INVEST IN COCONUT BUSINESS- SELLERS, CONSUMERS TOLD FG AND STATES
By Armstrong Tseaa, Makurdi.
Coconut hawkers or traders have called on the governments at all levels and public-spirited individuals to assist them ply their trade and reduce the unemployment curve in the country.
Master Soonen Iyo, a seventeen-year-old coconut hawker at the Wurukum Market said, he decided to trade in coconut to raise money for his education.
Iyo said: “I want to continue my education at the senior secondary school level but my mum cannot afford paying my school fees now. “So, I decided to go into selling of coconuts. I earn between two to five thousand naira daily from the sales of coconut.”
He further told our correspondent that, he uses proceeds from the sales to save daily and take care of his immediate needs and wants.
I am calling on Benue youth to join me in this business and stop playing truancy that could lead them to crimes and criminality.
To Jennifer, a fruit salad seller at Terwase Agbadu Junction, Makurdi Gboko Road, coconut business was lucrative but the cost of a big fresh coconut now is about one thousand five hundred naira.
“I only buy small quantities just to add to other fruits for fruits salad. The cost of coconut now has scared most of my customers”, she submitted.
Another coconut hawker who just identified himself as Muhammad said the business is good and puts food on his table.
A coconut consumer, Mr. Terfa Tseaa from Gboko told our correspondent that, he has not eaten coconut for a long time now because it is expensive.
A director in the Benue State Ministry of Trade and Investment who preferred to remain anonymous revealed that the state soil and weather is conducive for coconut plantations nevertheless, the dearth of same has made the prices to skyrocket.
Benue is a natural garden in which nearly all the fruits of the earth grow bountifully. The state government can invest into the improved variety that takes just two years to fruition. The state government can use the banks of the River Benue for such a venture. One can imagine a serene landscape of cocoa nut palms along the River Benue beach inviting tourists adventures in Benue State.
Coconut contributes significantly to the economy of Nigeria. Besides the fresh known as copra, coconut milk (coconut water) and especially coconut oil which is widely used in the manufacture of soaps, hair oil, cosmetics are increasing in high demand.
Coconut husk is a source of fiber which is used for producing carpets, doormats, and brushes. The tender nut supplies coconut water while the fresh coconut kernel is used to produce virgin coconut oil without any chemical processes.
It could be recalled that In 2019, Indonesia was the largest exporter of coconuts in the world, followed by Thailand and Vietnam. The three countries held about a 23 per cent share of total exports, while Cote d’Ivoire, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Mexico, Guyana, and India, all together, made up 17 percent of total exports.
Nigeria has all it takes to become a big producer of coconuts in Africa and the world and earn more foreign exchange. The reasons are as follows: Coconut can be planted in more than 22 states of the federation because the land is very good for it, but up until now, Nigeria has not utilized the resources properly, except in Lagos, where about 70 per cent of the national output comes from.
