By Dr Olusegun Sansi
The following are three interconnected concerns of the Nigerian cocoa industry:
1. Ageing farmers
2. Ageing trees
3. Lack of young people willing to farm.
These three concerns can be addressed sustainably through a “Cocoa Renewal and Youth Transition Programme” that treats the problem as a value-chain transformation, and this includes:
1. Addressing the ageing farmer population
The objective should be to make cocoa farming less physically demanding, more profitable, and more attractive to younger people by :
A.I.Introducing a structured farmer succession programme for
encouraging older cocoa farmers to formally transfer or lease part of their farms to younger farmers.
II. Create “Cocoa Farm Succession Agreements” that protect the interests of both generations.
III.Provide incentives to older farmers who bring younger people into farm ownership or management.
IV.Establish farmer cooperatives that can facilitate succession and land access.
B. Create a “Cocoa Farmer Retirement and Transition Scheme”This could be done technically by:
I. Older farmers should not simply be asked to abandon their farms. Instead:
Farmers approaching retirement age can transfer management to trained young farmers.
II.The older farmer retains an agreed share of farm income for a defined transition period.
III.The young farmer receives training, inputs and access to finance.
IV.This creates a generational handover rather than a sudden loss of cocoa expertise.
C. Use mechanisation and labour-saving technologies,
Government and the private sector should promote the use of the following tools:
I.Motorised pruning equipment.
II.Brush cutters.
III.Motorised sprayers
IV.Improved harvesting tools.
V.Small-scale farm transport.
VI.Digital farm monitoring.
VII. Drone services for larger farms.
The goal is to reduce the perception that cocoa farming is extremely labour-intensive.
2. Addressing ageing cocoa trees
A major mistake would be to focus only on planting new cocoa farms. Nigeria needs a three-tier tree renewal strategy.
Tier 1: *Rehabilitate productive old trees
Where old trees are still economically productive:
A.Prune and restructure the canopy.
B.Remove diseased branches.
C.Improve soil fertility.
D.Control pests and diseases.
E.Rejuvenate through appropriate agronomic practices.
As this can restore productivity without destroying the existing farm.
Tier 2: Replant unproductive trees
Where trees are too old, diseased or uneconomical :
A.Remove unproductive trees progressively.
B.Replace them with improved, high-yielding and disease-tolerant varieties.
C.Use staggered replanting so that farmers do not lose their entire income at once. This is crucial as cocoa farmers cannot afford to cut down an entire cocoa farm and wait several years for new trees to become productive.
Tier 3: Introduce an “old tree replacement fund”
A sustainable cocoa renewal fund could provide:
A.Improved seedlings.
B.Fertiliser and soil amendments.
C.Farm rehabilitation grants.
D.Temporary income support.
E.Intercropping support during the immature period.
F.Technical extension services.
The fund could be financed through a combination of:
A.Federal and state governments.
B.Cocoa-producing states.
C.Cocoa processors and exporters.
D.Development finance institutions.
E.International climate and sustainability funds.
F.Cocoa sustainability premiums.
3. Making cocoa farming attractive to young Nigerians
This is probably the most important long-term solution.
The industry should stop presenting cocoa farming as simply “farming” and start presenting it as a modern agribusiness and investment opportunity by:
A. Creating”Young Cocoa Agripreneur” programmes, and
young people should be trained in:
1. Cocoa production.
2. Nursery management.
3. Farm mechanisation.
4. Cocoa processing.
5. Chocolate manufacturing.
6. Cocoa logistics.
7. Digital agriculture.
8. Farm management.
10. Export marketing.
11. Agritourism.
These create opportunities beyond traditional farm labour.
B. Give young farmers access to land
Land access is one of the biggest barriers.
Government and traditional institutions could establish Cocoa Land Banks by identifying underutilised agricultural land and making it available to qualified young farmers through:
1. Long-term leases.
2. Cooperative ownership.
3. Public-private partnerships.
4. Community land agreements.
5. Young people are more likely to invest in cocoa if they have secure tenure for 20–30 years.
C. Provide patient, long-term financing.
Cocoa is a perennial crop, so normal short-term agricultural loans are often unsuitable.
Young cocoa farmers need:
1.5–10 year financing
Grace periods before repayment.
2. Low-interest loans.
3. Credit guarantees.
4. Crop insurance.
5. Input financing.
6. A young farmer should be able to obtain a “Cocoa Establishment Loan” that recognises that cocoa does not generate full income immediately.
4. Develop a “Cocoa Farm as a Business” model.
Nigerian stakeholders should promote cocoa farms as commercial enterprises, not subsistence farms.
A young farmer should be able to develop a business plan showing:
Land, Improved seedlings, Farm establishment, Intercropping, tree maturation, cocoa production, Fermentation, Processing, Premium markets.
These would allow banks and investors to evaluate cocoa farming as an investment.
5. Use intercropping to solve the income gap.
One major reason young people may avoid cocoa is the waiting period before the trees become productive.
During the early years, farmers can use suitable intercrops, depending on local conditions, such as:
1. Plantain.
2. Banana.
3Cassava.
4.Legumes
Also other compatible food crops.
This creates early cash flow and food security while the cocoa trees mature.
However, intercropping systems should be based on agronomic research so that competition for light, nutrients and water does not reduce long-term cocoa yields.
6. Create a national cocoa replanting and youth investment programme
I would recommend a programme with three linked components:
1. Cocoa Renewal by
replacing or rehabilitating ageing cocoa trees.
2. Cocoa Succession by transferring knowledge, farms and management from ageing farmers to younger farmers.
3. Cocoa Entrepreneurship by
Creating new businesses around cocoa production, processing, logistics and value addition.
Dr Olusegun Sansi, Agricultural/Livestock Economist is the CEO, Jesswol International
