Obasanjo rallies cocoa farmers on food security

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has tasked cocoa farmers in the country to forge strong farmer institutions to attain food security in Nigeria.

This was according to a statement released on Thursday by the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria after a summit of All Commodities Value Chain Associations Representatives in Nigeria.

The summit, called by Obasanjo, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural farmers institution to build a resilient agricultural supply chain of food.

In his address, Obasanjo challenged farmers’ leaders present at the occasion to, “take their destiny in their hands by forming a strong and virile association along the commodity lines that could be liken to Soyabeans Farmers Association of America that often contributed to the sponsorship or emerging of any American President at every elections year.”

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He said, “A strong farmers’ institution will make food security achievable through farmers’ empowerment.”

In his earlier remarks, CFAN National president said the body is a prominent organisation that has been representing cocoa after the dissolution of the Cocoa Board in the year 1986 for the farmers to have a unified voice that protects cocoa farmers’ interests at the national, state and local governments level of operations that transcend to the farm gate.

“CAN structure then favoured exporters and buyers who led their leadership and clearly excluded cocoa farmers from key decision-making on cocoa affairs in Nigeria. 

“It was very obvious that this lopsided notice at the CAN leadership level led to the formation of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria.

“This was what led to the formation of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria by the cocoa farmers’ representatives across the cocoa communities in Nigeria that were present at the summit. 

“They came up with a united stand to form a consensus association to represent their interest and to be known as the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria,” he said.