Tourists from different parts of the world who are partaking in the
first cocoa festival in Africa have converged on the Eti-Oni, the
ancient town in Osun State that pioneered the production of cocoa in
Nigeria over 120 years ago.
The maiden edition of the cocoa festival which began on Sunday
November 27 would come to a climax with a grand finale on Saturday,
December 3rd. The cocoa festival is the first of its kind in Africa
and it was set up to motivate cocoa farmers to step up their
production.
The event was designed to train the cocoa farmers and sensitize the on
the modern technology in cocoa farming so that they would be producing
high quality cocoa and make maximum profit.
To achieve this objective, a Farmer Field School was organised at
Eti-Oni in which experts from Osun State Ministry of Agriculture and
Food Security were taken to the cocoa farms to train the cocoa farmers
on the best way to cultivate, harvest and market their cocoa.
The State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola said his administration was
committed to ensure welfare of farmer by providing social amenities in
the rural areas across the state, saying that the cocoa festival would
assist in charting a new course for cocoa production.
Aregbesola who was represented by the Director General of the Office
of Economic Development, (OEDP), Dr Charles Akiinola commended the
traditional ruler of Eti-Oni, the Oloni of Eti-Oni, Oba Dokun Thompson
for initiating the cocoa festival.
The governor said the festival has provided a veritable platform to
bring stakeholders in the cocoa business together to share ideas on
cocoa production and other aspects of agribusiness as a way out of the
current economic recession.
Aregbesola urged other traditional rulers in the state to take a leaf
out of Oloni of Eti-Oni by coming up with initiatives that would
promote the agriculture potentials in their domains.
In a chat with our correspondent, Oba Dokun Thompson said the cocoa
festival became necessary to remind people of the gigantic benefits of
cocoa in the South-West in the past, encourage the cocoa farmer not to
relent and also inspire children to pick interest in cocoa.
The monarch said the festival attracted tourists from different parts
of the world because of the historical background of the Eti-Oni as
the pioneer of cocoa production in Nigeria.
Oba Thompson added that because of the significant roles played by his
forefather, Gureje in the Kiriji/Ekiti Parapo war which terminated
between Igbajo and Imesi-Ile in Osun State, the cocoa festival would
also be used to mark the 130 years of the signing of the treaty that
brought war to an end.
He also lauded Governor Aregbesola for the construction of the tarred
Igangan/Eti-Oni road which terminated at Olopon. The monarch also
commended Governor Aregbesola for grading the remaining 9.8km
kilometres to the centre of Eti-Oni for easy access into the community
during and after the festival.
Oba Dokun Thompson also disclosed that during the grand finale of the
weeklong festival, tagged ‘Gureje Day’, Governor Aregbesola would
formally present the Premium Artisan Eti-Oni Chocolate Brand to the
public and also launch the Eti-Oni Model Smart Town which is to be
developed in line with the United Nation 2030 Sustainable Development
Goals.
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