Friday, March 29, 2024

We’ve improved lives of over 7,000 cocoa farmers – Sucden-Olakoko

Uba Group

BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO

The Project Manager of the Sucden-Olakoko Sustainability Project, Mopelola Fabunmi, has said the firm has trained and improved the lives of over 7,000 cocoa farmers in their host communities since the inception of the programme in 2016.

Aside from ensuring increased cocoa production, the project ensures that the total wellbeing and welfare of the cocoa farmers in Osun, Ondo, Ogun and Edo states are given priority.

Fabunmi, who made this known while speaking at the 6th edition of Olakoko Farmers’ Day held in Ilesa, Osun State, attended by over 200 farmers from the four states, noted that the company through the project discourages the farmers from using their children as labourers on their farms.

Cocoa farmers at the celebration were commended for their efforts in cocoa production in the last farming season and farmers who were able to pull the highest volume during main crop, best lead farmers and those best buyers (both male and female) who sold cocoa to Olakoko were awarded and gifted with items such as deep freezers, wheelbarrows and other farming tools.

She said, “The Sucden-Olakoko Project started in 2016 and all along, we have been training farmers on how to increase their productivity and improve cocoa production. We have also assisted in increasing the financial base of our farmers and this has improved their lifestyles. Through this project, a lot of farmers have been able to become landlords while others who were using motorcycles have been able to buy cars. Some, whose children were withdrawn from schools, had been able to send them back to good schools. We have had a lot of success stories from our farmers and these have triggered us to continue with the project.

“One major global issue is the advocacy against the use of children on cocoa farms and Sucden-Olakoko is taking that as a big project by trying to get a base data on the reasons why some farmers still use their children to work on the farm and how we can assist them in curbing such child abuse. The survey is ongoing and the result will indicate the next step of action.

“We have been able to encourage education of children of farmers by organising quiz competitions and distributing gift items such as school bags, scientific calculators, notebooks and other learning materials to them last year. This year, we decided to celebrate our adult cocoa farmers themselves by giving them agricultural equipment to help improve their farms.

“We have assisted the farmers to start up a village savings system which has developed into some kind of cooperative society and this has been improving their standard of living because they are able to revolve their savings among themselves. We do not give them money but we assist them in setting up the scheme,” Fabunmi disclosed.

Also speaking, Meghan Gillis, the Regional Sustainability Manager for Sucden, West Africa, said the project has supported farmers in ensuring that they have alternative sources of income during the cocoa-off season.

“We have been boosting productivity and yields for the farmers, resulting in higher incomes, and in addition we also provide them with support in various areas by training on activities to diversify their income sources so that they will not rely only on cocoa income,” she said.

The Country Manager of Sucden Cocoa Nigeria Limited, Banji Akinbinu, said “due to the advent of sustainability projects by different companies, farmers are being trained and exposed to modern agricultural practices. We also train them on the dangers of child labour by encouraging them to send their children to schools and not to use them on their farms.”

Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Yusuf Ganiyu from Ondo State, commended Olakoko Project for rewarding hard work and productivity adding that “we the cocoa farmers under Olakoko Project have benefited immensely from various initiatives that we have been exposed to. Our lives have been transformed and we have been producing quality cocoa.”

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