Kogiflame
Cashew farming stakeholders in Kogi State have mobilised for Cashew Export Production Village (EPV) Develolment in the state
The Trade Promotion Advisor (NEPC), Lokoja Smart office, Hajia Mrs. Amina AbdulMalik made this known on Thursday at the stakeholders engagement forum on the establishment of export production villages for Cashew develolment and export in Kogi State.
According to her, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council Lokoja Smart office through the intervention of the office headquarters organised the forum in order to bring together critical stakeholders in the cashew Industrial sector to address the challenges militating against the significant increase in the production and processing of cashew for export.
She noted that the forum offers hope that the NEPC and all the critical stakeholders present at this forum will all work assiduously for the successful takeoff of the project which will certainly lead to wealth creation and further repositioning the economy of the state.
“NEPC has targeted cashew because it constitutes the major agricultural commodity in Kogi State with huge potentials that are yet to be fully maximised
“According to recent data sourced from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that apart from aluminium alloy, urea and re-exports oil and gas, majority of Nigerian Export in 2021 remained raw unprocessed products like crude oil, cocoa, and sesame seeds. The top export of Nigeria in 2019 in the agricultural sector was unprocessed raw commodities,” she said.
The representative from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in Kogi State, Mallam Hassan Dauda said their is the need to encourage cashew farming in the state.
He noted that ty attitude of the state government toward cashew farming in the state was not encourage.
He stressed that government at all levels should make sure that cashew industry is encourage. adding that the Central Bank of Nigeria to assist cashew farmers in the state.
According to him fund have been arranged by the CBN for Cashew processing Industry in the state as h encourage cashew farmers in Kogi State to use the opportunity provided by the CBN.
