Ondo Cocoa Farmers Protest ₦250,000 Forest Levy, Write Aiyedatiwa
By Roseline Okakah
Thousands of cocoa farmers across Ondo State have cried out over the state government’s new directive imposing a ₦250,000 per hectare levy on farmers operating within forest reserves, describing it as “a death sentence for smallholders.”
In a passionate open letter addressed to Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) said the new payment of ₦100,000 for a five-year permit and ₦150,000 for polygon mapping has thrown many smallholder farmers into distress and despair.
The letter, signed by Comrade Adeola Adegoke, CFAN’s National President and Global President of the Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (COFAAA), urged the governor to suspend the policy immediately and convene an emergency stakeholders’ meeting to review its implications.
“This policy, as it stands, threatens the very existence of smallholder cocoa farmers who have sustained cocoa farming for decades,” Adegoke wrote. “For them, ₦250,000 is not a mere administrative fee — it is a mountain too high to climb.”
The farmers, who described themselves as “lifelong custodians of Ondo’s fertile lands,” said the levy could cripple livelihoods, increase insecurity, and force many families out of cocoa farming, a sector that has long been the backbone of the state’s economy.
“Some farmers have already abandoned their farms,” the letter read. “Many are in tears, wondering if the same government that once celebrated them now sees them as strangers in their own state.”
“How can the poor pay more than the rich?” , It read.
CFAN accused the policy of deepening inequality between smallholder farmers and large investors, noting that while small farmers are asked to pay ₦250,000 per hectare for just five years, big investors enjoy long-term permits covering several decades at much cheaper rates.
“Your Excellency, how can the poor pay more than the rich? How can those who have worked the land for generations be made to suffer for what others receive as privilege?” Adegoke queried.
The association also faulted the timing of the policy, pointing to the global cocoa price slump and rising production costs driven by higher fertiliser, chemical, and labour prices.
“Farmers’ earnings are shrinking daily,” CFAN warned. “To now impose such a heavy payment is to tighten the rope around their necks.”
It stated that Ondo’s Cocoa Pride is at Risk noting that it currently produces about 90,000 metric tonnes of cocoa annually, nearly one-third of Nigeria’s total output, a feat largely credited to smallholder farmers. CFAN warned that if these farmers are broken by the new policy, Ondo risks losing its title as “Nigeria’s Leading Cocoa State.”
It further Stated that : “If smallholder farmers are pushed out, the foundation of our cocoa legacy will collapse,” Adegoke cautioned. “The state will lose its competitive advantage and its proud agricultural history will fade.”
According to the letter, Support for Sustainability, Not Suffering
The farmers acknowledged that the new directive was linked to compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which seeks to promote traceable and sustainable cocoa production. However, they argued that the policy violates the spirit of the EUDR by punishing, rather than supporting, farmers.
“The EUDR was designed to help farmers adopt better practices, not to punish them financially,” Adegoke noted. “Our farmers are already working to make their cocoa traceable, deforestation-free, and child-labour-free. They deserve encouragement, not another heavy burden.”
The association, however appealed for Compassion calling on Governor Aiyedatiwa and the Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Engr. Leye Akinola, to urgently intervene.
It demanded that the government: Suspend enforcement of the ₦250,000 levy pending further consultation; Hold an emergency meeting with farmer representatives and relevant ministries;
Drastically reduce the amount to reflect economic realities;
Ensure fairness between smallholders and large investors; and
Provide subsidies or state-supported mapping programmes to ease EUDR compliance.
“Please, do not allow the tears of farmers to water the soil of our cocoa heritage,” Adegoke pleaded. “Let history remember you as the leader who did not break the backbone of agriculture, but strengthened it with fairness and compassion.”
The open letter was copied to the Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, the Senior Special Assistant on Agriculture and Agribusiness, the Permanent Secretaries of Agriculture and Forestry, and leaders of key agricultural bodies in Ondo State.
