As part of its deliberate efforts to build on the milestone achievements of the year 2023, and also to further the tides of ensuring sustainable economic growth in Nigeria, the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, is set for its 2024 Annual Inhouse Research Review.
The theme for this year is “Varietal Development of Cocoa, Kola, Coffee, Cashew and Tea for Sustainable Cicular Economic Growth in Nigeria”.
The host of the event, which will hold from Tuesday, April 23, till Thursday, April 25, 2024 by 10am, is the Executive Director of the institute, Dr. Patrick O. Adebola.
Farmers, researchers, agricultural experts, academicians and stakeholders are expected at the event. Recall that CEOAFRICA reported how the CRIN Director assured the year 2024 will be a year of no regret for cocoa farmers in Nigeria as he will do everything in his capability to provide the necessary support for them.
Adebola promised to build on the achievements of the institute in infrastructural development and research which gave them international recognition, from the previous year to continue to supply good planting materials for farmers in the year 2024. The 2024 research review is therefore, part of the strategic moves to achieve his plans for the year, CEOAFRICA gathered.
“We will continue our research to look at how we can add value to some of our product so that it will enhance what we can get from it in international markets. We don't want to encourage our farmers to just be expunging raw beans, but we want to ensure that if it is possible, we will be processing the raw beans into either liquor or cake or butter, and adding this value to those our cocoa beans will enable our farmers to earn more money, to earn much of the needed dollars into our Nigeria economy,” he said.
He continued that “we will continue to strive to make sure that we increase production to earn more money, much more of the needed foreign exchange into the country. Also, we had a plan of raining 1million cocoa seedlings from new improved varieties which we are going to distribute to our farmers, this will cover farmers in all the twenty-two cocoa producing states, right from here Oyo, Ogun up to Taraba and Adamawa, we have farmers there that are producing cocoa.”
The ED who also expressed his excitement on the increase in Cocoa farmers in Nigeria, said though the demand is very high but in 2024, cocoa research institute is capable to supply the much-needed planting materials to farmers as they are already preparing the nursery to make sure that the demands of all of the farmers are met this year.
Adebola also expressed the readiness of the institute to accept more farmers. He disclosed that all necessary plans have been put in place for more farmers that are willing and ready to go into cocoa farming.
