By Palma Ileye
Federal Government has launched the rollout of one million improved hybrid, climate-smart cocoa seedlings as part of efforts to revitalise Nigeria’s cocoa industry, boost farmers’ incomes, increase export earnings, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s position in the global cocoa market.
The programme according to a press release signed by Khadijat Ameen, PRO to the Executive Secretary of ARCN, was officially flagged off yestersday at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) in Ibadan, Oyo State, under the National Cocoa Development Plan and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, described the initiative as a strategic national intervention aimed at restoring the strength of Nigeria’s cocoa sector.
Kyari said the programme goes beyond the distribution of seedlings, stressing that it marks the beginning of a coordinated effort to improve farmers’ livelihoods, increase cocoa production, enhance export earnings, and reposition Nigeria as a leading global cocoa producer.
According to the Minister, Nigeria’s cocoa industry has faced declining productivity due to ageing plantations, limited access to improved planting materials, climate change, inadequate investment, weak value addition, and other production challenges.
To reverse the trend, he said the Federal Government is implementing comprehensive reforms covering research, financing, extension services, sustainability, market access, productivity, and value addition.
He noted that the one million improved cocoa seedlings, developed by CRIN, were high-yielding, mature earlier, possess enhanced resistance to pests and diseases, and were better adapted to changing climatic conditions.
The statement disclosed that the seedlings will be distributed to rehabilitate old plantations and establish new commercial cocoa farms across the country’s cocoa-producing States.
The Minister also disclosed that the programme incorporates farm mapping and traceability systems to ensure compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), thereby improving Nigeria’s access to premium international markets.
Kyari called on State governments, financial institutions, development partners, research institutions, processors, exporters, farmer associations, and private investors to strengthen collaboration in transforming the cocoa value chain.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, described cocoa as one of Nigeria’s most strategic agricultural commodities and a major source of livelihood for farming households.
He said the successful production of one million improved cocoa seedlings through the Federal Government’s Public-Private Partnership framework demonstrates the value of collaboration among government agencies, research institutions, development partners, private sector operators, and farming communities.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Dr. Adamu Abubakar Dabban, said the rollout represents a significant milestone in Nigeria’s agricultural transformation agenda.
He noted that the improved cocoa varieties are products of years of scientific research by CRIN and offer higher yields, early maturity, greater resilience to climate change, improved resistance to pests and diseases, and premium bean quality that meets international market standards.
Dabban reaffirmed ARCN’s commitment to ensuring that agricultural research translates into practical solutions that improve farmers’ productivity and livelihoods.
He stressed that the council would continue supporting climate-smart agricultural innovations and strengthening Nigeria’s National Agricultural Research System to ensure research outputs reach farmers across the country.
Representing the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rasheed Ladoja, the Ajiroba of Ibadan, Professor Soji Adejumo, pledged the support of the Ibadan community for the Federal Government’s agricultural initiatives aimed at improving farmers’ welfare and achieving food security.
The event featured the distribution of the improved climate-smart cocoa seedlings to farmers from the 14 cocoa-producing States across Nigeria, marking the commencement of the nationwide rollout programme.
