14/08/2025
Cashew Farming in Nigeria; Challenges and Opportunities
According to Nigerian Export Promotion Council, the Nigerian cashew industry has achieved a 10% annual production growth rate over the past decade. Nigeria is the 6th largest producer of cashew in the world and the 3rd largest in Africa.
During the past decade, the production of cashew nuts in Nigeria has increased almost eight-fold from 30,000 tonnes in 1990 to 240,000 tonnes in 2021. Prior to this, production was relatively static at 25,000 tonnes over a 25-year period from 1965. As in the case of other developing countries, Nigeria has recognized the potential economic value of cashew and has made a concerted effort to improve production of the crop.
While the industry faces challenges like aging trees, better post-harvest handling is improving. There's also a growing focus on value addition through processing and exploring the potential of cashew apples
