The Abia State government has tasked its newly inaugurated Cocoa Monitoring Team with addressing the illegal smuggling of cocoa beans from the state to neighboring regions, especially through border villages.
Deputy Governor Ikechuckwu Emetu, in his address to the team, stressed the importance of leveraging cocoa farming and its value chain to combat youth unemployment in Abia. He underscored the potential of the cocoa sub-sector to significantly enhance the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
The team’s responsibilities include inspecting vehicles suspected of transporting cocoa to other states, conducting routine checks on cocoa produce within Abia, and imposing penalties on offenders.
Abia recently faced a 4% decline in cocoa supply due to a fire outbreak that destroyed 30 hectares of farmland, compounding the problem of illegal cocoa smuggling and adding pressure to the state’s cocoa industry.
John Kalu, Chairman of the Abia chapter of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria, expressed optimism that the monitoring team would work efficiently with the government to revitalize the cocoa industry and strengthen the state’s agricultural sector.
