Kogi signs N2bn MoU with CBN on agriculture

Kogi state government has signed a N2 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for agricultural programme in the state.
Governor Idris Wada stated this on Monday at the opening ceremony of a four days training for cashew farmers in the state in Anyigba, Dekina local government area.
He said the state government had created enabling environment for farmers to succeed in line with the agricultural transformation agenda.
Represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Zaccheus Atte, Wada said the N2 billion when released would be spread across all the agricultural sectors which the state had comparative advantage.
Earlier, the President of the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), Mr. Tola Fasheru, charged the tiers of government in Nigeria to provide enough incentive for the cashew farmers to improve production.
Fasheru, who commended the governor for paying attention to agriculture, said the crop was capable of replacing oil in term of foreign exchange, saying:  “Cashew has become the second export cash crop after Cocoa in Nigeria, and if the country is serious about moving away from the mono economic dependence on oil, then it has to pay more emphasis on agriculture, especially the Cashew farming.”
“The government must pay emphasise on the storage of cashew nut in the country. Farmers loose 50 percent of their products at the post production stages. These have hindered the well being of the farmers who labour year-end to produce the product.”
The state chairman of the Association, Mr. Stephen Ayaba, who said cashew product had become the game changer in the agriculture sector eulogised the state government for organising the workshop.