It is said that the Agege planters are dissatisfied with the prices they obtain for their cocoa, which they maintain is properly fermented and of better quality than that of their neighbours. An association of the local planters was recently formed to ship their own produce direct to the European markets. The Agege cocoa generally, however, does not appear to be more carefully prepared or of better quality than the other local kinds. Fermentation is certainly practised in many places, and is becoming popular throughout the Western Province, owing to the discovery that the fermented pulp juice forms a beverage, which is said to be used as a substitute for palm wine, but the beans are frequently improperly dried. In the Eastern Province the climatic conditions appear to be more favourable for the plant, and there are now a number of small plantations near Eket, Old Calabar, and Itu. The product is still improperly prepared and usually unfermented, but time and experience will remedy this. In the Central Province from 1915 some activity in cocoa planting has occurred in the Benin district, but attention there is still mainly devoted to rubber planting. See also _Bull. Imp. Inst._, 1914, p. 213; 1915, p. 553; and 1919, p. 289. The exports of cocoa have been as follows: Year Lagos (W. Province) S. Nigeria (C. & E. Provs.) lbs. value £ lbs. value £ 1890 13,657 322 No record 1891 15,254 332 „ 1892 15,820 390 „ 1893 18,027 488 46,977 655 1894 39,177 929 58,180 992 1895 48,187 832 1,520 1896 27,968 442 109,399 1,532 1897 101,186 1,528 101,214 1,393 1898 76,965 1,579 120,633 1,459 1899 157,708 3,411 142,235 2,548 1900 256,234 5,913 196,455 2,710 1901 229,952 5,042 230,726 3,139 1902 385,540 7,530 302,305 3,677 1903 341,461 6,705 288,614 3,653 1904 821,732 13,892 367,728 4,982 1905 896,350 10,889 388,479 6,019 1906 1,153,439 20,893 466,548 6,161 1907 Combined 2,089,225 47,840 1908 „ 3,060,609 50,587 1909 „ 5,019,417 71,917 1910 „ 6,567,181 101,150 1911 „ 9,858,774 164,664 1912 „ 7,593,711 130,542 1913 „ 8,111,920 157,480 1914 „ 5,000 tons app. 171,751 1915 „ 9,105 „ 313,946 1916 „ 8,956 „ 393,101 1917 „ 15,442 „ 499,009