Friday, July 1, 2005

Ekiti distributes cocoa seedlings to farmers
From Ifedayo Sayo, Ado-Ekiti

FIVE hundred thousands cocoa seedlings are to be distributed by the Ekiti State Government to farmers in the state to boost cocoa production.

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Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mr. Abiodun Aluko who was on inspection tour of the various cocoa seedlings nurseries located across the state recently, said the seedlings would be distributed to cocoa farmers free of charge, saying the free distribution of the seedlings was part of the Governor Ayodele Fayose's administration efforts at boosting cocoa production in the state and ensure that Ekiti State moves up the ladder among the cocoa producing states in Nigeria.

Mr. Aluko added that arrangements have also been formalised by the state government to make

agro-chemicals available to farmers at subsidised rate this year.

According to him, the visit to the nurseries in Ado-Ekiti, Ikere, Ikole and Aramoko Zonal cocoa nurseries was necessary to see them personally and ascertain the condition of the seedlings and also to showcase them to the farmers. He directed the Project Manager, Mr. Rufus Arabi to commence the registration of farmers to be given the seedlings immediately so that all the seedlings would have been distributed to them for planting latest by the middle of July.

The project manager while speaking with reporters commended the Ekiti State government and the National Cocoa Development (NCDC) for their efforts at boosting cocoa production in

Ekiti State.

Arabi gave the assurance that the seedlings produced in the nurseries are of good variety with high productivity capacity of 200 cocoa pods per tree per year on the average.

He also said that the Ekiti State Tree Crops Unit will work hard this year and start the nursing of Cocoa seedlings early to enable it meet the one million cocoa seedlings which is the Ekiti State government's target for next planting season.