This article offers a comprehensive overview of tree crops in Nigeria, focusing on their economic, social, and cultural significance. It starts with an introduction to the definition of tree crops, distinguishing them from forest trees and highlighting examples such as oil palm, cocoa, cashew, and mango.

The article discussed the key types of tree crops grown in Nigeria, including cocoa, oil palm, rubber, and citrus fruits, emphasizing their roles in food production and export earnings.

The importance of tree crops is discussed in various contexts, including their contribution to Nigeria’s economy, job creation, food security, rural development, and export revenue. Additionally, the article covers environmental aspects, such as how tree crops contribute to biodiversity, soil protection, and climate mitigation.

The methods of propagation are also explored, detailing both sexual and vegetative propagation techniques. Readers will learn the procedures for collecting and preparing propagation materials, with clear guidance on managing nursery beds and distinguishing between techniques like budding and grafting.

By the end of this article, readers will have a solid understanding of tree crop cultivation, from the initial stages of propagation to the broader economic, environmental, and cultural impact of tree crops in Nigeria.

Definition of Tree Crops

You may wish to differentiate between Forest Trees and Tree Crops. Trees generally refer to woody plants. They could be Tropical Trees or Temperate plants. Tree crops in our context refer to trees cultivated for their food, cultural or economic values.

These include oil palm, Rubber, Cocoa, Cashew, Mango, Oranges (Citrus), Plantain, Banana, Coconut, Guava, Pawpaw, Kolanut, Coffee and Parkia. These are other less prominent local fruit trees which are traditionally cultivated Examples of such are Irvingia (Bush mango), Bread fruit and Pea trees, etc.

Types of Tree Crops

Introduction to Tree Crops of Economic, Social, and Cultural Importance in Nigeria

Tree crops are an important part of agriculture in Nigeria, contributing to food production and export earnings. Here are some key types of tree crops grown in Nigeria:

1. Cocoa: A major cash crop used for chocolate production and other products, grown in states like Ondo and Cross River.

2. Oil Palm: Produces palm oil used in cooking, food processing, soaps, and cosmetics, common in southern Nigeria.

3. Rubber: Cultivated for latex, processed into natural rubber for tires and industrial products, grown in Edo, Delta, and Ondo.

4. Coconut: Thrives in coastal areas, produces coconut oil, milk, and water, commonly found in Lagos and Ondo.

5. Cashew: Grown in Kogi, Oyo, and Kwara, provides cashew nuts and fruits used in snacks, beverages, and oil production.

6. Kola Nut: Grown in the southwestern and southeastern regions, used in ceremonies, stimulants, and beverages.

7. Mango: Common across Nigeria, produces juicy fruits consumed fresh or processed into juice and dried products.

8. Citrus (Orange, Lemon, Lime): Grown in Benue, Oyo, and Cross River, provides fresh fruits and juice for beverages and flavoring.

9. Banana and Plantain: Widely grown, important food crops eaten raw or cooked in various dishes across Nigeria.

10. Shea: Found in the northern regions, produces shea butter used in cooking, cosmetics, and skincare products.

Read Also: Introduction to Fish Nutrition

Importance of Tree Crops in Nigeria

1. Economic Growth: Tree crops, such as cocoa, oil palm, and rubber, are key contributors to Nigeria’s economy. These crops are cultivated on a large scale, and their products are traded both locally and internationally. The revenue generated from exporting these crops, especially cocoa and palm oil, significantly contributes to Nigeria’s GDP.

Tree crop farming provides opportunities for diversification of the economy, reducing reliance on oil exports and boosting other sectors like manufacturing and processing.

2. Job Creation: Tree crop farming creates millions of jobs across various stages of the agricultural process. This includes planting, harvesting, processing, and distribution. Many Nigerians depend on tree crops for their livelihoods, especially in rural areas where the agricultural sector is a primary source of income.

Jobs are also created in related industries, such as transport, packaging, and retail, further supporting local economies.

3. Export Revenue: Nigeria is one of the world’s largest producers of cash crops like cocoa, palm oil, and cashew nuts, which are major export commodities.

These crops contribute significantly to foreign exchange earnings, helping Nigeria maintain a strong position in the global market.

The export revenue from these tree crops supports the national economy, enhances trade relations with other countries, and aids in balancing Nigeria’s trade deficit.

4. Food Security: Tree crops such as mango, citrus (oranges, lemons, and limes), and coconut provide essential nutrients and help ensure food security in Nigeria. These crops are not only grown for export but also consumed locally, improving nutrition levels.

For instance, citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C, which helps prevent malnutrition-related diseases. Additionally, tree crops contribute to the availability of affordable and nutritious food, which is essential for sustaining the population.

5. Rural Development: Tree crop farming plays a vital role in rural development. As farmers grow tree crops, they build local economies by supplying goods to local markets and providing products to processing plants.

This leads to increased infrastructure development in rural areas, including better roads, schools, and healthcare facilities.

Rural families earn steady incomes from cultivating these crops, improving their standard of living and overall community well-being.

6. Biodiversity: Tree crops support biodiversity by helping to preserve ecosystems and protect wildlife habitats. The cultivation of tree crops like cocoa and rubber requires large tracts of land, often interspersed with natural forests. These areas serve as habitats for various animal and plant species, promoting ecological balance.

Sustainable farming practices that focus on agroforestry help conserve the environment and enhance biodiversity by integrating tree crops with native species.

7. Soil Protection: The roots of tree crops play a significant role in protecting the soil. They help to anchor the soil, preventing erosion caused by heavy rains and wind.

The deep roots of tree crops like cocoa and oil palm also improve soil fertility by breaking down organic material, enriching the soil with nutrients.

This helps make the land more suitable for future agricultural activities, ensuring long-term soil health and sustainability.

8. Climate Mitigation: Tree crops are an important tool in mitigating the effects of climate change. The process of photosynthesis in tree crops captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in the plants, which helps reduce greenhouse gas levels.

These crops contribute to lowering the overall carbon footprint and help in reducing global warming by absorbing carbon,

The shade from these trees can help moderate temperature extremes in farming areas, offering more favorable growing conditions.

9. Cultural Significance: Some tree crops hold deep cultural and spiritual significance in Nigeria. For example, the kola nut is highly valued in Nigerian tradition, especially in the southwestern and southeastern regions.

It is often used in ceremonies, rituals, and social gatherings as a symbol of respect, hospitality, and unity.

Tree crops like the mango and cashew also feature prominently in Nigerian folklore and traditions, symbolizing prosperity, blessings, and celebrations.

10. Raw Materials for Industries: Tree crops provide critical raw materials for several industries, boosting Nigeria’s manufacturing sector. Palm oil is used extensively in the food industry for cooking and food processing, while rubber is vital in the production of tires, shoes, and industrial products.

Shea butter, derived from the shea tree, is an essential raw material in cosmetics, skincare, and pharmaceutical products. These industries create jobs, foster innovation, and support the growth of Nigeria’s industrial base.

Origin and Areas of Production

Most of the Fruit tree crops cultivated in Nigeria had their origin from the Tropical Africa, South America, Asia and Sub tropical regions of the world. Nigeria is one of the distribution centres for some of the crops, e.g oil palm.

Naturally, most of the fruit tree crops in Nigeria are grown in the southern parts of Nigeria, but some are adapted to the northern areas through improved cultural and agronomic practices and availability of modern irrigation systems.

Vegetative Propagation

Tree crops are generally propagated by two main methods:-
When seedlings are produced through seeds it is known and called sexual propagation ie seedling production through seeds.

However, in some instances (e.g) bananas) seeds are not normally produced by the plant and vegetative propagation is the only practical means of establishing seedlings for the orchard.

Vegetative propagation is used, for instance in mango, rubber and citrus as a means of securing high-yielding, genetically uniform field plantings.

You will realize later that high yielding plants which are used to produce planting material are often far from being homozygous (uniforms) so that considerable segregation occurs in seed material (e.g. oil-palm).

This is why you find that many planters prefer to use vegetative materials for planting even though its production may be tedious. The two main methods of vegetative propagation as you will discover in

Sexual Propagation

In some crops where there is considerable uniformity, propagation is usually by sexual method (i.e seedlings are produced by direct seeding).

These crops include guava, pawpaw, cocoa, kolanut and cashew to mention but a few. You will sow the seed in the Nursery directly and later transplant to the field at appropriate time depending on the crop and variety.

Collection of Propagation Materials

For sexual propagation, you will need to collect your seed material from authentic sources. You must sow certified breeder’s seeds so that you may obtain true to type fruit in future. Clean and health seed must be used.

You should first survey round to identify trees that have history of true to type fruits, high yielding and freedom from diseases and pests. Such trees would be marked before deciding on buds from which the scions would be taken.

Scions are the materials taken from describe buds which would be used on the seedlings in the Nursery called “stocks”. You will remove all the leaves on the chose branches and leave them on the trees for about five days after which the branches would be cut and taken to the Nursery immediately for use.

You will select scions to be used, carefully removing them devoid of wood with sharp and clean budding knife. You are now ready for budding or grafting proper.

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