Federal government has launched the distribution of one million improved hybrid cocoa seedlings nationwide to reverse decades of declining productivity in Nigeria’s cocoa industry.
The focus is on rehabilitating aging plantations, boosting export earnings and creating jobs across the cocoa value chain.
The rollout, inaugurated by the minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) in Ibadan, Oyo State, formed a key component of the National Cocoa Development Plan under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The programme seeks to reposition cocoa as a major contributor to economic diversification by increasing farmers’ incomes, strengthening value addition and restoring Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global cocoa market.
Addressing stakeholders at the ceremony, Kyari described the initiative as a strategic intervention designed to address the structural challenges that have weakened the country’s cocoa industry over the years.
“Today’s event is not merely the distribution of planting materials. It is the commencement of a strategic national intervention to restore the strength of Nigeria’s cocoa industry, improve the livelihoods of our farmers, increase export earnings, and reposition our country as a leading player in the global cocoa economy.
Our objective is clear. We must build a modern, resilient, and globally competitive cocoa industry that delivers prosperity for farmers while contributing significantly to national development,” Kyari stated.
According to a statement issued by the ministry’s head of Information Department, Ezeaja Ikemefuna, the minister said farmers would receive extension support to adopt improved agronomic practices, while government would continue expanding domestic cocoa processing to reduce dependence on raw bean exports and encourage greater private sector investment.
He further disclosed that compliance with international market requirements remained a priority, particularly the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which increasingly determines access to premium export markets.
The minister also charged beneficiaries to maximise the opportunity presented by the programme.
Earlier, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Marcus Ogunbiyi, described cocoa as one of Nigeria’s most strategic agricultural commodities but noted that the industry had been constrained by ageing plantations, climate challenges, inadequate investment and limited access to improved planting materials.
He said the successful production of one million improved seedlings by CRIN under the federal government’s public-private partnership framework demonstrated the value of collaboration among government, researchers and private investors.
In response, the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rasheed Ladoja, represented by the Ajiroba of Ibadan, Prof. Soji Adejumo, pledged continued support for agricultural policies aimed at improving farmers’ livelihoods and strengthening national food security.
Responding on behalf of beneficiaries a cocoa farmer, Alaba Adegoke assured the government that farmers would make effective use of the improved seedlings to increase production and improve their livelihoods.