The Cross River government has raised six million improved variety cocoa seedlings to boost its production capacity, Special Adviser to the governor on Cocoa Development and Control, Oscar Ofuka said on Sunday.

Mr. Ofuka made the disclosure at his conferrement with a traditional title in Bendeghe, Etung Local Government Area of the state.

He said with the six million improved variety cocoa seedlings, the stage was set for the state to reclaim its rightful position as number one Cocoa producing state in the country.

“This is what our governor has mandated us to do, to return Cross River to the position of number one cocoa producing state and to ensure that cocoa remained the mainstay of our economy,” Mr. Ofuka said.

The special adviser said that Nigeria at large would benefit from the cocoa revolution going on in the state, in the long run.

“I say this because, by the time we are through with what we are doing, Nigeria will overtake Cote d’Voire as the number one producer of Cocoa in Africa and the World, ” he said.

He, however, said that for the state to achieve the Cocoa transformation, more people needed to return to its cultivation.

Mr. Ofuka noted that there is a need for more government investment in the Cocoa Value Chain if the state is ready to change the narrative of over dependence on the monthly allocation from the federation account.