By Bisola Adeyemo
Cocoa production output in Nigeria has been estimated to hit 280,000 tonnes, from the 320,000 tonnes the cocoa association had forecast for Nigeria.
The production is targeted from the October 2021 to September 2022 season.
It is also reported that Nigerian cocoa exports rose 43.5 per cent in the first eight months of 2021 from a year earlier to 100,779 tonnes as demand recovered in the wake of coronavirus disruptions.
Measures by the government to curb the spread of the coronavirus hindered exports last year, creating a backlog of unshipped beans, with some stuck at the Lagos port and warehouses across the country.
Some dealers have up to one year of stock in warehouses.
“COVID-19 disrupted exports. Some dealers have up to one year of stock in warehouses,” a cocoa inspector told Nature News.
Cocoa exports, Nigeria’s second biggest export after crude oil, stood at 70,202 tonnes in the eight months to August 2020 and more than doubled to 142,092 tonnes in December 2020, data from the Federal Produce Inspection Service (FPIS) showed.
Commodity analyst, Robo Adhuse, said some shipments due in 2020 spilled over into the following year due to port congestion in Lagos.