Nigeria's Cross River State to Expand Cocoa Land, Boost Output

Nigeria’s southeastern Cross River state plans to expand land under cocoa cultivation by a third in the current season and revamp old farms in a bid to double output, an official said.

“We intend to bring about 4,000 hectares of previously unplanted areas into cocoa cultivation,” Egrinya Eneji, state commissioner for agriculture, said Friday in an e-mailed response to questions from capital, Calabar. “We intend to introduce the most modern cocoa hybrids capable of yields of 2 metric tons per hectare.”