Nigeria is a member of the CICC which joined the organization and signed its convention on 30th August 2018, on the sidelines of its second session of the Council of Ministers held in Cotonou, through the Honorable Mustapha Baba Shehuri, Federal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. After joining the CICC, Nigeria has participated in all subsequent sessions of the Council of Ministers.

The Ministers in charge of Agriculture and Trade/Industry of Nigeria are respectively Hon. Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar and Hon. Dr. Otunba Richard Adeniyi Adebayo since 2019. They sit on the Council of Ministers of the CICC, in accordance with the Constitutive Convention of the Institution.

Economic, social and environmental profile

Nigeria is a West African country with an area of ​​923,770 km² for a percentage of agricultural land of 23.7%. The population is estimated in 2021 at 211,400,704 inhabitants for a population growth of 2.5%. The overall and per capita GDP are respectively 440.78 billion USD and 2,085.0 USD in 2021, according to the World Bank. Nigeria has two different climatic zones. Temperatures are stable all year round (30° Celsius) in the south and vary from 30° Celsius in January to 38° Celsius in April in the north. Annual rainfall is higher in the south (2,000 to 4,000 mm) than in the center (1,200 mm) and in the north (500 to 750 mm). A dusty wind greatly reduces humidity when it blows in December, January and February. Southern Nigeria has a tropical climate with a long rainy season from March to October and a short dry season from November to February. Northern Nigeria has a tropical climate with a short rainy season from June to September and a long dry season from October to May. The ecological conditions in the central region and much of the north of the country are favourable for cashew cultivation.

Cashew sector in brief

The mapping of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) indicates that cashew production is observed in 22 states of the country namely Abia, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Kogi, Niger, Nassarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Taraba, Kwara and Maiduguri. In order to promote the cashew sector in Nigeria, the Government has in recent years undertaken actions to promote the various value chains of the product for its contribution to the country’s economy and to combat poverty in rural areas. In Nigeria, the areas covered by plantations are estimated at more than 150,000 hectares for a production of about 250,000 tonnes/year. Nigeria has a total of more than 300,000 producers, 35% of whom are women. Yields remain low with an average of between 450-500 kg/ha due to the quality of the planting material and less than optimal farming practice although they produce a quality of nuts of between 50-52KOR. To date, the cumulative processing capacity of the country is about 30 mt/year per year but only 75,000 tonnes are processed for the 15 processing units that the country has. The volume of raw nuts exported (MT): 200,000 tonnes at prices (local currency/kg): N900 to N1,000/kg.

Sector organization

In Nigeria, there is no regulatory or governance authority for the cashew sector. The latter is mainly driven by the Ministry of Agriculture for production aspects and the Ministry of Trade and Industry for processing and marketing issues. Thus, FMARD has set up a National Cashew Advisory Committee, which is a platform for dialogue, with the mission of making available a cashew strategic plan. In support of these two technical ministries, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), which is an apex institution of the Federal Government of Nigeria is responsible for promoting export development and diversification. Over the years, NEPC has worked to achieve its mandate, including 1.) coordinating and harmonizing export development and promotion activities in the country, 2.) taking the lead on all national export programs and 3.) interfacing with international trade agencies on cooperation and capacity building. Other stakeholders include the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services and the Standard Organization of Nigeria. Private sector players are grouped into an association called the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), which is an umbrella organization of producers, processors, traders and exporters.

Cashew Promotion Incentives

To sustainably promote the cashew sector, Nigeria has initiated a number of measures including:

• The enabling environment facilitated by the government;
• The development of plant material for the multiplication of seedlings;
• The establishment by FMARD of the national cashew advisory committee which is a platform for dialogue between stakeholders in the sector;
• Promoting a new planting and replanting program under the Ministry’s Cashew Value Chain Development Program
• Free distribution of improved cashew planting material from Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria to cashew farmers
• Exemption from import duty on import of agricultural processing equipment Cashew nut equipment included;
• Free distribution of agrochemicals (herbicides and growth promoters) to cashew producers for the rehabilitation of cashew plantations
• Establishment of artisanal cashew processing plants in major cashew production centres to encourage processing in community clusters
• Promoting the use of jute bags among cashew farmers and local buying agents (LBAs) to improve the shelf life of cashew nuts
• Support for the introduction of polyclonal seeds, vegetative propagation of cashew nuts and the development of graft gardens

Cashew Promotion Projects and Programs

Institutions and persons representing the CICC

Nigeria is represented at the CICC by:

• Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Representative: Mr. Muhammed TUKUR USMAN, Desk Officer, Cashew Value Chain FMARD, mtusman@yahoo.com or mtusman669@gmail.com .
• Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. Representative: Pending designation

Geographical location of cashew production