The Nigerian Export Promotion Council has collaborated with the Imo State government to enhance the production and exportation of cocoa in the state.
The Imo NEPC’s Trade Promotion Advisor, Mr Anthony Ajuruchi,
disclosed this at a sensitisation workshop on global best practices in cocoa
production and processing for export, held in Owerri.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Optimising the Potentials of Cocoa
Production for Exports’, he disclosed that Nigeria exported over $500m worth of
cocoa beans in 2021.
He urged exporters in Nigeria to take advantage of the huge
potential available in export destinations such as Brazil, China, Netherlands,
Belgium, Germany, Malaysia, Vietnam, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Ajuruchi stated, “There are huge potentials in value-added
cocoa products whose global worth is over $12bn, so it will be necessary for us
to increase our share of the global production, for a rightful place in the
international market.
“We need to ensure that Imo cocoa producers get it right and
join their counterparts in producing high-quality cocoa beans for value
addition and wealth generation.”
Also speaking at the event, the state’s Commissioner for
Agriculture, Dr Barthy Okorochukwu, said the state government was ready to
partner with the NEPC for optimal production, processing, and exportation of
cocoa.
He urged the people of Imo to focus on the production of
cocoa rather than on its consumption. He stated, “We are committed to
reawakening the production and processing of cash crops for export, rather than
just consumption.
“When we process, we generate foreign exchange and create
jobs for unemployed persons, and this is why we remain committed to this course
of recovering the cocoa sub-sector.”