Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) on Thursday, 5th December, 2024, kicked off the activeites to celebrate its 60years anniversary of the institute.
The staff and management of the institute storm the major city of Ibadan with Health Walk creating awareness of the anniversay.
The health walk which ended at Cocoa House, Ibadan, was led by the Executive Director, Dr. Patrick Adebola, and other management staff of the institute and was welcomed by Mr. Ade Ajayi, the representative of Odu'a Investment Company Ltd.
The anniversary celebration aims to showcase the innovations and contributions of CRIN to the cocoa industry over the years.
Speaking with CEOAFRICA, the Executive Director emphasized the significant impact of cocoa on the country's economy, noting the increase in cocoa prices and its essential role in the agricultural sector.
He also encouraged young people to consider agriculture as a profitable venture and emphasized the need for collaboration with organizations like Odu’a Investment Company Ltd.
He said "The cocoa house symbolizes the work of cocoa in the 60s, we are celebrating this anniversary to showcase all the innovations that have come out of the institution, and also to showcase the importance of cocoa to the economy of the country".
He added that in the economy of Nigeria today, cocoa is one of the highest agricultural produce.
“Today, all cocoa farmers are smiling at bank because as at January a turn of cocoa was 1.8million but today it's 12million, cocoa is very important to the economy of this country and it still remain number 1 in terms of GDP for the country. I also advice the young ones to go into agriculture because there is money to be make".
The main event, scheduled for December 9th, will be attended by key stakeholders (cocoa farmers), including the President of Nigeria, Minister of Agriculture, and various Institute representatives. The focus will be on promoting plantation farming and highlighting the opportunities for wealth creation in crops like cocoa, cashew, kola, coffee, and tea.
The anniversary celebrations extend to showcasing a variety of fun activities at Liberty Stadium, Ibadan. As CRIN is a member of Research Institute Games Association of Nigeria (RIGAN) with the aim to bring together the various Research and Development Institutes in Nigeria through sporting activities in all ramifications.
Mr. Adebola explained further: "The 60th anniversary is colliding with RIGAN Games- its 18th edition, and at least 35 research institutes are expected to come for the game; it will help to foster unity, collaborations and exchange of ideas among the entire institute. The RIGAN games festival will come up between 6th to 11th December, 2024”.      
Mr. Ajayi highlighted the importance of agriculture and cocoa farming, stating that Odu'a Investment Company Ltd holds cocoa in high esteem. “Odu’a knows the important of cocoa farming, as well as agriculture and a new opening has been instructed for Southwest agricultural companies” He said.