The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has urged exporters of cocoa to take advantage of huge potentials in export destinations such as Brazil, China, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Malaysia, Vietnam, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Specifically, the council’s trade promotion advisor in Imo State, Anthony Ajuruchi, stated this at a sensitisation workshop on global best practices in cocoa production and processing for export in Owerri, on Thursday. Speaking on the theme; ‘Optimising the potentials of cocoa production for export’, Ajuruchi noted that Nigeria exported $500 million worth of cocoa beans in 2021, adding that NEPC seeks collaboration with the Imo state government to enhance the production and exportation of the commodity. He said, “There are huge potentials in value-added cocoa products, with $12 billion global worth. “So, it will be necessary for us to increase our share of the global production for a rightful place in the global market. “We need to ensure that Imo cocoa producers get it right. They need to join their counterparts in producing high-quality cocoa beans for value-addition and wealth generation,” the advisor noted. On his part, Imo commissioner for Agriculture, Barth Okorochukwu, disclosed the State Government’s readiness to partner with NEPC for optimal production, processing, and exportation of cocoa. The commissioner urged Imo residents to focus more on the production of cocoa than consumption, saying it would help to generate employment and improve foreign exchange. His words: “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 and this is why we remain committed to this cause of recovering the cocoa sub-sector.” Also, the Chairman, Cocoa Association of Nigeria, Imo Chapter, Innocent Dike, informed of the association’s decision to raise 200,000 improved cocoa seedlings in the nursery by November.
