We are taking Nigeria back to the top in cocoa – Ogbeh

Chief Audu Ogbeh

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has described as embarrassing the downgrade of Nigeria in the global cocoa business. To revive the industry, however, the Minister has disclosed that a re-launch will be done early this year as part of activities to bring cocoa back to public consciousness. Moreover, he has said that millions of cocoa trees will have to be planted, beginning this year.

 

“This year’s activity,” Chief Ogbeh noted, will start with “the relaunch of cocoa.” In his words: “It is an embarrassment that Nigeria fell to the seventh place. We are re-launching cocoa. 

 

We are targeting 15 to 20 million trees a year and we are rehabilitating the existing ones and improving upon agronomic practices, and processing and all the value chains that need to take us to number one.”