The National Cashew Association of Nigeria on Friday said it had planted 250,000 cashew trees in Oyo, Osun, Cross-River, Kwara and Abia States from May till date.
NCAN’s Public Relations Officer, Sotonye Anga, told newsmen in Lagos that planting such trees would boost the overall national cashew production.
Anga said Nigeria’s current production per annum was low at 160,000 metric tons, which had propelled the planting of more cashew trees to meet the global demand.
He said that the step was in line with the association’s pledge to establish 100 cashew plantations across the country, to increase Nigeria’s foreign earnings.
Anga said: “It is a great feat for the association to have planted 250,000 cashew trees in five states this year, and this is toward achieving our 100 cashew plantations in five years.
“This first phase has given us the assurance that it is possible to increase our production capacity from 160,000 to 500,000 metric tons annually.
“We have to increase cashew production because, presently, we cannot meet the global demand. This will also boost our export earnings.
“There is the need to produce more cashews. This step we have taken will also attract foreign investments, thereby promoting the administration’s ‘Green Revolution’ to tackle food insecurity.”
Anga assured investors that the country had comparative
advantage in cashew because of the vast land and manpower available.
He said cashew had the capacity to reforest the forest, create more jobs for the growing population, and reposition the country’s troubled economy.
Anga said that more trees would be planted in 10 other states, including Enugu, Imo, Delta, Edo, Kogi, Niger, Nassarawa and Zamfara, in 2017.
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