The effects of rainfall and other weather parameters on cocoa production in Nigeria/Os efeitos dos parâmetros de chuva e outras condições meteorológicas na produção de cacau na Nigéria

• Published in: Comunicata Scientiae 2014-10, Vol.5 (4), p.518-518
• Main Authors: Lawal, Justina Oluyemisi, Omonona, Bolarin Titus
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2179-9079; 2177-5133

This study determines the effects of rainfall, temperature and relative humidity on Cocoa yield in Nigeria by analyzing the trend over three decades 1980-2011. The study employed the use of the annual readings of the three climatic parameters in question and the cocoa yield recorded over these periods. Data were subjected to inferential statistics and regression analysis in Stata. The results showed that the mean rainfall value over the three decades ranged from 1148.84±438.59mm, 1245.25±209.59 mm and 1186.27±175.02mm for period between 1980-1990, 1991-2000 and 2001-2011 respectively. While the yield ranged from 13.85 tons, 10.53 tons and 14.21 tons; the temperature ranged from 24.64, 25.91 and 25.1 degrees Celsius, while relative humidity also ranged between 74.91%, 74.18% and 75.1%, respectively in the decades. Regression of yield against rainfall shows negative correlation of 0.0067852, with temperature and relative humidity exhibiting positive correlations of 1.092 and 0.7346 respectively.