Post by Trade Coach on Feb 17, 2021 16:37:15 GMT 1
Cocoa is grown by 50 countries in the world, Nigeria can become number one among all these countries, and this is possible because we have the size, knowledge, manpower and resources to do it. We must stabilize and concretize all that we are doing, so that no country will shake us.
Scientifically, cocoa has been found as a stress remover, the more cocoa you drink the more composed and relaxed you are, good lives start with cocoa. The original intention of cocoa was for the priest to relax and drink it in order to see vision.
Many people drink cocoa daily because of the sweet taste, without knowing what they are drinking.
Cocoa is very good and its health benefit is immeasurable, especially in the area of brain development. Cocoa is also important as a medical food.
If good effort is put in cocoa production, it will follow massive growth and wide acceptability by foreign investors and consumers considering its many uses and benefits.
About 1 million tonnes of cocoa beans would be needed in foreign countries that want to produce and consume chocolate. How will they get chocolate when they do not grow cocoa? A tropical country like Nigeria must step up its production to be able to meet up with such demand.
To achieve this feat, the cocoa farmers need adequate financial support to be able to grow, process and sell and export this commodity. Loan facilities especially long term should be made available for farmers in order to get good results that will in turn add to economic growth and development.
The rate at which farmers are getting credit facilities to work with is quite discouraging. The current rate of about 24 per cent on loan taken is not encouraging. That cannot be agricultural loans for farmers, it is a loan for people who sell and buy goods in a three months interval. Cocoa is not a three – month interval crop, it is a crop that could last a minimum of 25 to 50 years.
Therefore when you are planning loans for farmers in cocoa. You should not be thinking of three months. It is an annual circle of 12 months. And therefore when you are planning to give loans to farmers, you should be thinking of repaying for a period of 1 year. A lot is needed to maintain a commercial farm in Nigeria. The most frequent or common cocoa area in Nigeria is about minimum two to five acres.
It's no gainsaying that it will cost about N2.5 million to sustain one acre, if you multiply that by two acres you would be talking about N5 million. Why will they give a cocoa farmer N250,000 thinking that they have assisted him, it is just like a biscuit to an elephant. A loan that would be given to a farmer should be sufficient enough to take care of his farm.
Apart from finance, training for farmers, knowledge on latest technologies and skill acquisition programs should be made available for farmers for increased productivity and prevention of wastes and losses. Also, government policies should be enforced and consistent and be able to monitor chemicals and spray which farmers are using for production.
If a farmer produces what is very poisonous, he will not eat it alone, the market will buy it and many people may die, the importing countries may as well be affected and that creates a bad image and reputation for us. So, regulating whatever input used by farmers for production of crops is protecting the nation.
This is where the national agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) should team up to make sure that what the farmer gets are not fake products.
It is worthy to note that the demand and supply of cocoa around the world is constant and amazing. Most countries that make products from cocoa do not produce or grow it. Thus, making such countries largely dependent on cocoa producing countries like Nigeria. A country like Switzerland manufactures a lot of chocolates but she doesn't grow a single tree of cocoa.
This is a great opportunity for investors and potential entrepreneurs. And there's no doubt that the gains of exporting cocoa is huge and consistent. Another good thing about the cash crop is that the price will always be dictated only by the exporters of the commodity.
Cocoa is a crop worth investing in and a business that can turn a nation's economy around!
Scientifically, cocoa has been found as a stress remover, the more cocoa you drink the more composed and relaxed you are, good lives start with cocoa. The original intention of cocoa was for the priest to relax and drink it in order to see vision.
Many people drink cocoa daily because of the sweet taste, without knowing what they are drinking.
Cocoa is very good and its health benefit is immeasurable, especially in the area of brain development. Cocoa is also important as a medical food.
If good effort is put in cocoa production, it will follow massive growth and wide acceptability by foreign investors and consumers considering its many uses and benefits.
About 1 million tonnes of cocoa beans would be needed in foreign countries that want to produce and consume chocolate. How will they get chocolate when they do not grow cocoa? A tropical country like Nigeria must step up its production to be able to meet up with such demand.
To achieve this feat, the cocoa farmers need adequate financial support to be able to grow, process and sell and export this commodity. Loan facilities especially long term should be made available for farmers in order to get good results that will in turn add to economic growth and development.
The rate at which farmers are getting credit facilities to work with is quite discouraging. The current rate of about 24 per cent on loan taken is not encouraging. That cannot be agricultural loans for farmers, it is a loan for people who sell and buy goods in a three months interval. Cocoa is not a three – month interval crop, it is a crop that could last a minimum of 25 to 50 years.
Therefore when you are planning loans for farmers in cocoa. You should not be thinking of three months. It is an annual circle of 12 months. And therefore when you are planning to give loans to farmers, you should be thinking of repaying for a period of 1 year. A lot is needed to maintain a commercial farm in Nigeria. The most frequent or common cocoa area in Nigeria is about minimum two to five acres.
It's no gainsaying that it will cost about N2.5 million to sustain one acre, if you multiply that by two acres you would be talking about N5 million. Why will they give a cocoa farmer N250,000 thinking that they have assisted him, it is just like a biscuit to an elephant. A loan that would be given to a farmer should be sufficient enough to take care of his farm.
Apart from finance, training for farmers, knowledge on latest technologies and skill acquisition programs should be made available for farmers for increased productivity and prevention of wastes and losses. Also, government policies should be enforced and consistent and be able to monitor chemicals and spray which farmers are using for production.
If a farmer produces what is very poisonous, he will not eat it alone, the market will buy it and many people may die, the importing countries may as well be affected and that creates a bad image and reputation for us. So, regulating whatever input used by farmers for production of crops is protecting the nation.
This is where the national agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) should team up to make sure that what the farmer gets are not fake products.
It is worthy to note that the demand and supply of cocoa around the world is constant and amazing. Most countries that make products from cocoa do not produce or grow it. Thus, making such countries largely dependent on cocoa producing countries like Nigeria. A country like Switzerland manufactures a lot of chocolates but she doesn't grow a single tree of cocoa.
This is a great opportunity for investors and potential entrepreneurs. And there's no doubt that the gains of exporting cocoa is huge and consistent. Another good thing about the cash crop is that the price will always be dictated only by the exporters of the commodity.
Cocoa is a crop worth investing in and a business that can turn a nation's economy around!