The Federal Government has begun distributing one million improved hybrid cocoa seedlings to farmers nationwide as part of efforts to revive cocoa production, increase export earnings and improve farmers’ incomes.The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security working with the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria is putting the programme into action.
The News Chronicle reports that the campaign was introduced in Ibadan, Oyo State, where interested parties called it a big step towards replacing dying cocoa trees with high-yielding kinds meant to increase output and raise Nigeria’s standing in the international cocoa market.
Agriculture Minister Abubakar Kyari said the initiative fits the Renewed Hope Agenda and aims to bring back the cocoa sector of the nation by means of greater investment, superior planting materials, and enhanced farmer support. He said that once Nigeria’s economy depended mostly on cocoa, which also supported significant education and infrastructure initiatives.
The intervention was welcomed by traditional leaders, cocoa researchers, and industry leaders; they hoped that correct distribution and monitoring of the seedlings would increase output, generate jobs, and help Nigeria recover its place among the top cocoa-producing countries globally.
