…Nigerian farmers losing out in $284b global cocoa marketBy Cynthia Alo
Nigeria’s inability to develop a strong agricultural value chain may be denying farmers the opportunity to benefit from Cocoa and Coffee exports leaving many producers earning a fraction of revenue from the global market.
This concern was raised by the Global President of the Cocoa and Coffee Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (COCEFAAA), Comrade Adeola Adegoke, who lamented that Nigerian farmers earn far below the international prices of the products.
According to Adegoke, the huge gap between global earnings and what Nigerian farmers receive is a direct consequence of years of structural neglect, weak investments, poor value chain development and inadequate government support.
“Our farmers are being shortchanged, not because of laziness, but because of structural neglect,” he said.Adegoke spoke during a two-day stakeholders’ meeting and the launch of a 1,000-hectare coffee production project organised by Lingzhi Global Nigeria Limited in collaboration with the Ondo State chapter of the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria in Akure.
