Pastor (Otunba) Tola Faseru, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Osun State is also the President of the African Cashew Alliance, ACA. In this interview with Sultan Bello he speaks about the policies and programmes aimed at boosting Cocoa production and attaining food sufficiency in the state. Excerpts:
There was a report that tractors purchased some years back were auctioned by past regimes. How true is this?
Yes, among their cronies, the tractors were sold back to other states and Osun state was left with none. This is very unfortunate! So, His Excellency, my governor, Asiwaju Ademola Adeleke, is putting things together to get these tractors so that we can ensure food sufficiency in the state. You know what is on the lips of everybody now is food security, food supply and all that… so we don’t want hunger to come into Osun State.
We also believe that mechanisation is the way for agriculture to really be in the way it should be to make impact, rather than depend on hoes and cutlasses. The era of hoes and cutlasses has gone. This is a new age, smart agriculture, hitech agriculture, mechanised agriculture, so that… productivity can be boosted.
What is the level of collaboration between Federal, State and local governments in the growth of Cocoa, coffee and rubber production?
Well, generally as you are aware, my governor, His Excellency, Ademola Adeleke is a networker, he believes in achieving results, he believes in relationship, and you notice that earlier in the year, he paid a courtesy visit to the honourable minister of Agriculture and food security, Senator Abdullahi Kyari. Incidentally, they were both colleagues in the senate when my governor was in the red chambers.
So, they talked and harmonised positions on how to boost agriculture in the federation and indeed how that can impact what we are doing in Osun State. So, we are collaborating very strongly in many areas like cocoa production, all these other commodities coffee, cashew, cassava, arable crops on how there can be food sufficiency in Nigeria. How we can be self-sufficient rather than having to rely on importation and having to spend huge cash in foreign exchange bringing in food from some other countries, because doing that is empowering other countries to the detriment of our people, impoverishing our people, so basically that is a good idea.
We are collaborating very strongly (with the federal government) in many areas like cocoa production, all these other commodities coffee, cashew, cassava, arable crops on how there can be food sufficiency in Nigeria.
What are the challenges of farmers in the cocoa industry and in what ways has the government supported them?
Yes, over the years, we knew farmers had issues and challenges ranging from capital, proper training and capacity building, issues of mechanization, issues of input supports.
We have identified their problems and challenges, we are making efforts to solve those challenges, as much as possible, financing from various models will be put in place whereby farmers can access fund within the state from government and some fund already put place, when they take it and pay it back after using it, so that some other people can also benefit from the scheme.
We have identified their problems and challenges, we are making efforts to solve those challenges, as much as possible, financing from various models will be put in place whereby farmers can access fund within the state from government and some fund already put place, when they take it and pay it back after using it, so that some other people can also benefit from the scheme.
We also have collaboration with Bank of Agriculture, Bank of Industry and commercial banks where we can give them support and how they can access this fund. My governor, Asiwaju Ademola Adeleke also has corporate arrangements through which financial support can be available to them, not only to farmers but generally people who are doing small scale businesses as well as people who are doing handy works. That is in the area of finance and of course the area of mechanisation. You have seen what we have done, tractors are around to be made available to the farmers to fast-track and boost their efforts across the state. All the local governments in the state will be having big push in food production and we have noticed that over time, a lot of inputs have been made available to them, chemicals, fertilisers, supports even in the areas of machines, those who are into oil palm, we supported them with machines, those who are into fishery we supported them with freezers, those into poultry, we supported them with day-old chicks and feeds, and lots more will come.
And the farmers too?
Yes, support for cocoa farmers are already in view. We are working on the seedlings for them and of course fertilisers and chemicals have always been made available for them. Very soon now, in the next few weeks, His Excellency is going to distribute fertilisers and more input would be given to farmers, cassava stems. We have done that in the past and we are still going to do that, training the cassava farmers, giving them best high yield, low, short gestation materials which they can plant then that will boost their economy. When all these things are done, it will put them out of poverty, make them take care of their family, to give their children good education, so that they create a good future for themselves.
What is the situation now concerning compliance with European Union Deforestation Regulation, EUDR, which stated (until the deadline was extended) that by January 2025 countries that have not adequately addressed the challenges of deforestation should not sell their products like cocoa, coffee, oil palm etc to its member states?
As a government, we are working with other agencies like Nigeria Export Promotion Council because it is the main organ that is vested with that responsibility of looking into how export is done, we are also working with other organisations, … to see that our farmers are not put in bad state.
What if they had refused to shift ground?
If they had refused to shift ground, then it would have affected our production, but having done that we are also working with consultants to see that we are ready on or before the (new) deadline. A lot of work is going on to ensure the certification is done.
But just to also let you know that EU is not the only one buying our cocoa, the United States’ market is there for us, the Asian market is there for us, our cocoa goes to Malaysia, Indonesia and China, beyond EU, because Nigerian cocoa has the best aroma in the world. As I said, we will do all that we should do within our power for certifications, working with all our exporters who are into cocoa working in this thing so that they are certified, so that they can keep buying from our farmers.
EU is not the only one buying our cocoa, the United States’ market is there for us, the Asian market is there for us, our cocoa goes to Malaysia, Indonesia and China, beyond EU, because Nigerian cocoa has the best aroma in the world.
Is there any plan to revive the Ede Cocoa Processing Plant?
Yes (there are plans). His Excellency, my governor is working assiduously, talking to some partners to see how we can revive and upgrade the plant. Unfortunately, during the #Endsars (protest in October 2020), the plant was looted. That’s why we always say that what we used our hard-earned money to build (should not be the subject of attack, particularly during protest).
It is always good to talk to our youths, this is not the way to change the government, at least democracy provides that opportunity every four years. If they organise themselves properly, the youths command the largest opportunity (in terms of population). In fact, they have the right, and privilege to make a change when they feel they are shortchanged. So, they should begin to organise themselves, it is not too late, we are already in 2024, before you know it, 2027 is here, pull yourselves together, register and have your voters’ card then mobilise people and vote unwanted leaders out.
