Rasad Nigeria Limited, in partnership with SEFAA and MSME Lab, has trained 500 cocoa farmers across Ogun State to promote sustainable agricultural practices and improve compliance with international export standards.

Founder of Rasad Nigeria Limited, Rasaq Adeagbo, said the gesture was part of the organisation’s long-term commitment to supporting smallholder farmers and contributing to Nigeria’s socio-economic development through agricultural exports.

Adeagbo noted that the empowerment was designed to increase value addition and generate higher returns for farmers and the economy.

He added that the training would also improve productivity among smallholder farmers and ensure that they benefit from the global agricultural value chain.

Adeagbo emphasised that the firm’s approach to farmers’ support goes beyond profit to include partnerships that generate multiplier effects across rural communities.

The Project Lead at MSME Lab, Femi Adeniji, said the training would help farmers meet the requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) policy, which emphasises traceability, sustainability, and ethical production in cocoa exports.

He explained that many farmers lack the information and capacity to comply with the policy, adding that the initiative provides technical training, financial support, farm mapping, and input distribution to bridge that gap.

Adeniji noted that 100 farms would be mapped as part of the project, with 500 farmers reached directly and more than 2,000 indirectly.

He added that the project also includes financial coordination with farmer cooperatives to ensure transparency and accountability in funds disbursement.

Head of Training for the programme, Elizabeth Dare, said the sessions focused on sustainable cocoa farming, integrated pest management, and environmental and social governance (ESG) principles.

Dare explained that the objective was to improve farmers’ knowledge of good agronomic practices and help them meet international export standards.

She added that many participants were learning about compliance requirements for the first time, and hope that continuous engagement and follow-up would help them adopt the practices introduced during the training.

One of the beneficiaries, Kola Oloyede, commended the organisers for the initiative and pledged to put the lessons from the training into practice to improve his farm’s productivity and sustainability.

Farmers who completed the sessions received empowerment kits containing fertilisers, sprayers, protective gloves, pruners, and boots to enhance productivity and promote safety during chemical application.