THE NIGERIAN CASHEW SECTOR REPOSITIONING

BY SOTONYE ANGA, NATIONAL CASHEW ASSOCIATION

OF NIGERIA www.nationalcashewassociationofnig.org

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WHO IS NCAN?

The National Cashew Associaton of Nigeria (NCAN) is the umbrella body for the Nigerian Cashew Industry. The main objective of NCAN is to build a sustainable Nigerian cashew industry for the benefit of all stakeholders in the cashew value chain. Our members are: cashew farmers, Traders, Processors, Exporters, Researchers, and all Service providers.

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COUNTRY OVERVIEW

• Nigeria, a Country in west Africa and Africa’s most populous Country, has a population of over 160 million people. Currently the nation produces about 120,000 tons of cashew nuts annually. Cashew in Nigeria is grown in 19 States namely: Kogi, Kwara, Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia, Cross River, Edo, Nassarawa, Benue, Taraba, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Niger and Osun. However, the crop can grow in almost all parts of the Country.

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HOW THINGS WERE

• Poor post harvest handling practices resulting in cashew quality deterioration.

• Use of polypropylene bags in packing cashew nuts.

• Heavily discounted prices for raw cashew nuts.

• Weak relationship between Government and private sector.

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WHAT WE DID

• Had several consultations with cashew stakeholders.• Embarked on nation wide training of our farmers.• Encouraged proper drying of raw cashew nuts.• Discouraged the use of polypropylene bags.• Encouraged the use of jute bags in packing our

cashew.• Built a robust relationship between Government and

private sector(NCAN).

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NATIONAL CASHEW STAKEHOLDERS MEETING

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2012 CASHEW SEASON FLAG OFF

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THE RESULT

• Significant quality improvement of our cashew.

• Improved price for Nigerian cashew and better returns to our farmers.

• Better understanding by Government of the challenges faced by stakeholders and a solution jointly being worked out by NCAN and Government for the overall growth and development of the sector.

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SOME OF OUR PROJECTSSPECIAL CASHEW PRODUCTION(SCP) SCHEME.KOGI CASHEW CORRIDOR (KCC).NIGERIAN CASHEW INDUSTRY

TRANSFORMATION.10 BILLION NAIRA CASHEW INTERVENTION

FUND.NIGERIAN CASHEW MILLIONAIRE INITIATIVE.All these projects are geared towards improving

performance of the Nigerian cashew Industry.

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THE GOOD NEWS

• THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA HAS MADE FIRM COMMITMENT TO DEVELOP THE CASHEW SECTOR.

• CASHEW HAS NOW GAINED THE STATUS OF A NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION CROP.

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WHAT TO EXPECT

• INCREASED PRODUCTION OF CASHEW ACROSS NIGERIA.

• INCREASED VALUE ADDITION TO CASHEW.• MORE JOBS TO BE CREATED ACROSS THE

CASHEW VALUE CHAIN.• IMPROVED INCOME FOR CASHEW FARMERS• GREATER CONTRIBUTION OF CASHEW TO

NIGERIA’S GDP.

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THE END!!

THANK YOU!

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