Nigeria: Kogi Upgrades Cashew Warehouses for Storage

By John Akubo

Lokoja — TOWARDS reducing post-harvest losses and wastages in the cashew industry, the Kogi State Government has started upgrading warehouses in the state to meet the standards for cashew handling.

The cashew handling centres have now been equipped with modern grading and quality assessment equipments, as post-harvest losses usually account for over 50 percent of total cashew production valued at $75 million.

Governor Idris Wada disclosed at the cashew improvement training with the theme, "Promoting Cashew Sustainability in Kogi State," hosted by the government in collaboration with Colossus Investments Limited and the National Cashew Association of Nigeria that the state is the largest producer of cashew in the country, accounting for 40 percent of the nation's total commercial production.

According to him, putting up the centres across the state will go a long way in tackling the storage problem usually encountered by farmers and provide the necessary drying platforms for the produce.

When that is in place, he added, it would significantly reduce and eventually eliminate the problem of high moisture and lack of storage facilities that have plagued the sector for so long. He indicated that government's investment in the sector would further position the farmers and all stakeholders across the value chain to realize better returns.

Wada further noted that the Memorandum of Understanding between the sate and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the N2 billion loan for Kogi farmers indicated his administration's strong commitment to the development of the cashew industry in the state.

Also speaking, the state's NCAN Chairman, Comrade Ahiaba Stephen, commended Wada for transforming the state's agricultural sector, adding that the cashew improvement training was welcome, as it aimed to complete the value chain development in line with President Goodluck Jonathan's Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

Over 500 participants attended the training, while facilitators included representatives from the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN).