US group trains cashew farmers in Oyo, Kogi, Kwara

The programme which took place at Ayangba, Kogi State, according to Mr. Ade Adefeko, OLAM’s Head of Corporate and Government Relations, is aimed at impacting positively on 6,000 farmers in the country, 3,000 of whom are women. He said the training was made possible through a grant from the Walmart Foundation, adding that the expected […]

The programme which took place at Ayangba, Kogi State, according to Mr. Ade Adefeko, OLAM’s Head of Corporate and Government Relations, is aimed at impacting positively on 6,000 farmers in the country, 3,000 of whom are women.
He said the training was made possible through a grant from the Walmart Foundation, adding that the expected impact would be in form of adoption of good agronomic practices and improved methods for harvest and post harvest handling of raw cashew nuts among others.  
 A research conducted by TechnoServe revealed that cashew production currently accounts for more than one-third of household income in Kogi State and that the new farming practices would translate into an estimated 20 percent increase in yield and improved quality of cashew nut production while the production estimates are for targeted households in the three Nigerian key cashew producing states.
 The regional cashew expert for TechnoServe, Shakti Pal, said, “Cashew farming is one of the most economically important in West Africa, yet its potential has not been fully realized. In Nigeria alone, an estimated 125,000 households are engaged in cashew farming, but they lack the knowledge to improve their yields and maximize their incomes. Through this programme, these farmers will have access to the training needed to improve the quality of their product and in turn the quality of their lives.”