The Akwa Ibom government has reaffirmed its commitment to the production of cocoa on a large scale as well as ensure that cocoa farmers play a key role in the economic sector of the country.
The commissioner for agriculture and natural resources, Dr. Matthew Nathan Ekaette, said that his government had discovered that cocoa could thrive very well in the local government. Ekaette, who was accompanied by technical experts from John Kouffor Foundation, Ghana, noted that the government is committed to changing the investment direction of the state. According to him, farmers in the rural areas should be financially buoyant enough to be able to send their children to the best schools around the nation and beyond and equally contribute to the society meaningfully. This he said was not so at present. He said the administration would reverse the trend by getting cocoa farmers to do their jobs and get reward for it. Ekaette said the on-going cocoa revolution in the state promises to be a major source of revenue to the state government because it had brought in experts from Ghana to help the farmers increase their production.
 

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