(a) Draw an outline map of Nigeria and on it show and name: (i) one area each for oil palm, cotton and cocoa cultivation (ii) one forest belt and one savann...

(a) Outline map of Nigeria showing crop-producing areas and vegetation belts

The sketch map below shows the required crop areas and the two named vegetation belts.

• (i) Crop areas
  • Oil palm: the south-east / Niger Delta (Imo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom).
  • Cotton: the far north (Katsina, Zaria/Kaduna, Gombe).
  • Cocoa: the south-west (Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti).
• (ii) Vegetation belts
  • Forest belt: the southern tropical rainforest belt along the coast.
  • Savanna belt: the Guinea/Sudan savanna belt of the middle and north.

(b) Four ways in which cocoa is important to the economy of Nigeria

1. Foreign-exchange earner: cocoa is a leading agricultural export and brings in foreign currency that strengthens the nation's reserves.
2. Raw material for industries: cocoa beans supply local factories that make beverages such as Bournvita, as well as cocoa butter and confectionery, so value is added at home.
3. Source of employment: cocoa growing, harvesting, processing, transporting and marketing provide jobs for a large number of people, especially in the south-west.
4. Source of income and government revenue: it gives farmers cash income while taxes and marketing-board proceeds provide revenue that funds roads, schools and other amenities in the producing areas.

(c) Three problems facing the cultivation of cocoa

1. Pests and diseases such as capsids and black-pod disease, which attack the trees and reduce yields.
2. Poor processing of the beans, leading to low-grade produce that fetches lower prices on the market.
3. Poor, low-yielding cocoa species and ageing trees, together with limited use of improved seedlings, fertiliser and capital, which keep output low.