The Cashew Farmers Association of Nigeria, Oyo State Chapter, on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to provide storage centres that would also serve as sales points to farmers.
The association’s Chairman, Mr Sodiq Adebayo, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.
Adebayo said that government needed to create a collection centre where farmers could sell their produce directly to the government.
He identified inadequate marketing as a major challenge facing his members, adding that it had resulted in the farmers making less profit by selling to agents who re-sell to exporters.
“Farmers are doing a lot to increase their production of cashew nuts in the country but government should help them through the association by providing storage facilities.
“The Federal Government promised to build warehouses where farmers can store cashew nuts, but it has yet to be implemented.
“These warehouses can also serve as sales points for farmers where the government can buy from us and later re-sell to exporters,” Adebayo said.
The chairman said that selling to the government would enable farmers make more profit and also curb post-harvest losses.
“We don’t make a lot of profit selling to agents and organisations who later sell to exporters,’’ Adebayo lamented. NAN
