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When the cocoa research institute in Idanre introduced drought-resistant hybrid seedlings to local farming cooperatives, adoption was initially high among smallholders. However, within three harvest cycles, many farmers quietly reverted to cultivating older heirloom varieties alongside the hybrids, despite the hybrids yielding twice as much pod count per hectare. Agricultural economists discovered that while the hybrid trees produced heavily under controlled irrigation, their delicate root structures required expensive commercial fungicides during unseasonable downpours. The heirloom varieties, although lower-yielding, possessed thick taproots capable of reaching deep subterranean water tables and natural resistance to black pod disease. For smallholders operating on narrow profit margins without access to institutional credit, the cost of chemical intervention during rainy spells routinely wiped out the financial gains achieved from higher hybrid yields. Consequently, farmers adopted a risk-hedging strategy, maintaining hybrid plots for immediate cash flow while relying on heirloom groves to cushion against climate unpredictability.
Evaluate the statement: The primary reason Idanre cocoa smallholders retained heirloom cocoa varieties was to mitigate financial risk caused by the high maintenance costs and biological vulnerability of the hybrid crop during unpredictable weather.
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