Cocoa farmers in Nigeria have raised concerns over what they describe as prolonged silence surrounding the proposed Nigerian Cocoa Board Establishment Bill, warning that the uncertainty is weakening coordination within the country’s cocoa sector.
The farmers, operating under the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria and the Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa, made the call in an open letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu. The letter, signed by the National President of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria, Adeola Adegoke, was issued on Friday.
According to the associations, the bill was transmitted to the National Assembly in November 2025 and was first read at plenary in the House of Representatives on November 13, 2025, by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen. However, the Presidency reportedly requested the withdrawal of the bill the following day to allow for amendments. Since then, the farmers say there has been no official communication on its progress.
They further recalled that a similar version of the bill was earlier transmitted to the Senate on November 10, 2025, but was later stepped down for further consideration. Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced this decision at plenary on November 18, 2025.
While acknowledging the importance of stakeholder consultations on such a significant piece of legislation, the farmers said the lack of updates has created widespread uncertainty across the cocoa value chain.
“This prolonged silence has generated concern and uncertainty among stakeholders within the cocoa sector who have been encouraged by the Presidency to drive a sustainable cocoa economy for Nigeria,” the associations stated.
They noted that farmers, processors, exporters, investors, and development partners remain unsure whether the bill is being revised, withdrawn, or abandoned altogether.
The associations also expressed concern over public statements suggesting that the Cocoa Board has already been reinstated, stressing that no law has been passed to establish the board and that it is not operational. They said the conflicting narratives have further deepened confusion within the sector.
According to the farmers, the absence of a functional Cocoa Board has weakened coordination, limited institutional support, and reduced Nigeria’s competitiveness compared to other cocoa-producing countries.
They emphasized that the proposed Cocoa Board is intended to regulate and develop the sector, not to engage in cocoa trading. The board, they explained, would help improve quality standards, sustainability compliance, farmer welfare, research, and investment.
The farmers, therefore, appealed to President Tinubu to clarify the current status of the bill, support its timely review and passage by the National Assembly, and reaffirm the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s cocoa sector.
Story by: Voice of Africa Farmers
