The Nigerian Federal Government to de-risk the cashew nut value-chain to boost production and export

The federal government has taken immediate steps to maximise and harness the full economic potential inherent in cashew export. The Executive Director/Chief Executive, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Dr. Ezra Yakusak, said even though Raw Cashew Nut (RCN) emerged as the 5th leading non-oil exportable product valued at $252 million, and accounted for 5.24 per cent of the country’s non-oil export portfolio in 2022, the potential of the sector remained largely under-developed. Speaking at the launch of the Organic Cashew Certification Programme for Exports, organised by the council in collaboration with NICERT, Valency Limited and PRO-Cashew in Abuja, he said Nigeria remained the 4th leading producer of raw cashew nuts in Africa with about 19 producing states “But sadly, we have not maximized and harnessed the full economic potential inherent in cashew export.” The NEPC boss said the country’s cashew export trade was largely hampered by non-adherence to food safety ...