By Faridat Salifu
Enugu State has launched a 20-hectare pilot cocoa plantation, a collaborative initiative between the state government and private investor WhiteRabbit Agro Limited.
The venture aims to enhance cocoa production and processing within the state, positioning Enugu as a player in the cocoa industry.
During a recent press briefing held in Enugu, the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Mr. Patrick Ubru, said the pilot plantation is situated in the Nkanu East Local Government Area.
Ubru emphasized the potential for expanding cocoa farming across the region, noting that the Ministry of Agriculture plans to extend the initiative to five additional local government areas.
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These LGAs—Nkanu West, Isi-Uzo, Oji-River, Aninri, and Awgu—were selected due to their favorable topography and soil types for cocoa cultivation.
He said the goal is to establish pilot cocoa plantations of 100 hectares in each of these regions to further promote cocoa farming.
Ubru expressed the government’s commitment to the initiative, stating, “We are pursuing it with the vigor it deserves and want to ensure that we encourage our farmers to take to cocoa farming and develop large cocoa plantations.”
He highlighted that the project partners are currently cultivating 100,000 high-yielding and early-producing cocoa seedlings sourced from the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) in Ibadan, which will be planted in a nursery located in the Amaechi Idodo community within Nkanu East.
Ubru underscored the broader economic implications of this project, viewing it as a significant opportunity for Enugu residents to engage in agriculture, generate income, and contribute to the state’s economy.
