By Luther Animashaun
Nigeria’s cashew nuts exports reached N116 billion ($252m), while it emerged Africa’s 4th highest producer of cashew nuts in 2022, according to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
Ezra Yakusak, the executive director of NEPC, confirmed the report recently in Abuja, during the launch of an export certification programme for organic cashews.
Yakusak went on to mention that though 19 states are actively involved in the raw cashew production, Nigeria is yet to show its full potential of cashew export which is why the programme was necessary to rally stakeholders and exporters in boosting exports.
He said, “According to statistical data obtained from the various pre-shipment Inspection Agents, raw cashew nuts (RCN) was the 5th leading non-oil exportable product in Nigeria in the 2022 non-oil Performance report. In the period under review, Nigeria exported 315,677 metric tonnes of RCN worth $252m in 2022, which accounts for 5.24 per cent of Nigeria’s non-oil export portfolio.
Also speaking, Oloruntoyin Olorunfemi, country representative of PRO-Cashew Nigeria, , said the organisation funded by the United States Department for Agriculture (USDA) decided to partner with NEPC in line with its objectives of supporting cashew-producing countries in West Africa to increase competitiveness.
