The collaboration between the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH is making headway in meeting the increasing global demand for cashew nuts.
The NEPC’s executive director, Dr. Ezra Yakusak, announced this following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja.
This partnership, known as GIZ MOVE, aligns with the government’s non-oil export diversification agenda and aims to bolster Nigeria’s position as a producer and exporter of high-quality cashew products to global markets.
The collaborative effort is set to bring about a shift in Nigeria’s cashew industry, focusing on enhanced production of high-yield cashew varieties, local processing, compliance with certification standards, and access to niche export markets. The partnership also aims to empower gender inclusion, provide reliable research-based data for policy-making, facilitate technical exchanges, and foster export competency development.
Programme leader of GIZ MOVE Florain Winckler, expressed confidence that this collaboration will contribute to the growth of the cashew sector by improving operators’ skills, increasing high-quality cashew production and processing, and enhancing the product’s competitiveness in the global market.
The cashew market is projected to reach US$8.91 billion by 2028, with an annual growth rate of 3.31 per cent during the period 2023-2028.
