Gunmen numbering six on Wednesday, kidnapped four Cocoa farmers at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) in Idi-Ayunre area of Ibadan. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that some of the kidnapped victims were at the institute for a familiarisation visit. A cocoa farmer who managed to flee the scene recounted that the…
Booming cocoa prices are stirring interest in turning Nigeria into a bigger player in the sector, with hopes of challenging top producers Ivory Coast and Ghana, where crops have been ravaged by climate change and disease. Nigeria has struggled to diversify its oil-dependent economy but investors have taken another look at cocoa beans after global…
Ghana’s president-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has pledged to revamp the cocoa sector and reorganise the state-run regulator, aiming to stimulate growth and improve efficiency in the world’s second-largest cocoa producer. In an interview with Reuters on Friday, he criticised the cocoa industry structure where the cocoa marketing board (COCOBOD) competes with farmers for profits. “Can…
