The Acting Executive Director of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Dr. Abiodun Rasheed Adedeji, has reaffirmed the institute’s unwavering commitment to driving sustainable cocoa production, productivity, and quality through research-backed capacity building for stakeholders across the cocoa value chain.

Dr. Adedeji made this known on Monday, January 26, 2026, during the opening ceremony of CRIN’s five-day pre-season training on Best Agricultural Practices in cocoa production, held at the Lawrence Opeke Hall, within the institute’s headquarters.

Welcoming participants to the institute, the Acting Executive Director expressed delight at hosting officers from sustainability companies, extension agents, farm managers, and other stakeholders, while taking them through the rich history and mandate of CRIN.

“I am delighted to welcome you to our great institute, CRIN. You must have heard about our history. This great institute was formerly part of the West African Cocoa Research Institute (WACRI), established during the early years of independence of West African countries. As those nations gained independence, WACRI was split into different national research institutes, and the Nigerian version became the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria,” Adedeji said.

He explained that CRIN attained autonomy on January 1, 1964, with its headquarters situated at its current location, noting that since its establishment, the institute has remained steadfast in the discharge of its statutory responsibilities.

According to him, CRIN’s work spans the entire cocoa production and value chain, involving multidisciplinary expertise drawn from different research divisions within the institute.

“From developing improved planting materials by our breeders and biotechnologists, to field establishment by agronomists, crop protection by pathologists and entomologists, soil management by soil scientists, value addition through our product development units, and profitability analysis by agricultural economists, CRIN is involved at every stage,” he explained.

Dr. Adedeji further noted that research outputs would be meaningless without effective dissemination to end users, stressing the critical role of extension services.

“All these products and technologies are useless if they are not extended to stakeholders—farmers, sustainability companies, exporters, entrepreneurs and others along the value chain. This is where our extensionists, working with subject matter specialists, come in,” he said.

Despite challenges such as inadequate funding, limited equipment and other operational constraints, the Acting Executive Director emphasized that CRIN has continued to deliver on its mandate, particularly across its six mandate crops: cocoa, cashew, kola, coffee, tea and black plum.

He congratulated participants for recognizing the institute as a credible source of knowledge, assuring them of value at the end of the programme. “I want to congratulate all participants for identifying with and recognizing our research institute. I can assure you that at the end of these five days of training, you will not be disappointed,” he stated.

Speaking further in an exclusive interview with CEOAFRICA, Dr. Adedeji explained that the training was deliberately designed to strengthen knowledge transfer to farmers through key intermediaries in the cocoa sector.

“At CRIN, we conduct research across various aspects of our mandate crops and develop technologies and products that are vital for economic development. However, without extending these innovations to stakeholders, we cannot achieve our set goals,” he said.

He explained that the training targets officers from sustainability companies and other stakeholders who work directly with farmers across the cocoa value chain.

“This programme is to train those who will go out to train farmers on selecting suitable land, sourcing improved planting materials, proper planting, crop husbandry, nurturing cocoa on the field, protecting crops against pests and diseases, harvesting at the right time, carrying out primary processing correctly, proper packaging and value addition,” Adedeji noted.

According to him, the objective is to ensure that Nigerian cocoa meets international quality standards and remains competitive in the global market.

“We want the final product sold to the consumer to be of high quality and internationally acceptable. That is why we have officers from about ten sustainability companies across Nigeria here, training them on how to make cocoa profitable, of high quality and globally acceptable,” he added.

Dr. Adedeji disclosed that CRIN organizes similar trainings regularly throughout the year for different categories of stakeholders, depending on sectoral needs and production cycles.

“Cocoa production is a process. We organize different trainings for different stakeholders at different times of the year, based on what they are working on, to continuously enlighten and strengthen their capacity,” he said.

He therefore urged farmers and stakeholders to collaborate directly with CRIN for credible, research-driven knowledge.

“I advise all farmers and stakeholders to come to the source. If you want to do cocoa the right way, profitably and sustainably, you need in-depth knowledge—and that knowledge can be found here. We have the mandate, the expertise, and PhD holders who can guide them appropriately. When stakeholders collaborate with CRIN, they are guaranteed the best outcomes,” he stressed.

The ongoing five-day pre-season training is expected to deepen participants’ understanding of best agricultural practices, improve cocoa yield and quality, promote sustainability and traceability, and ultimately enhance income across Nigeria’s cocoa value chain.