High Labour, Input Costs Threaten Cocoa Production In Ondo

Fresh facts have emerged that Nigeria may not be able to maintain its place as the fourth largest producer of cocoa trailing behind Ivory Coast, Ghana and Indonesia if the challenges militating against its production are not addressed.
Available statistics showed that Ivory Coast produces 2,200,000 tonnes of cocoa beans annually, while Nigeria’s total output is about 340,163 tonnes. In all of this, Ondo State remains the leading cocoa producing state in the country accounting for about 30 per cent of the nation’s total output.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend, the national president of the Cocoa and Plantain Farmers Association of Nigeria (CPFAN), Ayodele Ojo, identified rising labour...