Finance: Primary Production

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	Background Agriculture in Nigeria is a major branch of the economy in Nigeria, providing employment for 70% of the population. The sector is being transformed by commercialization at the small, medium and large-scale enterprise levels. The country's agricultural products fall into three main groups: food crops produced for home consumption, cash crops for exports and forests for wood . In 1990, 82 million hectares out of Nigeria's total land area of about 91 million hectares were found to be arable, although only 42 percent of the cultivable area was farmed. Much of this land was farmed under the bush fallow system, whereby land is left idle for a period of time to allow natural regeneration of soil fertility. 18 million hectares were classified as permanent pasture, but had the potential to support crops. Most of the 20 million hectares covered by forests and woodlands are believed to have agricultural potential. Agricultural holdings are small and scattered, and farming is carried out with simple tools. Large-scale agriculture is not common. Agriculture contributed 32% to GDP in 2001. Food crops Major food crops include : Cassava Cocoa Maize Millet palm kernel sorghum Yam Groundnut Prior to the Nigerian civil war, the country was self-sufficient in food, but increased steeply after 1973. Bread made from American wheat replaced domestic crops as the cheapest staple food. The most important food crops are yams and manioc (cassava) in the south and sorghum and millet in the north. Cash crops The cash crops are for exports. The main cash crops include : Cocoa Groundnut palm kernel SoyBeans Yam Rubber Cocoa is the leading non-oil foreign exchange earner but the dominance of smallholders and lack of farm labor due to urbanization hold back production. In 1999, Nigeria produced 145,000 tons of cocoa beans, but has the potential for over 300,000 per year. Rubber is the second-largest non-oil foreign exchange earner. Forests Some of the forest trees available include : Abora Afara Camwood Gum Arabic Iroko Mahogany Obeche

	Background Animal production in Nigeria can also be a major branch of the economy in Nigeria, providing employment for the population. The country's animal production falls into the following main categories: Fisheries , Livestock , Micro Livestock and Poultries . Fisheries Some of the fisheries produced include : Tilapia Fish CatFish Carp fish Livestock Some of the animals reared for livestock include : Cattle Goat Sheep Pig Rabbit Goat and sheep Micro-Livestock Some of the animals reared for micro-livestock include : Snail Poultries Some of the animals reared for poultries include : Duck Turkey Ostrich Guinea Fowl Chicken And Roosters Peacock poultry