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The project “Cashew Sector Inventory in Enugu State” funded by Commercial Agricultural
Development Project CADP (word bank Assisted), Ministry of Agriculture and Natural
Resources Enugu, is aiming to establish a strong network and a structure best adapted to
support the development of a sustainable Cashew Value Chain System in Enugu State.
The ultimate beneficiaries of the project are the cashew nut smallholders and the
small- and medium-scale processors and exporters of the product. The project is expected to
impact on the expansion of the direct export trade in raw and processed cashew nut from
Enugu State towards both developed and developing markets of the world.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Cashew farming in Enugu State has always been a smallholder activity, with individual
farmers owning small numbers of trees of various ages, under a wide range of
husbandry standards. Culturally, cashew nuts are intercropped with mangoes,
coconuts, or food crops such as millets and maize.
The main cashew disease in Nigeria is the powdery mildew, which has become
endemic in most parts of the growing States, including Enugu State.
The main stakeholders of the sector are the farmers themselves, some small
scale traders who buy the unprocessed nuts at the farm gate or rural markets and resell
them to exporters, and the exporters who ship the nuts to India for processing.
Enugu State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources is responsible for the
development of the sector, but to date they have not put in place any specific
development plans. Again, Enugu State Produce Inspection Services, Ministry of
Commerce and Industry has the statutory function of grading raw cashew nuts for export
but still nothing tangible has been done to that effect.
Premier Cashew Company owned by the State government had in the past set up a
processing plant that commenced operation but collapsed as a result of lack of raw
materials.
To improve cashew nut production priority would have to be given to
controlling diseases and pests, and to improving husbandry, by enhancement of input
supplies.
Training of farmers and supervision by the field extension service personnel
should be reinstated. This short-term strategy will result in increasing yields of
theexisting trees. The longer-term strategy should be a structured replanting programme,
using improved germplasm.
A restructured marketing system should be installed, in order to give the
farmers confidence, providing for primary local processing before exporting. These
developments would require financial resources from both the public and the private
sectors.
General Charateristics:
• Cashew farming is well adaptable to the soil conditions of the State.
• Raw Nuts are produced in reasonable quantity.
• Existing plantations are old and of wild strands and of less genetically
performing seeds / plant varieties
• About 70% small-holders, with over 75% poor quality harvest.
• Low and declining productivity.
• Inadequate knowledge, skill and technology;
• Non exploitation of value-added products, operating at local
processing level.
• Poor access to export markets.
• Cashew trees are moribund and needs rehabilitation.
• Productivity is on the decline and the quality is very poor.
• Poor quality volume is put at over 75% of total state production.
• Lack of awareness on the economic importance of cashew.
• Present cashew production chain in Enugu State is trader-driven.
The cashew sector in the State has been rapidly declining, for reasons
ranging from poor crop husbandry and quality inspection/ control and
rampant disease spread resulting to poor quality and total collapse of the
marketing system.
The potential for cashew nuts production and export from Enugu State is not
exploited at present and there is need for the Government to begin to
critically examine its policy thrust with a view to attract private sector
participation.
Hitherto, inventory of the cashew sector in Enugu State has not been done
officially conducted. However, deductions made from the available
statistics of the State Produce Inspection Department puts the State total
annual production of raw cashew nuts at 2700 tones.
The government should be more involved in the development of the sector,
by supporting research and extension services to farmers (underscored by
total technology approach in Cashew production chain in relation to
production, processing and marketing).