The federal government has moved swiftly to maximize and fully use the economic potential of cashew export. The potential of the industry was still largely untapped, according to Dr. Ezra Yakusak, Executive Director/Chief Executive of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), even though the raw cashew nut (RCN) ranked fifth among exportable non-oil products in 2022 with a value of $252 million.
Nigeria remained the continent’s fourth-largest producer of raw cashew nuts, with about 19 producing states, according to him. He was speaking at the launch of the Organic Cashew Certification Programme for Exports, which was organized by the council in collaboration with NICERT, Valency Limited, and PRO-Cashew in Abuja. Yet regrettably, we haven’t fully used and grasped the economic potential that comes with cashew export.
The head of NEPC said that a number of factors, including inadequate methods, ageing trees, low yield per hectare, lack of traceability, and non-compliance with food safety requirements, were major hindrances to the nation’s cashew export sector.
He emphasized that the majority of cashew exports are in their raw state and that just around 16% of all cashew exports are processed cashew kernels, most of which are conventional cashews rather than organically certified cashews.
According to Yakusak, the council decided that, given the situation, it was vital to work together and map out a course of action with deliberate and planned initiatives in order to solve the problems affecting the Nigerian cashew industry.
He said, “That is why this initiative sponsored by the PRO-Cashew through CNFA which is a five-year project funded by the USDA is timely and welcomed. The aim of this project is to support the Nigeria cashew sector and increase cashew productivity and efficiency, improve crop quality, and improve harvest and post-harvest techniques among others.”
He further assured that a careful and faithful implementation of the project would facilitate a gradual shift from conventional cashew to organic cashew, whose export guarantees niche market and premium pricing.
He said, “It will also increase productivity, improve harvest and post-harvest practices, ensure adherence to best practices, ensure traceability, and enhance competitiveness.
“The council is therefore committed to this project and ready to provide the necessary support to ensure its effective implementation.”
He said that NEPC had previously carried out a number of technical sessions, provided inputs, and other intervention materials throughout the cashew-producing states, all of which were intended to increase the players’ knowledge of the value chain. In a similar vein, the council educated 200 cashew farmers in the states of Oyo and Kogi under the Export Expansion Facility Programme (EEFP) initiative, and completely funded the installation of organic certification for 100 cashew farms.
Repositioning the commodities sector, he said, would give it its proper standing and make it a significant factor in the GDP and export profits of the country.
