Development of a roadmap as an important step towards the sustainable growth of the cocoa sector in Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, the decline in the efficiency of the cocoa industry in particular and of agricultural production in general began after the country gained independence. At that time, oil was discovered, and that stole the attention of the government in terms of financing. Over time, the country’s budget has become highly dependent on fluctuations in prices for petroleum products, and there emerged a critical need to diversify state revenues. Nigeria’s successive governments over the past 60 years have made repeated attempts to revive agriculture as an alternative to the oil sector, but all of them have proven unsuccessful. The author believes that the recovery of the cocoa sector can become the most important vector for strengthening the country’s food security. Increased foreign exchange earnings from the export of cocoa products will enable Nigeria to purchase more food to meet the needs of the population. The author considers the lack of qualified management and competent agricultural policy in the country as the reason for the degradation of the cocoa industry and puts forward a roadmap for the development of the sector in Nigeria, which takes into account its current problems and may return the industry to the path of sustainable growth.