US announces $22m project to improve cocoa value chain in Nigeria

By Adeleye Kunle

The United States has entered into a cooperative agreement with Lutheran World Relief to strengthen the cocoa value chain in Nigeria.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food for Progress program is worth $22million and will be implemented over the next five years.

A statement on Friday said approximately 68,000 farmers in Abia, Cross River, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Ondo and Osun states will benefit.

The project will target farmers in low productivity but high promising areas, as well as those in high density, high productivity communities.

The objective is to increase cocoa productivity by leveraging climate smart agricultural measures.

Also, the project will support improved access to inputs, technical resources and capacity, post-harvest processing and export markets.

Counselor for Agricultural Affairs, U.S. Mission Nigeria, Gerald Smith, gave a hint of what to expect.

Smith said that the project will employ an approach that enables farmers to produce more cocoa and preserve the land’s fertility and biodiversity.

The Foreign Agricultural Service of the Department of Agriculture offers services to American and Nigerian agribusiness companies, government and non-government entities.

The aim is to help developing countries strengthen sustainable agricultural practices by providing capacity building opportunities