NIGERIA (Adamawa)-The Federal and State Governments have been urged to take concrete steps to resuscitate cocoa farm in Toungo Local Government Area of Adamawa.

A spokesman for the farmers, Malam Aliyu Abubakar, made this appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Yola.

Abubakar said that more than 50 farmers embraced cocoa farming when it was introduced in the area in 1999 by the Federal Government.

He contended that after the introduction, there had been no sustained support to the farmers to ensure continuity.

“Many of my colleagues have abandoned cocoa farming in spite of the fact that our area is good for it.
“As for me, I sell most of my harvest to customers who use it for traditional medicine.

“There is strong belief that cocoa seed is good for high fever, cancer and asthma relief.

“Many people come for the seeds for the medicinal purpose and that has been my major source of encouragement in this cocoa business’’, Abubakar said.

He said farmers were only assisted once with water pumps about 10 years ago following the introduction of the cocoa programme.

Abubakar added that the introduction also led to the setting up of the National Cocoa Production Programme farm in the area.

“Officials of the cocoa production farm have since left. They only pop in when someone is coming from the headquarters to make promises and disappear”, Abubakar said.

The spokesman said that many farmers in the area were willing to join the cash crop programme to boost their earnings and the country’s economy with incentives.