TechnoServe, Olam, Train Cashew Farmers

TechnoServe, a Washington-based organisation and Olam Nigeria, have jointly launched a training programme to empower cashew farmers in the country.

This was contained in a statement made available to our correspondent recently in Ibadan by the Head of Corporate Relations of Olam Nigeria, Mr Ade Adefeko.

The statement said that the programme was expected to impact positively on 6,000 farmers, including 3,000 women.

The programme, which was launched under the Walmart Foundation, USA, identified cashew farmers from Kogi, Kwara and Oyo States as beneficiaries based on their high level of cashew production.

It said the expected impact would be in form of adoption of good agronomic practices and improved methods for harvest, post harvest and handling of raw cashew nuts.

According to the statement, an independent research conducted by TechnoServe showed that cashew production accounted for more than a third of household income in Kogi State.

It said that TechnoServe estimated that the new farming practices would translate into an estimated 20 per cent increase in yields and improved quality of cashew nut production.

It quoted Mr Shakti Pal, the Regional Cashew Expert for TechnoServe, as saying that “cashew farming’s potential in West Africa has not yet 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 maximise 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,” Pal said.

The statement said that selected trainees would pass on their knowledge and expertise to other farmers in their states.

It said that the Cashew Farmer Training initiative was one of the programmes the companies were organising in Nigeria, apart from a regional programme to raise cocoa farmers’ yields.