A HISTORY OF COCOA PRODUCTION IN IDANRE, ONDO STATE, 1900-1996.

The production and sales of cocoa were critical factors in rural development in pre-colonial Nigeria, with Idanre being one of the foremost centres of cocoa production in the country. Although literature exist on the contributions of cocoa to economic development in Southwestern Nigeria, the impact of its production on rural development in Idanre is yet to be fully explored. This study was, therefore, designed to examine the relationship between cocoa production and rural development in Idanre, especially between 1900s which captured the origin of cocoa cultivation and colonial rule and 1996 that marked a decade of the structural adjustment programme in relation to cocoa production and rural development in Idanre. The historical method of research was used. Primary and secondary sources were used. Oral interviews were conducted with individuals who were involved in the produce trade. Archival materials, including colonial government papers, ordinances and reports on agriculture in Idanre were obtained from the National Archives, the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Owena-Idanre, and farmers’ unions in Idanre. Secondary data such as journals, monographs, magazines and books were consulted. Data were subjected to historical analysis. Between 1900 and 1996, cocoa production had a significant socioeconomic impact on Idanre community. It boosted general rural development through increased rural employment, which enhanced producer’s wellbeing, social mobility and general rural development. Cocoa production facilitated the development of several settlements and villages, which thrived mostly on cocoa proceeds. From 1970 to 1986, cocoa production in Idanre stagnated, owing to massive rural-urban migration. Following economic liberalisation and abolition of the Cocoa Marketing Board in 1986, Idanre witnessed urban-rural migration, as many indigenes and migrants returned to cocoa farming. Structural Adjustment Programme also allowed many non-cocoa producing families to invest in the cocoa business and made a fortune through which they contributed to the transformation of both their livelihoods and the community. Cocoa production in Idanre changed the pattern of development by aiding farmers to re-establish new patterns of communal interactions and productive capacities.