Seedlings, production techs impeding Nigeria’s cocoa industry

Published 2021년 3월 15일

Tridge summary

Nigeria's cocoa production is facing challenges such as neglect of agricultural infrastructure, unavailability of improved seedlings, scarcity of agro-chemicals, outdated production technologies, and climate change. These issues have led to a decrease in productivity, with the country producing only a fraction of the cocoa produced by its neighbor, Côte d’Ivoire. Stakeholders have recommended strategies to boost cocoa economy, including rehabilitation of old plantations, introduction of new technologies, and policies to aid cocoa farmers. Issues like climate change, fire disasters, adulteration of seedlings, and use of harmful chemicals were also discussed as hindrances to cash crop production. Suggestions include value addition of cocoa, licensing of nursery operators, and government support for cash crop sectors.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Cocoa plantation. PHOTO: Google image • Association calls for coordinating body • Expert advises cocoa states to mobilise youths, forests for production Apart from neglect of agricultural infrastructure by the government, non-availability of improved high-yielding cocoa seedlings, scarcity of other inputs such as agro-chemicals, old production technologies and climate change have been identified as impediments to increasing cocoa productivity in the country. Production of cocoa beans was around 300,000 metric tonnes in 2013/2014, but reduced to about 245,000 metric tonnes in the 2019/2020 session. However, in the 2019/2020 cocoa season, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) aggregated 742,725 tonnes as of June 4, according to International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO). And, Côte d’Ivoire, as of August 3, 2020, aggregated 2.043 million tonnes. With 2.043 million tonnes of cocoa, Côte d’Ivoire produces about eight times of what Nigeria currently produces, while Ghana, with 742,725 tonnes, ...

Source: Guardian