Cocoa Corporation of Nigeria is Planned, Agriculture Minister Reveals

The Minister for Agricultrure and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina has disclosed at the just concluded World Cocoa Foundation Meeting in Washington, that Nigeria would set up a company, Cocoa Corporation of Nigeria, to double the production of cocoa beans to 500,000 metric tons in two years. He also said that Nigeria is “developing a sustainable vehicle built on a public-private partnership platform to coordinate the whole cocoa sector that will be public sector-enabled but private sector-driven with all stakeholders playing active roles.” The plan involves developing “200,000 hectares over the next four years through an aggressive plan developed in partnership with the private sector to provide employment for skilled professionals called ‘Professional Cocoa Doctors and Grafters’ over the next five years who would be able to deploy their skills to earn a decent living and rehabilitate at least 200,000 hectares cocoa farms in Nigeria.”