ADHERE TO ZERO TOLERANCE ON SMUGGLING COCOA, ONDO GOVT. CHARGES OFFICERS
Ondo State government has declared a zero tolerance for smuggling of ungraded cocoa out of the state to neighbouring states.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Mr. Olayato Aribo was speaking at a meeting held with Produce Officers at the Ministry’s headquarters in Akure.
He charged Officers in the produce sub-sector of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to be more vigilant and committed to their duties while on their various beats.
Mr. Aribo commended the officers on their performance last year, urging them to redouble their efforts this year by meeting and surpass the set targets of improved revenue generation.
The Commissioner noted that the Department is the major revenue generating sector in the ministry, stressing that all hands must be on deck to surpass previous records.
Mr. Aribo told the officers to also focus on other cash crops to boost the revenue they are getting from the field through proper monitoring at control posts.
He,therefore promised to look into various challenges they are facing on the fields and find solutions to them.
Also speaking, the Director of Produce, Mr. Adefulire Adeyemi said that the Produce sub-sector has performed excellently well in the year 2021 by getting all time record of unprecedented increase in revenue generation, a feat he attributed to hardworking on the part of staff.
He added that the ministry is expected to grade at least 100,000 metric tons of cocoa in the year 2022.
Mr. Adeyemi said produce regulators are faced majorly with the challenge of mobility which hampers efficiency and service delivery.
Speaking on behalf of the Officers, Mr. Clement Disegha, harped on the need for government to provide adequate security support for officers on the field saying armed security operatives would help them to achieve proper monitoring as well as effect arrest when and where necessary.
He added that security operatives should be attached to them at every control posts, noting that smuggling are being done mostly at night.
His words: ” we work on information and intelligence but lack of armed security personnel is hindering our operations”
He however promised that they will put in their bbest and cooperate with government to achieve the desired goals.
Sola Omoboyowa,
Press Officer, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
