Kogi state government has promised to induct cashew farming into its Anchor Borrowers’ Programme in order to support farmers to improve their production for export.
During the National Cashew Association of Nigeria’s (NCAN) visit to the Kogi State Ministry of Agriculture, the Commissioner for Agriculture, David Apeh said while enlisting cashew farming into the Anchor Borrower’s Programme that it is very much important for cashew production.
Apeh said that the scheme gives the farmers better access to getting money for farm use, as well as fertilizers and rest things required. He made it known that the state produces up to 54% of the total cashew production in the country.
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According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in the first half of 2019, cashew emerged as the country’s third-biggest agricultural export, coming behind Sesame seeds and cocoa beans.
Despite huge production of cashew in Nigeria, it’s potentials are yet to be fully harnessed as an estimated eight million tonnes of the fruits are wasted yearly due to several factors, which include poor storage facility and many other unpredictable ones.
Cashew producing states include Abia, Enugu, Kaduna, Kogi, Kwara, Oyo, Niger, Imo, and Abuja. But while Kogi leads the pack among the producing states, Oyo State, Ogbomoso, to be precise, is another cashew destination in the country.
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The Kogi State NCAN Chairman, Ibrahim Siaka said in a statement that the association fully supports the Government and thus requested government’s assistance in providing facilities such as seedlings, logistics, and storehouse.
According to Siaka, the quality of the cashew seedlings in the State and the Nation at large stands as a major problem and therefore asked the State Government to provide vehicles for the Cashew Task Force Department to monitor and to frown at the invasion of less quality cashew nut into the State under a better and planned strategy.
