<p></p><p>Demand for cashew continues to grow, stimulated by its increasing export potential, its rapidly increasing demand as snack and for its nutritional value, among others. Through the African Cashew Alliance (ACA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) partnership with the Nigeria Expanded Trade and Transport Programme, (NEXTT), a new generation of agro entrepreneurs may soon appear on the horizon, DANIEL ESSIET reports. <br></p> <p>The thought of growing the cashew tree (Anacardium Occidentale tree) before now would not appeal to some farmers. This is not unconnected with its long years of maturity and the low income it generates. Planting and maturity takes between 36 and 48 months. Its production does not begin until 10 years after planting. The tree bears fruits for another 25 to 30 years.But the tide is changing for the Raw Cashew Nuts (RCN). <br></p> <p>In 2011, its global revenue value was estimated at between $1.5billion and $2 billion, and global yearly production hitting 2.1 million tons.Nigeria’s cashew production output was between 150,000 and 130,000 metric tonnes in 2013 and 2014, placing her as the fourth largest producer of cashew nuts in Africa and seventh in the world.This development, and more, has propelled investors, such as the Chief Executive Officer, Matnad Industries Limited, Ifeanyi Chu Ugwu, an Abia State-based entrepreneur, to venture into cashew planting and processing.For Ugwu, investment in the product is not a waste of time or resources considering that every part of it is useful. <br></p> <p>A breakdown of its composition reveal that Cashew nuts consist of 35-45 per cent seeds and around 55-65 per cent of shells. The shells contain 15-30 per cent oil. A ton of nuts contains around 200 kg seeds and 180 kg oil (cashew nut oil or cashew nut shell liquid CNSL).CNSL is used as oil in industry. This explains why the product is now in high demand.Ugwu, who started the business when nobody was knowledgeable about it, explained that his company is now the flagship of this business, representing the exciting trend of agribusiness entrepreneurs using opportunities for value-added manufacturing that creates jobs and grow the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. The company is already operating successfully in the market and has attained a certain size. <br></p> <p>To boost local production, Anga stressed the need for investment in more cashew trees. With investment of between N800,000 and N20 million, return on investment varies between 15 and 30 per cent.There are opportunities for young entrepreneurs interested in becoming mini processors, suppliers, village shop owners and local buying agents. The major component of a cashew processing unit is land, building, plant and machinery, and civil works. Basic equipment include cooking vessels, semi-automated peeling machine,multi-colour cashew kernel sorting machine, husk winnowing machine, steam pipeline, hot oven, hand operated cutting machine, peeling machine, filling machine, pieces separator, weighing scale, sealing machine, food grade plastic tubs, buckets, crates , bowls and generator set . Apart from a plot of land, a standard cashew processing unit requires a processing, drying, and packing area. <br></p> <p>The farmers sell raw to local processors like Ugwu who process them to kernels, shell and rejects used as feed ingredients. The pre-processed kernels are sent to factories for further grading, packaging and export.Cashew kernels are further processed and used as snacks. It can also be processed as juice , spirits and jams. At small-scale factories, the nuts are steamed, shelled by hand, and then pre-graded to ensure a high percentage of whole kernels.Anga said cashew nut is a major answer to the development of the non-oil sector, adding that the government has neglected the sector for too long. He said if the cashew crop was processed locally, new direct jobs would be created by processing businesses that would arise from the industry and millions of naira would be realised.</p> <p> </p>He said a large quantity of cashew produced are exported rather than processed locally or consumed in the country.But there are challenges in cashew processing, notably, the countless exporters compared to local processors. Ugwu said processing of cashew is manual and highly labour intensive.For watchers, developing a competitive private sector processing industry would create jobs. As a major producer of cashew nuts in the world, USAID Nigeria Expanded Trade and Transport Programme (NEXTT) Export and Business Development Promotion Team Leader, Mr Bob Ezumah said the quality of Nigeria’s cashew nut and cashew kernel has been a major issue affecting the export potential and pricing of the commodity that now fascinates the entire world, immensely. <p>He maintained that USAID NIGERIA funded NEXTT project has in the last four years worked tirelessly with strategic partners such as the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) to address this challenge.Such strategic interventions include trainings and sponsoring Nigeria cashew traders on international tours and conferences for market linkages, which has increased the sale of Nigeria’s raw cashew nuts to almost 200,000 metric tonnes in the last trading season. The market linkage provided by NEXTT to the buyers in Vietnam and India, he noted, eliminated the role of Dubai-based middlemen, who had over the years, denied Nigerian traders, their maximum profits.</p> <p> </p> <p>The project, he added, has also worked with NEPC to develop the Nigerian Cashew Strategy which has enabled the Federal Government to list cashew among the top 15 export crop of Nigeria.USAID|NIGERIA, through the NEXTT project, is facilitating the development and expansion of cashew processing facilities because of its immense potential to create hundreds of jobs for women and youths.<br></p><p></p>