Ibadan – Oyo State government on Tuesday expressed its commitment and readiness to restore the glory of cocoa production as one of the state’s major economic pillars.
To this effect, the government said it has approved a total of N3,030,292,472 for the establishment of Cocoa Rejuvenation Project to be driven through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
The project is to be coordinated by the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said the approval was given at the State Executive Council meeting which held on Tuesday.
The Commissioner explained that the state government is taking this initiative because Oyo State ranks fourth in cocoa production among the 18 cocoa-producing states in Nigeria.