•••Allege Favouritism for Big Investors
A group of indigenous cocoa farmers operating within the forest areas of Idanre and Akure have appealed to Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to urgently review the newly proposed Forest Farming Policy introduced by the State Government.
The appeal was contained in a letter dated October 30, 2025, written by their legal representative, Prof. Olugbenga Oke-Samuel, Principal Partner of Lawville Legal Practice, and addressed to the Governor’s Office in Akure.
The farmers, through their lawyer, described the new policy as “financially burdensome, discriminatory, and capable of wiping out smallholder cocoa farmers in the state.”
Under the proposed framework, each farmer is required to pay N250,000 per hectare—comprising N150,000 for polygon mapping and N100,000 for Agro-Forestry—with a five-year farming permit.
The policy, introduced to align with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), was said to have “good intentions but harsh execution.”
“The price of cocoa has dropped drastically from N14,000 to N6,000 per kilo, yet the Ministry of Agriculture recently increased grading fees from N11,000 per tonne to N22,000 per kilo—resulting in a N660,000 levy per trailer of cocoa,” Prof. Oke-Samuel wrote.
“This dual pressure is unsustainable for peasant farmers already battling low yields and poor infrastructure.”
They noted that under the previous administration, farmers paid N20,000 per hectare, showing consistent regulatory compliance and commitment to sustainable practices.
The lawyer questioned why the State Government could not subsidize or bear the cost of mapping, as private exporters in other areas have been mapping cocoa farmlands at no cost to farmers, sometimes offering incentives instead.
The N100,000 Agro-Forestry levy also came under fire, as Prof. Oke-Samuel pointed out that a measure of seeds capable of producing 1,000 trees costs only about N5,000, calling the government’s rate “excessive and unfair.”
Equally controversial is the five-year permit restriction imposed on local farmers, compared to long-term leases of 40–80 years granted to large-scale investors at lower per-hectare costs.
Citing examples, the letter named:
JB Farms Ltd (14,000 hectares, 50-year permit, N3,572 per hectare annually),
SAO Agro (10,000 hectares, 80-year permit, N2,000 per hectare), and
Tropic Palm Oil Ltd (14,000 hectares, 40-year permit, N2,150 per hectare).
“It is unjust to restrict indigenous farmers—many of whom were previously unemployed—to five-year permits while granting investors decades-long access,” the lawyer argued.
The farmers urged the Governor to:
Review the N250,000 levy per hectare to reflect current economic realities.
Subsidize or fully sponsor polygon mapping for EUDR compliance.
Extend the permit validity to at least 50 years.
Review the Agro-Forestry charges to reflect real-market costs.
The Farmers expressed confidence that Governor Aiyedatiwa, “known for fairness, sustainability, and inclusive governance,” would compassionately address the plight of local farmers.
