The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan has release eight improved hybrid varieties.
Speaking on Monday, Dr Festus Olasupo, a Plant Breeder at CRIN attributed the development to its 10-year cocoa breeding efforts.
Speaking in interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Ibadan, Oyo State, Dr Olasupo explained that
the hybrid varieties bear fruits within two years and have high yield potentials ranging from 1,340 to 2,120kg per hectare.
He said that the new varieties were tolerant to phytophthora pod rot black pod disease and other insect infestations which could make their input requirements to be very low when compared with the old varieties.
The plant breeder added that they could be well adapted to the country’s marginal cocoa ecology.
“They produce good and acceptable beans, with good chocolate flavour which command premium price at the global market.
“The seeds and seedlings of the new hybrids are available at CRIN, though the demands for them are becoming very high,” he said.
Olasupo said that efforts should be made to enhance farmers’ adoption of the new hybrid varieties and upscale the current production level as well as strengthen the country’s cocoa industry.
He underscored the need for mass production of cocoa planting materials from the new varieties through the establishment of standard somatic embryogenesis laboratory at CRIN.
This, he said, would ensure adequate supply of quality planting materials needed for the rehabilitation of aged plantations and moribund cocoa farms across the country.
He also urged the government to give more support to CRIN to ensure the establishment of parental clones of the hybrids at relevant sub-stations of the institution across the country.
“Considering the current weight of demands to meet the unending needs of the country, a public-private partnership (PPP) option may be the alternative way out to complement government’s efforts in supporting CRIN’s research needs.
“Also, the governments of cocoa producing states should partner with CRIN for the purpose of establishing community-based seed gardens of these new varieties for the purpose of bringing the seed generation units closer to cocoa communities of each state.
“Further research efforts are ongoing at CRIN to develop more cultivars and clones with improved performance over the recently-released CRIN TC series.
“Therefore, adequate support of cocoa breeding and research, in terms of funding from both the government and the private sector, cannot be overemphasized, if the cocoa industry and Nigeria’s position in the comity of producing nations will be enhanced,” he said
