For cocoa and Allied products to continue to contribute to the economy, the Director, Public Relations Department, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Bola Fashina, has advised exporters to ensure that they don’t export the produce without getting certification from accredited laboratories, which he said the SON had.
Addressing journalists on Thursday in Abuja, he said SON and a few organisations had labs for product testing, to ensure they meet international standards. He said strict adherence to the rules would go a long way, reiterating on the need for those doing cocoa business, either locally or internationally, to ensure that they meet the minimum requirements of the applicable standards. Speaking on the advantage of cocoa, Bola Fashina said apart from cocoa products that were being consumed locally, there were several others being traded internationally, which according to him attract foreign exchange to Nigeria.
On the efforts of the government to encourage cocoa producers and allied matters, the Director said generally, the government had been promoting agriculture and cocoa inclusive. He added that there were facilities available at the Bank of Agriculture and Bank of Industry to support agro and allied industries. He advised cocoa growers to adhere to the minimum required standards, for them to benefit from opportunities like single digit loans from the government.