MosD:
It is common place to walk into a supermarket and see neatly processed cashew nuts stocked into a bottle, appealing to the eyes. But what many don’t know is that roasting cashew nut is about the least of its importance.
That simple cashew seed you kick around is so important as raw materials and by-products that there are more than 200 patents for its industrial application.
Fortunately for Nigeria, as many other natural resources, she is one of the few countries that produces it in large quantities in the world. No wonder it is fast becoming not just one of the leading non oil contributors to Nigeria GDP, but also revenue generation for many households. If you are yet to cash in on this silent gold mine, I believe you would be spurred to do that after reading this article.
Although cashew originated from Brazil, but thanks to the Portuguese that introduced it in Nigeria by the 16th century. Today, the tree which is cultivated in the tropics between 25°N and 25°S, is grown in a good number of countries with Nigeria being the sixth largest producer.
As earlier stated, there are lot of industrial uses of cashew nuts, some of which are: it is used as raw material for phenolic resins and friction powder for the automotive industry (brake linings and clutch disks).
Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) is also used in mouldings, acid-resistant paints, foundry resins, varnishes, enamels and black lacquers for decorating vases, and as insecticides and fungicides.
In tropical medicine, CNSL has been used in treating leprosy, elephantiasis, psoriasis, ringworm, warts and corns.
The usage is so numerous, that is why despite the world’s production accounting for over 2.1 million tons per annum, demand is still always more than supply.
The estimated value of annual world production is $1.5 – 2 billion, with Nigeria earning, according to the National Cashew Association of Nigeria, N144.7 billion ($402 million) from the export of raw cashew nuts to Vietnam and other countries in 2017.
Cashew trees are grown in about 24 states of Nigeria. But cashew nuts of export quality and quantity can be found in the following States; Benue, Nassarawa, Kogi, kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi, Enugu and Abia.
Currently, 75 to 80% of the cashew nuts produce by all these states are exported as only few companies are involved in local processing of the produce. With Indians and Indonesians importers being the major buyers of the nuts in Nigeria.
Before now, growing cashew takes real long, but with improved seedlings, yield can start at 18th month with economy harvest in the third year.
That’s it, if you reside in any of cashew commercially grown state, what are you still waiting for? This is an agribusiness with sure and steady returns on investment.
https://acegist.com/cashew-seed-a-silent-gold-mine-in-nigeria/
Have you mastered the contemporary dynamics of export trade to avoid getting scammed by the foreign buyers of your cashew nuts? Hmmm!!! This is very important as an exporter. Click on the first link on my signature for details. Good luck!!! |
