Governor Aiyedatiwa pledges to boost cocoa exports, tackle deforestation in Ondo

By Boye Oyeyemi

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has said his administration is stepping up efforts to curb deforestation and reposition the state’s cocoa industry to meet international export standards.

Aiyedatiwa made this known on Tuesday at the opening of the second FAO Participatory Informed Learning Approach Multi-Stakeholders Workshop held in Akure. The programme was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations under the GEF-7 FOLUR-IP Nigeria Project.

The governor said the state had inaugurated a strategic committee on compliance with the European Union Deforestation-Free Regulation to promote sustainable cocoa production and restore degraded forest areas.

“We are committed to aligning Ondo’s cocoa sector with global best practices on deforestation-free production, agroforestry and environmental sustainability,” he said.

Aiyedatiwa disclosed that about 14,000 cocoa and oil palm farmers across eight local government areas had been captured under the pilot phase of the FAO-backed initiative, adding that the government had also established a forest management committee to monitor activities in forest reserves and protect natural resources across the state.

According to him, the project will provide GIS equipment, agroforestry seedlings and climate-smart agriculture training for farmers and extension workers to improve productivity and ensure compliance with international market requirements.

Earlier, the National Coordinator of FAO in Nigeria, Dr Nifesmi Ogunkua, urged stakeholders to strengthen collaboration in promoting sustainable land use and improving farmers’ access to premium global markets.

“We cannot achieve meaningful growth in cocoa and oil palm production without traceability, certification and sustainable land management systems,” Ogunkua said.