was processing black cocoa beans. Good and neat cocoa beans were for export in those days. Black cocoa beans factory should be re-established so that farmers will not continue to muddle up the black and good beans. Farmers believe beans is beans. But if they know that they can still sell the black beans and that there is a law that bans mixing black with good ones they will obey. That law is very germane to revenue, cocoa production and development. Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko has already signed a memorandum of understanding with Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) which revamp cocoa in Nigeria. To develop cocoa, we need good advocacy and training.
Why is it so difficult for government to create jobs for youths through cocoa farming, at least to resuscitate the sector?
Our youths have not been prioritised. Government should be ready to resuscitate the sector. I can tell you now that 23 states can grow cocoa in Nigeria. Let us say, for instance in Ondo state, government commits at least two thousand hectares of forest reserves per each senatorial district to cocoa plantation in the state, our production will increase in the next three to four years. Let government resuscitate old farms and also give farmers seedlings support and let government monitor it. Ondo State has the largest seed gardens in Nigeria and we also have Cocoa Research Institute. Government should call experienced stakeholders together to address it. When I was Chairman, Cocoa Revolution we distributed one million seedlings to farms within two years. The complaint of youths has always been that where is the land. Government should provide land for youths and prepare the land by under brushing it, felling, rooting and cross-cutting the trees and supply youths with seedlings. So, government must involve youths, prepare land and give them seedlings. If government now does it for them, government can ask for certain percentage from their annual incomes and this will be better. Many of our youths today are riding okada. So, if government can do that Ondo State will be producing nothing less than 400, 000 tonnes within the next five to six years apart from what we are producing now. The youth are ready, they are not lazy.
What is the production capacity of Ondo State?
The last record I have was 70, 000 metric tonnes per year at one million naira per tonnes. If the state government’s intervention comes in cocoa transformation we are supposed to be around 150,000 tonnes per year. 150, 000 was our level in Ondo state before everything started declining. But if federal and state governments’ intervention comes in cocoa transformation through NEPC we will be around 450,000 to 500,000 tonnes per annum in Nigeria, and that is why Nigeria Export Promotion Council signed an MoU with AAUA, so that, we can move from the current over 250, 000 tons per annum in the country to between 450, 000 and 500, 000 within the next two to four years. So, if properly harnessed as NEPC is planning, we will regain the lost glory of cocoa.
How much revenue can we generate from cocoa per annum?
We are producing over 250,000 tonnes per year now, and if you multiply N1m per tonnes which was the price three years ago you will know the huge sum of money that can be realised from cocoa. Right now the price is N750, 000 per ton but this largely depends on the price of the commodity in the world market. So if you put it at an average of N750, 000 multiply by 250, 000 per tonnes then, N750, 000 multiply by 450, 000 tonnes, it will give you billions of naira.
How many jobs can cocoa production generate?
Cocoa is the major employment generator in Ondo state and Nigeria in general. You can start from the owners of cocoa farms, their wives with children, the labourers, those who are in the stores, those who are buying from stores to the final users you will know that it can create millions of jobs to people.
Does it have the capacity to create more jobs than government?
Yes, yes. If you see how I analysed the employment now starting from the farmer who owns the farm, his wife and children, labourers who are annual workers, the drivers who move cocoa to the port, those who will off load and load, the security guards, and others, you can see the value chain of employments. Over three million jobs can be created within two years if government can intentionally establish new cocoa farms and divide the farms for youths. They will make good money from cocoa than civil service job.
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