Le Département américain de l' agriculture (USDA) a donné le 19 octobre dernier à Abuja au Nigéria le coup d' envoi d' un programme intitulé “Traceability and Resilience in è Agriculture and Cocoa Ecosystems ” (TRACE) for the benefit of the cocoa industry according to a statement published on the website of the American Embassy in Nigeria.

Nigeria follows Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Cameroon in becoming the 4th largest cocoa producer in Africa. The new project launched by USDA has an estimated cost of $22 million, and will be implemented over the period 2023-2028 by Lutheran World Relief, an NGO working for sustainable development and humanitarian aid, in high-potential production areas across the states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun states. This project, nicknamed TRACE, is planned to train more than 51 people in 000 petits exploitants agricoles style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style”, "serif"> improved agricultural production techniques. 400 agriculteurs It will contribute to increasing the commercial performance of 114 farmers' organizations and facilitate access to markets for more than 68to