Kogi upgrades cashew warehouses for storage #nigeria

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).