The history of cashew in Nigeria dated back to 15th century. Then, it was mainly used in afforestation schemes for the control of erosion in the former Eastern Nigeria.
However, the commercial cashew plantations started in Nigeria in the early 1950s with the establishment of first commercial plantations at Oghe, Oji and Mbala by the defunct Eastern Nigeria Development Corporation (ENDC) and Iwo, Eruwa and Upper Ogun by the defunct Western Nigeria Development Corporation (WNDC).
From these locations, the planting of the crop spread to other parts of Nigeria particularly the Central
and Northern States of Nigeria . Research on cashew production and its uses started at the Cocoa
Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan in 1971.
The introduction of Brazilian cashew biotype with improved and desirable nut and kernel quality characteristics by CRIN has further increased the crops spread and popularity in Nigeria .
Cashew is a plantation crop grown for a variety of uses. The commodity of commercial importance is the fruit and nut. The fruits can be processed into cashew juice.
The nuts can be processed into cashew kernels and cashew nut shell liquid {CNSL}
The nut contains 47% fat, 21% protein and 22% carbohydrate.It also contains vitamins, especially thiamine. Cashew nut proteins are complete, having all the essential amino acids and a kilogramme of the nut yields about 6000 calories compared to 3600 calories from cereals, 1800 calories from meat and 650 calories from fresh citrus fruit.
Cashew grows like a weed, fairly drought resistant and grow well on marginal soils where other fruit crops would not thrive. It can grow in wet/dry tropics, the best soils for growing cashews are sandy soils. Cashew can withstand an average day temperature of around 25°C (77F) for optimum performance.
The raw cashew nut industry yields N23billion annually from the production of 120,000 metric tons of cashew putting the sector to possibly another revenue spinner for the federal government.
The industry is said to provide livelihood for over 300,000 families and has created over 600,000 jobs. Eighty percent of raw cashew nuts from Nigeria is exported to India, Vietnam and other countries.
Nigeria is home to 15 cashew processing factories but their combined production capacity is not enough to meet even the local demand.
Nigeria is the 6th largest producer of cashew in the world after India, Brazil, Vietnam, Guinea Bissau and Tanzania. Like most African producers, most of Nigeria’s production are exported in raw form to India and Vietnam for processing and export with added value and benefits to those economies. Vietnam, for example entered the field of cashew production for export in the early 80’s about the same time Nigerians became aware of the commercial significance of cashew.
Factors to consider before cultivating cashew in Nigeria includes land, choice of variety, time of planting, seed rate, seed dressing, spacing and other agricultural practice.
From the above, it is clear that a large and sustainable exist for cashew cultivation and production in Nigeria for both local and export market.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————
365 Campaigner is a complete suite of social collaboration, communication and management tools for your team.
From List building solution to event announcement and CRM, 365 Campaigner provides everything you need to boost sales, step up productivity and manage all day-to-day activities. Tightly integrated.
365 Campaign is the one stop shop for digital marketing solutions for businesses, politicians, religious organizations and individuals. Visit www.365campaigner.com for more information.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
At Foraminifera Market Research {www.foramfera.com}, we provide bespoke and up to date market research reports for start-ups and those already in business.
Our reports are designed to assist start-ups to understand the legal and financial requirements of starting the business, the market trends vis-a-vis demand and supply, competition, risk identification and mitigation strategies.
Should you require a details feasibility report on the subject matter, please do use any of the means below to arrange a meeting
Office Phone Number: 01- 295 24 13 {Monday – Saturday; 8 am – 5 pm}
Mobile Number: +234 {0} 8033782777 / + 234 (0) 908 335 7733 {Monday – Saturday; 8 am – 6 pm}
E-Mail Address: enquiries@foramfera.com
CC: foraminiferamarketresearch@yahoo.com
Office Address:
61-65 Egbe- Isolo Road,
Iyana Ejigbo Shopping Arcade,
Block C, Suite 39,
Iyana Ejigbo Bus Stop,
Ejigbo, Lagos.
