Visit cocoa farmers regularly, govt urged
By Kehinde Oluwatayo
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A cocoa farmer, Mr Ajibola Oluwasefunmi has called on Ondo State Government to revisit its routine check-up on cocoa farmers to ensure quality produce that is acceptable in the international market.
Oluwasefunmi, while speaking with The Hope in Idanre said government used to visit them to give them fertilizers, chemicals which enhanced the quality of their cocoa.
According to him, the fertilizers and chemicals given to them helped to reduce wastes, thereby boosting their yield and equally enhanced the quality of their produce.
Oluwasefunmi who said high quality cocoa attracts good price noted that some farmers who are only money conscious do not have the patience to process their produce properly before pushing it to the market.
He said cocoa must be fermented for five days and sun-dried for eight days for it to be of good quality but some farmers only ferment theirs for two days, sun-dry for may be three days and push to the market which makes the quality to be very bad.
“Some chemicals that we now buy are not good when we apply them and this is causing us a lot of backwardness. So government should come to our aid”, he appealed.
Apart from making one rich, Oluwasefunmi said cocoa farm can be handed over to the next generation after death.
“When you work for government, after your service years, you will retire, but if you plant cocoa, you will enjoy it through out your life time and hand it over to the next generation.
“Some people run away from cocoa farming because it is tedious. When you first plant your cocoa, it is not all that will survive, you will have to plant the second time. So it requires a lot of energy and endurance”, he said.
He encouraged people who are thinking of what to do to consider cocoa farming adding that whoever can endure will reap the benefits.
He called on government to renew its visit to the farmers to ensure healthy produce.
