TECHNOSERVE, a Washington based poverty eradicating organisation, in collaboration with OLAM Nigeria has launched a training program aimed at empowering cashew farmers in Nigeria.

According to a statement released by Ade Adefeko, OLAM's Head Corporate and Government Relations, the program, which took place at Ayangba, Kogi State was expected to impact positively on 6,000 farmers, half of whom are women.

The cashew farmers were drawn from Kogi, Kwara and Oyo States known for their high level of cashew production while the training was made possible through a grant from the Walmart Foundation. 

The expected impact would be in form of adoption of good agronomic practices and improved methods for harvest and post harvest handling of raw cashew nuts among others. 

Cashew production currently accounts for more than a third of household income in Kogi state alone, according to an independent research conducted by the organisation.

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

  The production estimates are for targeted households in the three Nigerian key cashew-producing states.

"Cashew farming is one of the most economically important activities in West Africa, yet the crop's its potential have not yet been fully realised," said Shakti Pal, Regional Cashew Expert for the company.

"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 program 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 release stated that the trainers would pass on the knowledge and expertise to other farmers in their states. Olam operates Nigeria's largest cashew processing plant in Ilorin, Kwara state.

  The Cashew Farmer Training initiative is one of several that The organisation currently operates in Nigeria, apart from a regional program working to raise the yields and incomes of the nation's cocoa farmers.

  TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries.

It is a non-profit organisation that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. 

  The company with its headquarters in Singapore supplies various products across 16 platforms to over 12,300 customers worldwide and has a supply network of over 3.5 million farmers, the majority of whom are small-scale.

Olam's importance in the cashew industry is enhanced by its unique position as the only company to have significant interests in each segment of the product value chain.