The National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) has urged the Federal Government to adopt incentives and low-interest loans rather than imposing export restrictions as part of efforts to industrialise the cashew sector.
The group warned that restricting raw cashew exports would depress farm-gate prices and hurt smallholder farmers. Instead, NCAN is advocating Special Agro-Processing Loans at single-digit interest rates to make local processing more competitive.
To strengthen production, NCAN has distributed over 120,000 Ogbomosho cashew seedlings across key states, with a target of 300,000 seedlings this year and up to one million nationwide in nurseries. In Edo alone, 40,000 seedlings were raised in partnership with the Beyond Farming Collective, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
At the state level, NCAN recently signed an MoU with Enugu State Government to set up a domestic export warehouse at Enugu State Polytechnic, aimed at boosting processing and value addition.
The association has also launched a Farmers Mapper App to provide real-time data for farmers and policymakers.
According to NCAN, these measures will help Nigeria transition from raw exports to value-added processing, job creation, and industrial growth.