FOLLOWING research efforts to improve output, the FederalGovernment, in partnership with the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), has pledged that Nigeria will soon become the top cocoa producer and return to exportation of the products.
Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, announced this yesterday at the Cocoa Soil Group’s presentation of a cocoa production update in Abuja.
Abubakar said researchers have come up with some study work that will be used to produce the cocoa production update manual while revealing the progress being made by researchers to improve cocoa practice suction in the country.
He said: “Researchers have also gone to find out why cocoa production is not at utmost best here, because we have all it takes to be the best. From what has been carried out, we have identified the pitfalls. With this manual, we will return to exporting cocoa, it will become better than what we used to be.”
Abubakar went on to say that Nigeria should be the world’s finest cocoa producer because it can be cultivated in many locations of the country.
“Now it is time for us to start exporting cocoa powder so that we can increase the value chain, income for the farmers.”
He did say, however, that there are planned programs related to the cocoa sector, such as the special agro industrial processing zone.
“We are seeing what is happening in other countries, and we will replicate it here. In the industry part, farmers will bring their raw materials to be processed, from there it will be exported”, the Minister said.
The Cocoa Soil project is led by the Sustainable Trade Initiative (STI), International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in collaboration with the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) in the target countries of Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Cameroun, according to Frank Kudla, Chairman, Partnership for Development (P4D) committee.
According to him, the project aims to engage in cocoa research and development while also improving Partnership for Development (P4D), with the R&D component focusing on gaining more expertise in cocoa management and nutrient improvement.
