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STCP Boss Hails Refurbishment of Trade Information Centre By Crusoe Osagie Sustainable Tree Crop Programme (STCP) Regional Manager, Dr Stephan Weise, has congratulated members of the Tonikoko Farmers Union on the refurbishment of the new Trade and Information Centre in Bamokemo, Ondo State. He said that the newly renovated building in southwest Nigeria, show signs that the cocoa sector getting back on its feet. According to him, while cocoa was an important crop to Nigeria in years past, poor quality and inadequate attention have led to deterioration of the sector, with production decreasing by nearly a third in the last 20 years. The Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP), hosted by IITA, has been working to redress this through a pilot project focused on four key areas: farmers" organizations, technology transfer, marketing, and social issues including child labor. He said as part of their strategies, STCP is working to help strengthen the Tonikoko Farmers Union, an umbrella cooperative of 35 farmers" societies in Ondo state. The union will facilitate various activities to support the cocoa sector, with its latest achievement being the opening of the Trade and Information Center in March 2004. With funding from USAID and the chocolate industry, the center will act as the commercial hub for cocoa trade in the area. Farmers will have access to a warehouse where cocoa can be stored or bonded as collateral. There is space for meetings and soon the center (its already said that it is a trade and information center) will be equipped to receive and disseminate market information. All the resources farmers and traders need are there under one roof. Dr Chris Okafor demonstrates the facilities at the information center. "This project marks the beginning of a new life for the smallholder cocoa farmer," says STCP-Nigeria project manager Dr Chris Okafor. "If successful, we can use it as a model for the revitalization of cocoa production and trade, replicating it across the cocoa belt of Nigeria." Already, other societies have expressed interest in joining the project. With the resources and the enthusiasm in place, work is well on the way to making cocoa a profitable crop for farmers in Nigeria again. Who Are We ? | About THISDAYOnLine.com | THISDAY People | Contact Us © Copyright 2000 Leaders & Company Limited

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