In 2022, Nigeria exported 315,677 metric tons of raw cashew nuts with a value of $252 million, a 5.24% share of their non-oil exports. With a goal of doubling their earnings, the country is looking to increase the revenue from this commodity to $504 million. The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Dr. Ezra Yakusak, reported that raw cashew was the fifth leading non-oil exportable product in Nigeria in the 2022 Non-Oil Performance Report, based on data obtained from various pre-shipment inspection agents. Yakusak’s goal is to support the Nigeria cashew industry and enhance its productivity, quality, and post-harvest techniques. In 2022, cashew was the fifth-leading non-oil exportable product in Nigeria, and Yakusak is dedicated to improving upon this. He is aiming to double the export value of cashew, which was worth 252 million dollars in 2022, with the help of this project. The NEPC, NICERT, Valency Ltd and the PRO-Cashew have collaborate on a five-year project designed to promote growth in Nigeria’s non-oil export sector. The NEPC head noted that the export of cashew from Nigeria is largely impeded by a lack of food safety standards, traceability, low yields per hectare, and outdated trees. Additionally, most of the cashew kernels that are exported are not organic certified and only account for 16% of cashew exports. “We felt there is an urgent need to collaborate and chart a pathway with deliberate and planned activities to address the issues plaguing the Nigerian cashew sector.”
Businessvanguard