Nigerian agro-scientists have recently successfully developed a cocoa seedling that can bear fruit in 18 months after planting, the state-owned News Agency of Nigeria reported on Monday.

Feyisara Okelana, assistant-director of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), was quoted as saying that further research into the fast fruit-bearing seedling was going on.

"We have only a limited amount of the seedlings and the demand for them is very high," she said.

If the research findings were adopted by cocoa farmers, Nigeria could regain its number one position among cocoa producers in the world, she said.

According to Okelana, it took about three years for cocoa to bear fruits after planting in the west African country until the latest development.

Nigeria is currently the number six world cocoa producer with an estimated 400,000 tons a year, while Cote d'Ivoire leads the pack with an annual production of one million tons.

"Bridging the gap is not unassailable because Nigeria has the favorable land and weather for the cultivation of cocoa and dedicated scientists who have identified what is required to increase production," she said.

Source: Xinhua