Judex Okoro, Calabar
The Cross River State Government has set up a task force to recover over N700million owed by cocoa farmers in the last four years.
Acting Chairman of the state’s Cocoa Board, Dr. Oscar Ofuka, who disclosed this on Tuesday in Calabar, during interactive meeting with journalists at a demonstration farm at Cross River Radio, said it was worrisome that cocoa farmers have refused to pay for lands allotted to them for farming.
Ofuka maintained that cocoa estate farms were no longer going to be treated like political largesse, as government has concluded plans to regenerate the farms with improved varieties.
He said: “It is unfortunate that people take up farms, harvets the produce and walk away with the proceed without paying the contract sum
“This is bad, especially now that state government is looking for money to regenerate, rehabilitate the farms which have become moribund. The farmers who have been working in the farms have not paid for four years.
“State government is no longer going to take it lightly with those defaulting to pay. Those in charge of the farms have cheated government in the last 4 years,” Ofuka added.
Ofuka, who was immediate past Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade, urged the small holders farmers and all political contractors owing the government to vacate the farms or risk prosecution.
He said government has constituted a task force in collaboration with landlord communities to assist the board recover debt owed the state government so as to enable the state government pay royalty to host communities.
According to him, the board under his watch will use the proceeds realised from the farm for regeneration and rehabilitation so as to create employment opportunity for the army of unemployed youths.
“Cocoa is a new gold mine, our brand is organic, with a better flavor. It’s the reason the state government acquired 38,000 hectares of land in Akim Osobam community, Akamkpa LGA of the state to cultivate the crop”.
The Acting Chairman averred that state government has commenced a process of crushing 120 metro tones annually to feed the ultra modern cocoa factory undergoing construction in Ikom LGA of the state.
He said that one of the policy thrusts of the government is to surpass the quantity produced by Cote de’ivore and Ghana in years to come.