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Oyo State to Give Farmers 2.3 Million Cocoa Trees

Nigeria's cocoa growing state of Oyo will procure 2.3 million seedlings for free distribution to farmers this year, the News Agency of Nigeria said on Wednesday. Nigeria, the world's number five cocoa grower, launched a cocoa revival programme in 2004 to lift its output by supplying improved seedlings free to farmers and subsidising agro-chemicals. The programme, which also aims to raise output to the half million-tonne mark this year and catapult Nigeria to the world's number two by 2010, overtaking Ghana, has encouraged competition among cocoa farming states, many of which have seen their output climb rapidly in the last few years.

Oyo state commissioner for agriculture Kunle Ishola said the government has concluded arrangements to raise another 1.5 million seedlings for distribution to farmers in the 2008/09 season.The commissioner said some farmers had been trained on new cocoa planting and farming methods in a step to boost production in Oyo, which is ranked as Nigeria's number four growing state.

The government has also bought 20 million naira ($171,086) worth of agro-chemicals for distribution for farmers in the state which currently produces about 36,000 tonnes per annum. The main growers group, the Cocoa Association of Nigeria, estimates that Nigeria's 2007/08 crop will come in at around a total of 300,000 tonnes. Nigeria's cocoa revival programme also hopes to boost local processing and consumption of cocoa-based products to help depress global supply and raise international prices.

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