Package Nigeria’s cashew nuts to enhance value chain

A major cashew dealer and farmer at the cashew market at Kaduna road near Abuja, Malam Umaru Mai Kashu, told Daily Trust that about 60 percent of the cashew produced in Nigeria gets wasted due to lack of processing industries and preservation machines.“We produce a lot of cashew in Nigeria. The few we succeed in […]

A major cashew dealer and farmer at the cashew market at Kaduna road near Abuja, Malam Umaru Mai Kashu, told Daily Trust that about 60 percent of the cashew produced in Nigeria gets wasted due to lack of processing industries and preservation machines.
“We produce a lot of cashew in Nigeria. The few we succeed in selling are locally consumed. Few of the nuts are exported while some quantity is locally processed for street sales. You are right that the local way we process our cashew nuts for consumption is not appealing and therefore does not qualify it for export.
“The banks and financial houses do not support cashew farming and exporting the nuts. You know, cashew is highly perishable and seasonal. When you go to some African countries and see how cashew is neatly packaged, you will join us in urging government to assist in packaging Nigeria’s cashew to enhance the value chain.
“Another major difference is that while we process our cashew nut by locally frying the nuts, in other African countries cashew is processed in standard industries. That is something we can successfully manage if the government can set up one for us,” he said.
In Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia cashew business is so lucrative that it contributesto the GDP of the countries due to effective and functional value chain of the crop. Cashew nut is processed with modern machines and sealed in modern packs acceptable for export.