As part of efforts to resuscitate the Nigeria Cocoa industry and enhance cocoa farmers ability to compete favourably with their counterparts across the world, the federal government has launched a cocoa soils training manual that will see Nigeria cocoa farmers return to becoming largest cocoa producers.
Speaking recently at the presentation of the cocoa soils training manual in Abuja, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar, said lots of articulated research by experts has gone into the cocoa production manual on how to increase production.
He said researchers have also gone to find out why cocoa production is not at its 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.
“The pitfalls have been discovered, including the ease of production and planting which we will know what to do now”.
Explaining further, Abubakar said Nigeria should be the best cocoa producing country in the world, because it can be grown in many parts 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 however said there are programmes coming up that are also in line with the cocoa industry, 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.
Earlier, the Director, Federal Department of Agricultural Extension, Engr. Frank Kudla, said the government and partners are working towards establishment of a cocoa plantation in the non-forest area.
The program, he said, is led by the Sustainable Trade Initiative (STI), International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in collaboration with Cocoa Research Institute (CRIN) in the target countries including, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Cameroon.
Kudla, who is also the Chairman, Partnership for Development (P4D) Committee, said the cocoa soil project is targeted at investing in research and development of cocoa to improve partnership for the programme.
He noted that the research and development component is geared towards acquiring more knowledge in cocoa management and nutrient improvement.
“Other aims of the project include developing cocoa yield validation in Nigeria, disseminate research findings to farmers”, he said.
