Prof. Malachy Akoroda, the Executive Director, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan, has advised every Nigerian to plant and nurture two cocoa trees in his/her backyard.
Speaking in Ibadan Last Wednesday, Akoroda said that this would enhance the cultivation of the crop with a view to developing the nation’s economy.
He said that encouraging the cultivation of the cash crop would also assist in improving the fortunes of cocoa farmers and their dependants.
He said by planting two trees per person, Nigeria to regain its position as a major producer and the glory and wealth associated with the internationally sought-after cash crop.
He said that a fully developed cocoa sector would continue to bring prosperity to the country without fear of drying up as in the case of crude oil.
He noted that the price of cocoa in the international market was more stable than petroleum.
“We should stop depending on crude oil money which we share every month.
We cannot depend on petroleum for life.”
On the ongoing Agricultural Transformation Agenda of which cocoa is one of the focus crops, the executive director said that what Nigeria needed most was attitudinal change.
“Once the individual Nigerian could develop an active and positive interest in agriculture, the government would only need to provide incentives for the development of the sector.”
