<p></p><p>THE National President of National Cashew Association of Nigeria NCAN, Mr. Tola Faseru has announced that NCAN is embarking on a Special Cashew Production Scheme (SCP) in 10 designated states within the nation, even as he said NCAN would position the Nigerian cashew industry as a key revenue generating sector ranking close to oil.He pointed out that currently NCAN members, who are generating over N23 billion in export revenue, are poised to raise cashew revenue to more than N250 billion annually.</p> <p>Faseru stated that the pilot states are Abia, Cross River, Kogi, Kwara, Oyo, Nasarawa, Osun, Delta, Akwa-Ibom and Edo, adding that each of these states will be making available 1,000 hectares of land for the scheme.The NCAN boss explained that under the scheme, a processing plant will be established in each of the states to be fed by the cashew plantations, pointing out that the scheme would be providing jobs and wealth creation opportunities for the country’s teeming unemployed youths through 25,000 new job opportunities. </p><p>He added that the scheme would not only provide new jobs, but will also promote entrepreneurship because it was structured to make the workers owners of the farms, disclosing that the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Fatai Ahmed has given the go-ahead for the scheme to start off in Kwara State.Faseru made this disclosure during the recent flag-off for the Nigerian cashew season 2012 in Kwara State.Flagging off the new cashew season, the Kwara State Governor, Ahmed, who was represented by the Commissioner of Special Duties, Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed said that Kwara is proud to be a major producer of cashew in Nigeria.The governor also stated that Kwara State would play a leading role in the Special Cashew Production Scheme as presented by the National Cashew Association of Nigeria. He then declared open the flag-off. </p><p> In his goodwill address at the National Cashew Flag-Off event, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga called on the National Cashew Association of Nigeria to put in place machineries and work towards doubling the production and processing of the previous years as a way of enhancing cashew trade in the country. </p><p>Aganga, who was represented by a director in the Ministry of Trade, Omololu Opeewe, said further that the 2012 cashew season will indeed be the beginning of a paradigm shift in the history of cashew industry in Nigeria.The 2012 cashew flag-off event was well attended by stakeholders in the industry and a host of foreign delegates.</p><br><p></p>