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Tag: cashew

  • ‘Cashew output ‘ll grow by 30%’

    Cashew nut production is to rise due to renewed focus by the government and demand for the commodity, the Executive Secretary, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Segun Awolowo, has said.

    He spoke at a workshop on cashew processing and Market Information Systems in Lagos.

    Represented by a Chief Trade Promotion Officer, Mr Kazim Ahmed, Awolowo said: “Recent government’s efforts in the development of additional cashew plantations, distribution of improved seedlings to farmers, enforced good agricultural practices are all going to increase output of cashew nuts in Nigeria by 30 per cent in the next two years.”

    Nigeria is rated as the fourth largest producer of cashew nuts in Africa and seventh in the world, with the bulk of its Raw Cashew Nuts (RCN) and cashew kernels exported to Vietnam and India. They are both leading processors of cashew nuts in the world.

    Awolowo noted “in 2011, Vietnam imported over $140million worth of RCN and $46million worth of cashew kernel from Nigeria”, adding: “In recent years, export of Nigeria RCN has been increasing.”

    With a projected output of 175,000 metric tonnes of RCN in this trading season, Nigeria is expected earn over $200million at an average  price of $1,200 per tonne in the international market. Awolowo affirmed the increasing output of Nigeria’s cashew with the production of 150,000 and 130,000 metric tonnes in 2014 and 2013.

    To further improve Nigeria’s cashew production, Awolowo stated that working with the USAID-Nigeria NEXTT project, the council has developed a cashew sector strategy for the cashew value chain in Nigeria. The cashew strategy is expected to improve the quality of Nigeria’s RCN and enhance the transparency of the cashew industry by developing a Market Information System (MIS).

    He added that other measure put in place by the Federal Government to improve export of RCN includes “enforcement of good agricultural practices at farmers’ field, setting up of up-country warehouses and drying centres in production areas to ensure strict compliance to moisture content as quality requirements and establishment of the Nigeria Commodity Exchange market for transparent trading system.”

  • The cashew alternative

    •In this season of diversifying the economy, cashew seems a viable option

    It is probably the best nut man ever cultivated – cashew nuts. Crunchy, with an irresistible taste of its own, when properly roasted, it is unlikely there are people who detest this nut. Newsmaxhealth, an online journal, quoting experts, ranked cashew nuts second (only to pistachios) on its 10 Healthiest kind of Nuts table.

    Here is its citation on the nut: “Cashews have more than double the iron of a one-ounce serving of ground beef. They also provide 38 percent of your daily copper needs. If you are deficient in copper you may develop anemia, osteoporosis, and arthritis, have increased LDL cholesterol levels, and become more susceptible to infections. Cashews are also a great source of zinc, which plays an important role in boosting the immune system. It also helps in wound healing and aids our senses of taste and smell. These healthy nuts have less fat per serving than almost any other nut and may be useful in preventing gallstones.”

    Cashew comes in double decks. It is a nut and a fruit held together in one of nature’s most bounteous Siamese presentation. If the cashew tree had borne just either of the fruit or nut, it would never have been found to be deficient. But nature made cashew a marvelous two-in-one package: a pulpy yellowish or reddish fruit (when ripe) with the seed (nut) attached at the tip of the fruit.

    The cashew fruit is no less useful than the nuts. Eaten regularly, it is said to possess such properties that could starve tumours and stop cancer cells from dividing. Studies have found that cashews can reduce colon cancer risk. They are reported to be also good sources of anti-oxidants that protect humans from heart diseases and cancer.

    Some of the finest wines are said to be produced from cashew. There are also cashew oil, butter, milk, cake, juice, flour and herbal formulas while the leaves and wood have vital uses too.

    We have highlighted all these to show that cashew which is quite abundant in Nigeria has huge economic potentials if the value chain is explored to the optimum.

    According to the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) it is the second largest revenue earner in the non-oil sector, generating over $300 million in export revenues last year.

    This quantum of yield comes from the background of a near lack of official policy and coordination in the cashew value chain today. Nigeria’s cashew belt and plantations cultivated at independence have become near moribund with trees aged and growing wild.

    There is hardly any effort at planting new high-yielding species while processing factories are few and obsolete. The bulk of cashew crops harvested in Nigeria therefore, go to waste.

    Buttressing this point, the president of NCAN in a recent media interview noted that Ghana produces only 50,000 tons of cashew but she has about 14 processing factories while Nigeria produces about 160,000 tons and processes less than 10 per cent.

    Cashew, according to experts, is in high demand across the world because of its numerous beneficial values to man. Different by-products of cashew are said to be in high demand in China, Europe and America, with demand said to be in the range of three million tons.

    Luckily, the NCAN said it had presented a roadmap for the development of the Nigerian cashew sector to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh. It is hoped that the Federal Government would set up a committee immediately for the purpose of urgently unlocking the huge potentials in the cashew economy in Nigeria.

    As we have noted on this page several times, agriculture holds the key to diversifying the economy. Apart from cashew, we have poultry, fisheries, palm oil, animal husbandry and milk production, fruits and tomatoes juicing and concentrates making and palm products. Nigeria spends billions of naira importing these products annually. There is therefore, no better time to diversify than now.

  • Cashew group to build int’l brand for products

    Cashew group to build int’l brand for products

    The National Cashew Association of  Nigeria (NCAN) plans to build international brands for cashew products to match the stature of one of the  largest cashew nut exporter in the world, its President, Mr Tola Faseru has said.

    Speaking while presenting the association’s Road Map for Cashew Industry Development in Nigeria to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,Chief Audu Ogbeh in Abuja, Faseru said to reach the target, the country has to build brands for processing mills, producers and exporters following international standards and comply with food hygiene regulations.

    According to him, cashew provides livelihood for over 300,000 families. He said the crop generated $253 million last year.

    He said the nation produces about 160,000 tonnes of cashew nuts yearly, adding that the crop is  grown in Kogi, Kwara, Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia, Cross River, Edo, Nassarawa, Benue, Taraba, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Niger and Osun states.

    He added  that the crop can grow in all parts of the country, and that the association is making efforts to get more states involved in the production of the crop. This year, he said the association is expecting 175,000 tonnes.

    On  the  road map, Faseru said it is focused on increasing Nigeria’s cashew production from 160,000 tons to 500,000 tonnes and processing 70 per cent  of total production in four  years, from  2016-2020.  By 2024, he said the target is to achieve a total  yearly national production of 840,000 metric tonnes.

    Efforts, he noted, would be made to increase training in harvesting and proper post-harvest handling practices. This,he maintained, would boost production figures by 40 per cent by the prevention of losses and wastages. Achieving this, he noted, would make Nigeria the largest producer of cashew in the world.

    With increasing global demand for cashew nuts driven by a rising middle class in China and the need for nuts in Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East, he said  raw cashew demand has grown to 3,000,000 tonnes. Global yearly raw cashew nut production, he added is put at 2,100,000 tonnes.

    He  mentioned challenges to include: encroachment of foreigners at farm gate which leads to a distortion in the value chain, non implementation of the Export Expansion Grant (EEG), double taxation through Nigeria Export Levy (NXP) and Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS), smuggling of cashew nuts from the  borders which leads to understated production figures, unfavorable foreign exchange policies, scarcity of Jute bags for packaging the product and the inability of exporters to have unfettered access to export proceeds.

    Pending when it begins to produce jute bags locally, he said the association intends to import 1.5 million jute bags required for this year’s season.

    According to him, cashew farmers need to access to credit so they could grow their production and business and that farmers should be able to use their lands as collateral to obtain loan.

    He called for government support to enable the association set up a N20 billion cashew research fund to promote continuous product development, production of hybrid seedlings and better agronomical practice. The research institute, he added, would commit to producing local cashew processing machines.

    In addition, he said the association is also setting up a N50 billion  Cashew Processing Fund to enable it establish 200 new cashew processing factories.

  • ‘Cashew industry needs more funding to boost foreign exchange’

    ‘Cashew industry needs more funding to boost foreign exchange’

    The cashew industry requires N100 billion to fund production and boost foreign earning, the Natinal President, National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), Pastor Babatola Faseru, ha said.

    He spoke at the just-concluded National Cashew Festival Awards in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State.

    He said Nigeria needed to increase its cashew production, provide high-yielding seedlings to farmers and offer mechanisation support.

    Right now, he said, cashew provides livelihood for over 300,000 families with 175,00 tonnes as estimated production for the year.

    Referring to the export performance of the industry, he pointed out that the foreign exchange earned by the country through cashew kernels, cashew nut shell liquid and allied products last year was put at $253 million.

    According to him, Nigeria remains the sixth largest cashew producer after Cote d’Ivoire, India, Vietnam, Tanzania and Guinea Bissau.

    He said, however, that the cashew industry has many challenges, which are threatening its development. These include shrinking of cultivation area and unstable output.

    He said ageing trees and abnormal weather patterns have decreased yields, and many growers prefer other crops for higher profits, which has reduced the area under the nut.

    This requires a strategy to enable the industry to develop in a sustainable manner in the coming years.

    He urged the government to support farmers in planting cashew trees to replace old ones, adopt policies to encourage firms investing in deep processing, and strengthen inspection of exports. Modern technologies and equipment, he advocated, should be used.

    The industry, according to him, plans to increase the rate of fully processed nuts to satisfy the requirements of customers, add more value, and boost domestic consumption.

    He underscored the association’s cashew value programme that targets raising the value of exports, promoting consumption both in the domestic and foreign markets and build brands for the country’s cashew products.

    For the programme to be implemented from this year to 2020, to achieve the target of 500,000 tonnes, he urged the government to support cashew industry to boost its economic growth.

    He urged the government to create the enabling environment, to attract investments that will allow the sector to take advantage of  the opportunities created by rising global and domestic demand.

    He urged the government to allocate sufficient funds and put forward necessary schemes to increase production of cashew nut.

    Considering Nigeria’s stake in global cashew trade, he requested the government to do more in ensuring the country’s leadership in the world market.

    He called on domestic cashew businesses to ensure quality control and sticking to delivery dates, and for producers to use sound cultivation techniques to improve quality of nuts.

  • Group targets N80b from cashew export

    •Committees to achieve target inaugurated

    The National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) is targeting about N80 billion from cashew export this year, its spokesman, Mr. Sotonye Anga, has said.

    Anga told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the ‘Second Annual Cashew Logistics Meeting’ in Lagos that shipping lines had recognised cashew as revenue generating cash crop and contributor to the country’s economy.

    Noting that shipping firms account for more than 80 per cent of exported cargoes from Nigeria, he said: “There is need for improvement in the handling of cashew, which will propel significant improvement in the country’s economic performance.

    “Shipping lines have recognised the economic relevance of cashew and that is why you can see their chief executives and decision makers represented at this meeting. “The meeting will afford the association opportunity to take steps to advance Nigeria’s cashew export to destinations like India, Vietnam, China, Middle East, Europe, U.S. and others.”

    The NCAN spokesman, who said the association believed in strong bond between it and the shipping lines, stated that “We expect that Nigeria should generate about N80 billion from cashew export in 2016 season and trade in a manner that will impact on the value chain.”

    He said NCAN would leverage on this relationship to ensure that  the year cashew exports is hitch-free. “We will have zero claims because of damages to cashew cargo when containers are well dressed with adequate number of desiccants and Kraft papers,” he said.

    The Export Manager of Safmarine, Mrs. Maureen Okojie, said decisions on shipping services were time bound. She stressed the need to look at shipment schedule between February and July, this year for cashew shipments.

    An official of COSCO Shipping Company, Mr. Paulinius Effiong, advised forwarding agents to reject containers with holes.

    To realise the association’s target of raking in N80b from cashew export this year, its President, Tola Faseru, inaugurated two committees to ensure a hitch-free 2016 cashew season. He named the committees as the Cashew Logistics Committee and the Cashew Improvement Committee.

    The committees are saddled with  implementing programmes for the the season.

    Cashew shipping firms, exporters, forwarders and shipping lines were represented at the conference.

  • Nigeria cashew exports worth N49.7b

    Nigeria cashew exports worth N49.7b

    Nigeria  cashew exports are  worth $250 million (about N49.7 billion) yearly, according to the National  Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN).

    Speaking at a logistics meeting in Lagos, yesterday, its President, Pastor Tola Faseru said the average export price goes up  year ly with increased demand coming from consuming  nations.

    He said Vietnam and India remained Nigeria’s largest buyers.

    Globally, stocks of nuts, including cashew, in North America and Europe had been low, while global demand had increased. This offers good prospects for the Nigeria’s cashew industry this year, he said.

    The industry, according to him,  is expected to earn $250 million from export of 180,000 tonnes of cashew nut.

    He said global demand for its nut has been forecast to go up. He urged exporters to pay more attention to improve product quality and ensure hygiene and food safety to enable exports.

    He  said the cashew industry has developed in recent years and focused on improving technologies.

    Faseru  said the industry  wants to increase cashew cultivation area, nationwide and produce 500,000 tonnes by 2020.

    He said the association was working with farmers and the government to develop cashew growing areas and giving technical support to farmers to help them increase profits.

    To enable Nigeria improve its position as a major  cashew exporter, he said the association decided to hold a meeting with operators across the port value chain in order to reduce the transit time for cashew exports.

    He told exporters and farmers that forging a united front can help revamp the cocoa sector, which has over the years, sustained the economy, adding that the collaboration of stakeholders was crucial in global cashew sustainability.

  • Faseru is VP African Cashew Alliance

    National President, National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), Tola Faseru, has been elected Vice –President, African  Cashew Alliance (ACA).

    He is the first Nigerian to occupy the position on the Executive Committee (EC) of ACA, the association’s governing body.

    The EC is elected every two years by a General Assembly of registered and paid-up ACA members, usually during the ACA Annual Conference.

    He was elected during the Ninth ACA World Cashew Festival & Expo which held between September 21 and 24 at Maputo, Mozambique. Mozambique is the second largest producer of cashew nuts in East Africa.

    The Chairman, Colossus Investments Limited, said  his election would open doors for  more Nigerians to make in-roads into the continental cashew market.

    According to him, international cashew kernel demand is active, there is need to sustain the campaign for improved farming and processing techniques to ensure the country presents higher cashew grades.

    He said Nigeria can produce about 500,000 tonnes/year of raw cashew, adding that  this can only be  achieved  if  cashew cultivation is increased from the national output of about 200,000. Further sector development has however, he noted, has continued been hampered by low production levels, low cashew quality and the lack of quality standards.

    This has weakened international consumer confidence which has in turn left the nation’s cashew value chain at a disadvantage. Besides, he deplored the limited access to financing and high credit interests, hindering investments in local cashew processing.

    The industry, he added, may not reach its full potential to deliver sustainable and inclusive growth without strong, coordinated action around export strategies that take full account of the different policy frameworks governing cashew export.

  • ‘How cashew can create jobs, grow economy’

    Cashew has the potential for economic growth and employment if farmers  and  processors  are  supported to improve production, the Acting Executive Director of Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute Mr Julius Adebayo Onietan has said.

    In an interview, he said there was a need to revamp the industry and expand its  processing capacity to higher levels in the coming years.

    According to him, the industry is dogged by low input, low yields and poor prices for raw nuts.

    Onietan praised the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) for the training of more Nigerians in cashew processing, adding that such interventions would increase competitiveness, as well as facilitate improved production.

    He acknowledged   TechnoServe’s activities in the North on farmers’empowerment to boost their agricultural methods.

    According to experts, Nigeria good for growing and processing of cashew nuts. The north for exmaple, has expanse of land to increase production but little support is given to farmers.

    According to experts, processors should be competitive in four areas: broken nut yields, production costs, working capital rates, quality and reputation.

    Meanwhile, the West Africa Trade Hub of the USAID has earmarked over $150,000 to help finance processing raw cashew nuts to increase regional trade competitiveness, improve food security, and reduce poverty over the next five years.

    The programme, which is in partnership with Cashew Alliance, is among other objectives aimed at boosting international exports, jobs, and investments; and also to promote broader, more sustainable growth by improving both the private sector’s capacity and policies, rules and practices that govern regional and external trade. It will also increase regional trade in key commodities through more value added exports: shea, cashew, mango, rice, maize, millet/sorghum, livestock — cattle, and small ruminants.

  • Give us Cashew Board, farmers plead

    Stakeholders in the Cashew industry have called for the es-tablishment of a Cashew Board to boost foreign exchange earnings and generate jobs.

    They spoke at the end of a two-day workshop in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

    The theme of the workshop was: “Cashew business competitiveness and sustainability”.

    They urged the Federal Government to assist cashew farmers and processors through the provision of a special fund to boost production.

    Deputy Director, Product Development, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Chief Emmanuel Ezeagu, said the board would protect the interests of cashew farmers.

    He added that the board would ensure that cashew species are of high quality, and also source markets for them.

    Ezeagu, who described cashew as a money spinner because of the high demand for the nuts, added that the government should assist farmers to improve and increase production.

    “Cashew is a money spinner; there are lots of Indians and Vietnamese coming to Nigeria to buy the raw cashew nuts. The market for cashew nuts is so huge that Nigerian cashew farmers should take advantage of it,” Nzeagu said.

    He also called on both the states and local governments to encourage farmers to venture into the cashew plantation business. He said state governments can assist cashew farmers with improved seedlings, fertiliser and micro-credit loan facilities.

    President, National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), Mr. Tola Fasheru, decried the high cost of processing a ton of cashew.

    He said it costs $500 to process one ton of cashew, whereas it costs about $250 in India and $217 in Vietnam to process the same quantity of cashew.

    Fasheru said for the cashew industry to compete favourably with other countries, the government should set up a special fund for the industry.

    According to him, the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector may be a mirage if the government did not assist cashew farmers and processors.

    Business Advisory Manager (BAM) of the African Cashew Alliance (ACA), Mr. Sunil Dahiya, said the cashew industry had a great potential as a foreign exchange earner for the country.

    To realise this potential, Duhiya said the sector must be properly harnessed and incentives provided by government. He said the governments of India, Vietnam and Mozambique subsidised the cost of processing cashew nuts.

    According to him, the Indian government pays cashew processors $80 as subsidy per metric ton, while Vietnam pays about $70 to its cashew processors.

    The BAM said ACA, since its inception, was committed to improving the competitiveness and sustain-ability of the African cashew industry. He said the alliance had also made efforts to increase the processing of cashew in the continent.

    “Our objective is to facilitate the development of an industry that benefits the entire value chain, from farmer to consumer by sharing information and best practices among stakeholders,” he added.

    A cashew farmer, Alhaji Akeem Anifowose, appealed to the Raw Material Research and Development Council (RMRDC) and investors to come up with the appropriate technology to process cashew apple and shell.

    He also made a case for the NEPC to find market for cashew shells, as many of the by-products waste away on their farms

  • Promoting cashew farmers’, processors’competitiveness

    Promoting cashew farmers’, processors’competitiveness

    A cashew stakeholders forum organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Nigeria Expanded Trade and Transport Project (NEXTT) in collaboration with African Cashew Alliance (ACA) took place in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. The forum focused on ways to promote industry growth, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Thousands of Nigerians are engaged in the cashew industry. Most of them are farmers who cultivate the crop, while others export the produce to countries, such as India and Vietnam. The nation’s annual production of raw cashew nuts stands at 144,000 tonnes. Approximately 50,000 persons are engaged directly in the processing of cashew, and another 100,000 are engaged in the growing of the produce.
    Experts say there is a prospect of the industry creating over 50,000 new jobs in four years and injecting over N2 billion into the economy. However, there are constraints farmers and exporters face that undermine the efforts to realise the full trade potential through cashew export.
    The constraints include barriers that impinge on trading, lack of access to finance, information and capacity for growth is limited. Adding to the problem, is the fact that only 10 per cent of raw cashew production undergoes further processing.
    Despite these, the Executive Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr Segun Awolowo said cashew remains a big foreign exchange earner which has to be repositioned in the face of the declining crude oil price that is now more vulnerable to external shocks.
    Addressing the forum on cashew business competitiveness and environmental sustainability, co-sponsored by USAID Nigeria, (NEPC) African Cashew Alliance (ACA), in partnership with the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) in Ilorin, Awolowo, who spoke through the Deputy Director, Product Development Department, Mr William Ezeagu, said cashew has been identified as one of the major cash crops with huge export potentials for the country.
    The cashew industry as a whole, he observed is still dogged by issues related to quality. Much of the problem with quality and safety issues, he continued, related to the large proportion of smallholders within the industry who lack the finances and ability to invest in modern technologies and innovate. Aflatoxins contamination, he noted is a trade issue, which needs to be tackled with urgency. He said the contamination imposes an enormous economic cost as it prevents commodities from meeting international regulations and standards governing agricultural trade and food safety. He, however, said awareness on the deleterious effects of Aflatoxin is fast rising and there is increasing demand by country stakeholders for action. Awolowo said NEPC is working with the World Trade Organisation(WTO) on preventive measures to address the issue that has lead to rejection of the nation’s cashew export.
    He said as a country, post-harvest handling of produce should be taken seriously and farmers educated on how to mitigate Aflatoxin contamination. He said businesses must heed more attention to improving it for the industry to develop sustainably over the long term.
    Business Advisory Manager, African Cashew Alliance, Mr Sunil Dahiya, said while Africa currently produces 40 per cent of the world’s supply of cashew nuts, it operates just a handful of processing facilities. He said cashew farmers and processors face difficulties complying with market requirements and lack the technical and financial means to produce cost-effective goods inz sufficient quantity and required high quality. As a result, when profitable new market opportunities arise, they are unable to be accepted as suppliers. This, he noted has given the alliance great concern. To end, he said ACA is focusing on building the capacities of cashew farmers and exporters to meet international quality standards through training on good agricultural practices to increase yields and quality. He said ACA has developed a capacity building programme to enables suppliers to meet the internationally recognised requirements in terms of food safety and quality. Through a combination of strategies, he said the alliance has been able to reach thousand s of farmers and processors, leading to the creation of new jobs in cashew nut processing, with 70 per cent of them for women. He said ACA has implemented sustainable pilot projects in several countries, where suppliers have achieved considerable improvement in their performance and compliance with food safety standards and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). As a result, the quality and volume of marketable products has improved. At the same time, consumers have benefited from better and safer products and can expect more stable food prices.
    He said start-up processors are provided with a range of advice on how to grow their business, keep up with current market developments, improve their use of technology and expand processing of cashew by-products.
    The Managing Director, KD Food Processing Company Limited,Mr Garba Dikko said the lack of adequate knowledge on cashew financing by officials of banking institutions and farmers seriously affected fund raising to support agriculture in the country. He said the lack of knowledge about the specific financial needs of cashew farmers made the financial institutions to offer the same financial package to all farmers which often led to the disadvantage of many. He called for the development of different financial packages for different farmers groups engaged in different types of agriculture to meet their specific needs. With high cost of infrastructure, maintenance and electricity, he called on the government to protect local cashew processors and producers. Dikko said so much is required to establish a functional cashew processing plant. Dikko called for support for cashew processers to bring down production costs. Urging the government to offer assistance to farmers to improve production, he said poor productivity of cashew plantations is one of the major reasons behind the cashew nut processing sector performing at below capacity.
    The President,National Cashew Association of Nigeria(NCAN),Mr Tola Faseru said the nation’s cashew sector has enormous potential for businesses seeking to invest in the crop. He disclosed,however, that the sector is however suffering from declining productivity and dwindling export earnings because of structural problems. As a result, Nigerian cashew is less competitive in the international market . He called on the government to establish a N50 billion cashew development fund to support the industry . With such fund, he said it would be possible for the industry to achieve the target of 500,000 metric tonnes per annum. Faseru said the association is sensitising farmers across the country on quality control to enable them to enhance their product quality. Faseru called for more support for farmers and for government’s assistance for to develop more cashew plantations. The NCAN chief said if the cashew crop was processed locally, new direct jobs would be created by more than 1,000 businesses that would arise from the industry and millions of naira would be realised. This possible outcome is what is driving the campaign of the association to boost cashew production nationwide.
    The Director, Real Sector Department ,Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC),Mr Reuben Kifasi said the cashew sector has many gaps and challenges, thereby providing opportunities at different levels for foreign investors to explore. He said there are some incentives and tax holidays for investors seeking to take advantage of investment opportunities which abounds across the agric sector. The need for high capacity processing plants, warehousing facilities, he said, are just some of the opportunities that investors can look at. He said NIPC is supporting sector players in developing coordinated efforts to mobilize domestic and foreign direct investment and enhance private sector development.
    The Director,Cluster Development Department,Raw Materials and Development Council,Mrs Haraja Tanko said cashew is a big business and that the government is supporting it because the potential of the industry has not been fully harnessed. Mrs Tanko said raw materials council is working towards boosting cashew nut production by the establishing three- processing plants and giving improved seeds to support farmers . The Acting Chief of Party, COP Nigeria Expanded Trade and Transport (NEXTT) ,Engr Isaac Adegun said the development of the industry would not only help diversify the agriculture sector and enhance the national economy but would also be a good way of tackling poverty. To this end, he said the project is aimed at improving and expanding Nigeria’s trade efficiency domestically, within the region and beyond, so that trade, particularly in agricultural products, supports inclusive economic growth and the development. With improved support of USAID|NIGERIA through the NEXTT project, he said assistance to the cashew sub-sector has been scaled up to the level of offering technical assistance at both the organisational and firm level.
    He reiterated that NEXTT is more committed to improving the processing arm of the sub- sector owing to its enormous potential of creating thousands of jobs and also contributing to macroeconomic stability through increased export earnings.
    He said USAID has concluded a study on the Nigerian cashew industry, adding that steps will taken based on it to improve cashew business competiveness and environmental sustainability.
    The SEAL Coordinator, ACA, Mrs Dorcas Amoh, said more demand for cashew, combined with buyer demand for product that is Seal-certified, is increasing sales. The certification, she said ensures quality for buyers, recognition for processors, and stability for farmers.
    According to her, ACA Seal offers returns for all cashew stakeholders. Mrs Amos said without adequate waste collection services, she said cashew waste can carry health risks for workers at processing facilities and local communities. She said the plan of the alliance is to assist farmers to use waste materials for their businesses and communities in other ways.