Cocoa rehabilitation programme in Nigeria, 1972-1981: an export to check rural-urban drift and to reduce poverty among peasant cocoa farmers
Mayaki, J.
Poverty and rural development planners, peasants and poverty: 317-329
1990
Document Number: 379015
Until the advent of the oil boom, the main source of income for millions of farmers in the southern forest zones of Nigeria was cocoa. The latter was also the country's greatest foreign exchange earner. However, the period 1961-69 witnessed lower world market and producer prices, which compelled many farmers to abandon their plantations. The government took action. It attempted to embark on a massive rehabilitation programme for Nigeria's main agricultural products, especially cocoa, to provide employment and cash for the cocoa farmers, check drift to urban centres and above all to improve the traditional sources of foreign exchange earnings. With respect to cocoa, the Federal Military Government sought and obtained the assistance of the World Bank to enable it to embark on widespread cocoa development projects in the main cocoa-producing states of Ondo Oyo, and Ogun. The different phases of the programme are outlined. So far, it has been well-embraced by rural cocoa farmers, in view of the encouraging incentives given to them. The programme has succeeded to some extent in reversing rural-urban drift among peasant cocoa farmers and has improved their cash earnings as well. Significant funding by the Government and the zeal of the farmers have led to the programme's continuance to the present day.