Nigeria is losing 300 jobs of processed cashew capacity for every thousand metric tonnes exported, due to its inability to process cashew despite being a major producer.
This was disclosed by Mr Ernest Mintah, Managing Director, African Cashew Alliance (ACA) at a media briefing on Friday,
National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), said the 16th edition of the African Cashew Alliance Conference which is to hold in Nigeria will attract foreign investors and grow the nation’s economy.
What they are saying
Mintah noted that the conference will enable significant opportunities for growth in Cashew nuts processing and production and businesses that will strengthen synergies.
He also warned that while processing is growing in Nigeria, at about 10 per cent, it was still too little and still needs to be explored in order to generate more revenue and create employment for the youths.
According to him, the largest volume was going to Vietnam in India and it’s a lot of jobs also being exported.
“If we are exporting the primary products we are getting one dollar 20 cent per kg to cover the farmers services, transport and export.
”If we process, we stand about three times of the Government accrued to the Government, we are also growing jobs,” he said.
He also noted for every thousand metric tonnes exported, Nigeria was losing about 300 jobs of processed cashew depending on the technology used which can create about 250-300 jobs.
“The crop and production is here, during the Conference, we won’t only be listening to experts speak, we will also do field visits to the various factories here and people will know how they are set up and opportunities to invest in, he added.
Mintah called on the Government to support Investment in the sector in Nigeria and increase the processing of Cashew in the Country.
What you should know
- Nigeria exported cashew nuts worth N72.8 billion in 2021, representing 14.4% of our total export value. The disaggregated data shows that N55.6 billion of the total was generated from the export of in-shell cashew nuts, while shelled cashew nuts was N17.2 billion.
- Cashew is a tree crop that has been cultivated for food and medicine for many years. The various parts of the cashew fruits are of economic value, which includes apple, nut, and kernel.
- The primary product of cashew nuts is the kernel, which is the edible portion of the nut. Kernels are used for various end products, which include chocolates, ice creams, cakes, sweets and even for medicinal purposes.
Good, how can one join in the fray?