Cocoa

For George Matthew, a doctor-turned-farmer in Kerala, a failed experiment with cocoa saplings a decade ago became the foundation for a thriving venture—thanks to some unexpected help from squirrels. Dr. Matthew, who inherited a struggling rubber plantation in the 1970s, decided to diversify his crops as falling rubber prices eroded profits. He planted cocoa trees,…

Timber merchants in Ogun State have raised concerns over the increasing destruction of economic trees by illegal cocoa farmers in the Omo Forest Reserve, located in the J4 area of Ijebu Ode. The merchants, under the Ijebu Sawmillers and Timber Contractors Association, have called for urgent government intervention, claiming the state is losing over N500…