Cocoa farmers operating within Ondo State’s forest reserves have appealed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to urgently revisit the state’s newly introduced forest farming policy, which they claim places excessive financial strain on them and threatens their livelihoods.
In a petition submitted through their legal counsel, Prof. Olugbenga Oke, Principal Partner at Lawville Legal Practice, the farmers described the policy as unrealistic and economically draining, urging the government to adopt a more considerate approach.
The policy, which incorporates a Polygon Mapping Initiative and an Agro-Forestry Programme aligned with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), requires each farmer to pay ₦250,000 per hectare — ₦150,000 for mapping and ₦100,000 for agroforestry — in addition to obtaining a five-year farming permit.
The farmers further lamented that the Ministry of Agriculture recently raised the cocoa grading fee from ₦11,000 per tonne to ₦22,000 per kilo, translating to roughly ₦660,000 per trailer load of cocoa. They argued that such costs were impossible for smallholder farmers to bear and could cripple the local cocoa industry.
Meanwhile, Governor Aiyedatiwa officially presented the instrument of appointment and staff of office to Oba Akintoye Felix Adeoye, the newly installed Olu-Oke of Oke-Igbo in Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government Area, calling on him to prioritize peace, harmony, and development in his kingdom.
The governor noted that the installation ended years of traditional and legal disputes that had left the throne vacant following a court ruling which nullified the appointment of the late Oba Babajide Lawrence Oluwole.
Aiyedatiwa urged all former contestants and their followers to accept the outcome and rally behind the new monarch in the interest of communal unity.
In his response, Oba Adeoye pledged to foster reconciliation, peace, and progress in Oke-Igbo, describing his appointment as a divine responsibility and expressing gratitude to both God and the state government for the trust bestowed upon him.
