Cocoa farmers are sounding the alarm over the European Union’s impending deforestation regulation, set to be enforced in December 2024.
In an open letter to the EU Commission, Comrade Adeola Adegoke, National President of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria, has appealed for a postponement of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). He warned that without urgent action to tackle sustainability issues such as deforestation and traceability, Nigeria’s $770 million cocoa industry is at risk.
Adegoke highlighted that Nigeria’s cocoa sector could suffer severe setbacks if the federal government fails to implement necessary legal measures to stop deforestation. He urged for the development of strategies to combat forest loss in cocoa-growing areas through collective efforts.
Despite these concerns, the farmers assured the EU that they are working towards compliance with best practices.
“We have embarked on advocacy and capacity training for our cocoa farmers in the areas of ecosystem protection, focusing on the production of deforestation-free cocoa and the protection of the rights of our labourers and children.
“These training sessions were conducted in partnership with other stakeholders across the cocoa-producing communities, tagged: Cocoa Farmers Roundtable Conference,” the statement read.
“CFAN also organised the first privately driven and publicly enabled Nigerian Cocoa Summit & Award to find workable solutions to the issues affecting the cocoa industry. The Summit extensively brainstormed on the EUDR’s forthcoming implementation, living income differential, national cocoa plan, inadequate local cocoa processing, value addition and consumption, and the need for Nigeria to have a cocoa regulatory framework that will drive the industry, rather than relying on an ineffective system,” the letter continued.
The EUDR, which prohibits the entry of products into the EU market unless they are deforestation-free and legally produced, applies to commodities such as wood, palm oil, soy, coffee, cocoa, rubber, and cattle, along with most derivatives. For cocoa, this includes beans, products, and chocolate.
Enforced from 29 June 2023, the regulation allows an 18-month preparation period, ending on 30 December 2024, when it will fully come into effect.
However, in their letter to Janusz Wojciechowski, EU Commissioner for Agriculture, the cocoa farmers have requested an extension of the implementation deadline to December 2025. They argue that smallholder cocoa farmers need more time to prepare, as they currently lack adequate information about the EUDR at the farm gate level.
The letter also highlighted that Nigeria is a significant player in global cocoa production, contributing around 6.5 per cent and accounting for 29 per cent of total agricultural exports in 2023, valued at N1.24 trillion, with an estimated value of N356.16 billion.