Smallholder cocoa farmers in Ondo State have called on Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to urgently suspend a newly introduced levy of N250,000 per hectare for farming activities within the state’s forest reserves, warning that the policy could cripple livelihoods and deepen rural poverty.
In an emotional open letter, Comrade Adeola Adegoke, National President of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) and Global President of the Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (COFAAA), said the levy has already triggered fear, confusion and despair among farmers who rely entirely on modest cocoa farms for survival.
Under the new directive, farmers are required to pay N100,000 for a five-year cultivation permit and an additional N150,000 for polygon mapping, totalling N250,000 per hectare.
According to Adegoke, the amount is far beyond the reach of most smallholders, many of whom are elderly, widows managing inherited plots, or young people struggling to remain economically productive.
He noted that thousands of cocoa farmers, who collectively sustain Ondo State’s annual output of about 90,000 metric tonnes, are considering abandoning their farms because they cannot afford the levy.
Some, he said, have already stopped visiting their farms for fear of enforcement officers, while others feel neglected by a government that once recognised them as the backbone of the state’s agricultural economy.
Adegoke, who is also a member of the National Cocoa Management Committee and the National Task Force on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), raised concerns over what farmers see as unequal application of the policy.
While smallholders are asked to pay high fees for short-term access, large-scale investors are reportedly granted long-term permits at significantly lower rates.
He questioned the fairness of a system that places heavier financial burdens on small-scale farmers who have cultivated the land for generations, asking how the poor could be made to pay more than the rich.
Although farmers acknowledge that the policy is linked to the need to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Adegoke stressed that the regulation was not designed to punish farmers.
He explained that cocoa growers in Ondo are already embracing traceability, agroforestry and deforestation-free practices, and therefore deserve support rather than added financial pressure.
He warned that the current approach could breed resistance to sustainability initiatives, as farmers may begin to see them as oppressive instead of beneficial.
The letter called for the immediate suspension of the levy and the organisation of an emergency stakeholders’ meeting involving the governor’s office, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, permanent secretaries, CFAN leaders and community representatives.
The farmers are seeking dialogue to develop a fairer and more sustainable system.
They further urged the state government to significantly reduce the fee, ensure equal treatment between smallholder farmers and large investors, and consider subsidies or state-funded mapping support to ease the burden.
Adegoke warned that Ondo State, which produces nearly one-third of Nigeria’s cocoa, risks losing its competitive advantage if smallholder farmers are forced out of production by policies that fail to reflect their realities.
He added that farmers are already strained by limited access to finance, climate-related losses, poor road networks, insecurity, high input costs and volatile market prices.
Appealing to the governor’s reputation as a compassionate leader, Adegoke urged him not to allow a policy decision to erode the state’s cocoa heritage, but rather to be remembered as a leader who strengthened agriculture through fairness, dialogue and empathy.
Source: Independent News
