Smallholder cocoa farmers in Ondo State have appealed to Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to suspend the newly introduced N250, 000-per-hectare levy imposed on farmers operating within the state’s forest reserves.

The farmers contiuesd that enforcing the policy without broad consultation could devastate livelihoods, deepen rural poverty, and threaten the state’s position as Nigeria’s cocoa powerhouse.

The appeal was contained in an open letter addressed to the governor by the national president of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) and Global President of the Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (COFAAA).

Adegoke, who also sits on key cocoa governance bodies—including the National Cocoa Management Committee and the National Task Force on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)—said the levy has already triggered fear, confusion, and despair among farmers across the state.

Under the new directive, farmers are required to pay N100, 000 for a five-year cultivation permit in the state’s forests, alongside N150, 000 for polygon mapping— bringing the total to N250, 000 per hectare.

The farmers described the fee as a crushing weight that many can neither afford nor justify, given the harsh economic realities they face.

According to him, thousands of smallholder farmers—who collectively sustain Ondo’s annual cocoa output of about 90,000 metric tonnes—are on the brink of abandoning their farms because they cannot afford the levy.

He stressed that these farmers are the same men and women who walk into the forest before dawn and return long after sunset, relying entirely on their modest farms for survival.

Many are elderly, some are widows managing inherited farmlands, and others are youths fighting to remain productive in a difficult economic environment. For them, he said, N250, 000 is not an administrative fee but a mountain too high to climb.

The letter revealed that some farmers have already stopped going to their farms out of fear of enforcement officers, while others are questioning whether the state still values their contribution.

Many, he noted, are in tears and fear abandonment from a government that once celebrated them as the backbone of the state’s agricultural economy.

Adegoke, also raised concerns about what farmers describe as inequality in the application of the levy.

While smallholders are asked to pay significantly more for short-term access, he said large investors with expansive farms reportedly enjoy long-term permits spanning several decades at far cheaper rates.

He questioned the fairness of such a system, asking how the poor can be made to pay more than the rich and how those who have farmed the land for generations can suddenly be priced out of it.

Although the farmers acknowledged that the policy is partly tied to the need to comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Adegoke argued that the regulation was never designed to punish farmers financially.

He explained that farmers in Ondo State are already adopting traceability, agroforestry, and deforestation-free practices and therefore deserve support rather than additional burdens.

Imposing the levy in its current form, he warned, could create resistance to EUDR compliance, as farmers may begin to view sustainability measures as oppressive rather than beneficial.

The letter called on Governor Aiyedatiwa to suspend the enforcement of the levy immediately and initiate wide consultations with all stakeholders.

The farmers requested an emergency meeting involving the governor’s office, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, permanent secretaries, CFAN leaders, and community representatives, with the aim of designing a fairer and more sustainable alternative.

They also urged the government to drastically reduce the levy, ensure equity between smallholder farmers and large investors, and explore subsidies or state-supported mapping programmes to ease the burden on farmers.

Adegoke, warned that Ondo State, which produces nearly one-third of Nigeria’s cocoa, risks losing its competitive advantage if smallholder farmers—who have upheld the sector for decades—are pushed out by policies that do not reflect their realities.

He noted that cocoa farmers already struggle with poor access to finance, climate-related losses, bad roads, insecurity, high input costs, and unstable market prices.

He appealed to Governor Aiyedatiwa’s reputation as a listening and compassionate leader, urging him not to allow the tears of farmers to water the soil of the state’s cocoa heritage.

He also called on the governor to ensure that history remembers him as the leader who strengthened agriculture through fairness and empathy rather than one who broke the backbone of smallholder cocoa farming.

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