The National Cashew Association of Nigeria, Mr. Tola Faseru has said efforts are being made to achieve a national production of 242,000 metric tonnes (mt) this year, 10 per cent higher than last year’s. national production increased from 175,000 metric tonnes in 2016 to 220,000mt last year.
Faseru, who spoke in Lagos, said improvement was expected following an increase in the number of plantations, good agricultural practices, improved seedling and post-harvest, storage and packaging practices by farmers.
He said the association was working with the Federal Government to implement solutions to accelerate intensive processing of cashew nuts with a high added value and strengthened trade promotion.
He said there were programmes to assist farmers to develop large cashew fields and improve cashew yield and quality.
The association’s mission, he said, is to improve Nigeria’s position as one of the world’s biggest cashew exporter by creating core values for global consumers, and ensures high nutritional value and best quality products that are managed in accordance with the world’s highest standards.
Raw cashew nuts topped the list of major agricultural exports last year followed by sesame seeds, frozen shrimps and prawn, flour and meals of soya bean, according to the National Bureau Statistics (NBS).
Cashew traded for ₦13.5 billion in the second quarter of last year, representing an increase of 463 per cent from ₦2.4 billion recorded in the first quarter.