How Kogi APPEALS revitalised our abandoned cashew farms —Farmers

FARMERS in Ochaja Community, Dekina Local Government in Kogi State said they abandoned their Cashew farms for years because of the tedious nature of the farm and lack of fund.

The farmers who are majorly aged said their Cashew farms were outgrown by bushes and most times destroyed by wild fire.

Chief Yahaya Ibrahim, the traditional ruler of the community said after the intervention of the World Bank implemented project

Agro-processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project (APPEALS) in Kogi State, Cashew farming became more interesting.

Chief Ibrahim who is also a cashew farmer said he has 12 hectares of cashew, but I ignored farm for the past 10 years

He said between 2019 and 2020, APPEALS has been organising workshops and seminar for them on the importance of cashew, the agronomic aspect, packaging and others.

Ibrahim said last year, Kogi APPEALS facilitated the distribution of cashew farming implements that they can use in their farms, and like cutlass, slashers.

“The reason why I ignored my farm is because the work became tidious, and there were no materials to use, no financial support, but when we were given the slashers, a place that 5 labourers can cover in a day, just with one litre of fuel, you will clear the place in a day.

“After clearing the farm, APPEALS also supported us with herbicides and insecticide, they gave us manual sprayers and the motor-ride sprayer to use on our farm”, he noted.

He said before now, the middlemen buy their products at ridiculous prices, but APPEALS linked them up with off-takers who they sell directly to on a good price.

“Go to our community now, you will see people erecting modern houses as a result of the Kogi APPEALS intervention”, he said.

He lamented that the time frame given to APPEALS in Nigeria is too short. “If APPEALS continue in Kogi till the 10 years, there would be massive poverty alleviation”, he added.

Another cashew farmer, and Chairman of Ochaja Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Noah Yusufu said he was discouraged about Cashew farming because he doesn’t have the money and the energy, but since APPEALS came in, he returned to the farm after they were trained.

“Before APPEALS came in, I always encounter bush burning in my farm, but after trainings by APPEALS, I now harvest double of what I used to harvest in the past.

“Formally, I rarely harvest 15 bags from my 7 hectares farm, but after training and provision of farm inputs by APPEALS, I got about 45 bags from the same farm and each bag costs about N40,000.

“APPEALS has changed our lives, some of us are erecting houses, I will buy my own car and build my house very soon.

“Whenever we harvest, we invite the off-takers who come to our farms or houses and buy up everything, but previously, those middlemen decide the prices of of our products without our knowledge”, he added.

Another woman farmer, Sarah Ameh and a member of Ajedama Cooperative Group said before, her farm became bushy, and the cost of clearing it was too high, even if she pays labourers to clear it, they will collect the money do a half job and run away.

“But APPEALS gave me cutlass, rake, mougher and sprayer, so, I share the cutlass to the labourers and the do the job for me”, she added.

The Kogi State APPEALS Coordinator, Dr Sanni Ozomata said that for Cashew, they are expecting 0.7 metric tons per hectare, they supported the planting of 2501 hectares and is expecting a total of 1,750,7 metric tons of cashew.