Ibadan: The Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has committed to partnering with the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) to revive cocoa cultivation as an economic investment in Ibadan.
Ladoja made the pledge when he received the management of the institute at the palace on Wednesday.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Olubadan, Mr Olugbemiga Ayoade, made available to newsmen, quoted the traditional ruler as saying that Ibadan was lucky to be in the forest region, where cocoa plantations could thrive due to favourable climatic conditions.
Ladoja also acknowledged that the city was home to many agricultural experts in various research institutes, particularly the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria.
The royal father expressed Ibadan’s readiness to provide acres of land for the proposed cocoa plantation and to also source the necessary logistics to ensure the smooth take-off of the project and its successful completion.
“I invite you and the experts in your institute to deliberate on how we can establish a modern cocoa plantation that can stand the test of time through the modern agricultural technologies and techniques,” he said.
In his remarks, the Acting Executive Director of Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Dr Rasheed Adedeji, thanked Olubadan and his council members for the opportunity given to the institute to play its role in the agricultural development of Ibadanland and Oyo State as a whole.
Adedeji promised that CRIN would support the Olubadan’s agricultural plans to ensure the initiative’s successful implementation.
He requested the necessary logistics, including the land area, farm inputs, and other resources for the project’s implementation.
Present at the meeting were Balogun of Ibadanland, Oba Tajudeen Ajibola; the Ekerin Balogun of Ibadanland, Oba Akeem Adewoyin, and other traditional title holders.
