Abia Govt. approves N20m for purchase of cocoa pesticides, equipment

Reporting: Richard rhiz
Abia government said it has approved N20 million for the
purchase of cocoa pesticides, equipment and hydrocarbon
jute bags to boost cocoa production.
The Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Chief Uzo
Azubuike, said this on Tuesday while declaring open a one-
day 'Export Market Meet' in Umuahia, organised by the
Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Smart Office in
Aba.
He said that the items would be distributed to cocoa farmers
in the state at 50 per cent subsidised rate "to ensure a bumper
and healthy harvest.
"This will definitely present Abia better in the cocoa map of the
nation," said the commissioner, who was represented by Mr
Elem Okorie, a director in the ministry.
He said that the state government had begun the "systematic
rehabilitation and rejuvenation of moribund agricultural
estates," such as cocoa, oil palm, rubber and cashew,
abandoned by past administrations in the state.
Azubuike said that Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu was committed toward
repositioning the cocoa sector in line with national and
international market demands through aggressive development
of the product.
He said that Abia, which ranked eighth among cocoa
producing states in Nigeria, is endowed with good tropical
climate and vast land for massive cocoa production.
In his address, Mr Christian Elekwa, the Trade Promotion
Advisor, NEPC Smart Office, Aba, said that the workshop was
organised to sensitise stakeholders in the cocoa industry on
the need to produce high quality products to meet the
requisite standard for export.
Elekwa said that the workshop became imperative in order to
make cocoa products from Nigeria acceptable in the
international market.
He said that there had been rising concern over the integrity
and quality of some raw agricultural and semi-processed
products from Nigeria.
He regretted that some countries in Europe and America had
either placed outright ban or some restrictions on the
importation of Nigerian products.
He said that the workshop would create an opportunity for the
council to interact with the stakeholders not only to produce
high quality cocoa beans but also progress from exporting raw
cocoa beans to processing them for export.
"It will also afford the participants the opportunity to be exposed
to good agricultural practices in line with international best
practices, " Elekwa said.
He said that NEPC had stepped up efforts to boost the
nation's export from non-oil sector in line with the Federal
Government's policy on diversification.
"The current dwindling revenue from oil as a result of a fall in
the global oil price has placed further responsibilities on NEPC
to promote increase in the contribution of non-oil exports to the
economy,"