Olam Food Ingredients Distributes 2million Cocoa Seedlings to Ondo State Farmers

Ahead of the rainy season, Olam Food Ingredients (OFI), has distributed two million cocoa seedlings to Ondo State farmers as an assurance of its commitment to quality agricultural produce.

OFI has been distributing cocoa seedlings to farmers in communities across cocoa-growing states in Nigeria and this year, two million cocoa seedlings were distributed to cocoa farmers in Ogun, Osun, Ondo, and Cross River states. Also its mission in the agriculture sector, the aim is to rehabilitate old cocoa farms and increase production.

Addressing the farmers at the recent annual Flag Off of Planting Season, Deputy Governor, Ondo State, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, commended OFI for its kind gesture to the farmers in the state and also collaborating with the government to promote agricultural development.

He said: “This is not the first of its kind, it’s a yearly event for farmers, to also empower the youths and this year’s event is because we discovered that the rainy season is almost here and we need to ensure that our farmers are prepared before the rain begins at large, this is the major aim of this event to give them working tools that are exclusive to farmers such as; farm seeds to empower them for this season.

“For Olam food ingredients who have supported the farmers by donating two million seedlings, it is a very good posture from them and we appreciate it, that is a private investor that is supporting cocoa production in Ondo state, don’t forget that OFI is one of the major produce exporter especially cocoa in Nigeria which is the biggest none oil exporter in Nigeria, Also this support is to help them because they will buy cocoa from the farmers at the end of the day, so the more cocoa the farmers can grow and harvest in a season, the better for such exporter, it is very good support and we appreciate them for this.”

The Commissioner for Agric and Forestry, Mr. Olayato Aribo, also noted that OFI has for years shouldered the responsibility of not only assisting the farmers and so providing healthcare services to the farmers, especially in the era of COVID-19.

“We use this medium to distribute farm seedlings and other items to our farmers and educate them about other programs we will engage in to encourage good output from the farmers. For this year, Olam Nigeria Limited which deals in cocoa donated two million improved seedlings of cocoa and healthcare; those in charge of treatments of COVID also distributed items to farmers, and the Ministry of Agriculture also distributed items to the farmers this year.

“Starting from the area of strength, Olam is a big cocoa dealer who exports cocoa and I am sure they are giving us cocoa seedlings which will germinate and produce within three years and they want quality cocoa from our farmers, that is why they are producing these seedlings so that we can also benefit at the end of the day, we use this opportunity to thank them for being magnanimous for doing this,” he said.

One of the farmers, Mr. Saliu Nurudeen, expressed joy while commending the Ondo State government and OFI for always coming for their (the farmers) aid to development and productivity.

‘This is a program in which we are very happy and this is not the first of its kind, Olam is known for their generosity and help such as paying us incentives to help the farmers, they give banana farm seedlings to grow to protect our cocoa and also they give the training to educate us on being a better farmer, they provide us protective materials: protection gears such as shoes, fumigation to control pest and other programs they help with and in this course we are appealing to the federal to assist Olam groups to keep up the good workers to help farmers.

“We are appealing to the government to also help the farmers with equipment and other farm needs and not leave the Olam group and others to this alone. We are appreciative of the help Olam groups have been giving to farmers and we pray that God will continue to help them to do more,” he said.