NEPC tasks cashew farmers, processors on quality

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has charged cashew farmers and processors to observe the standards and quality required at the international markets to avoid rejection of their products.

NEPC Trade Promotion Advisor, Mrs Amina Abdulmalik, who stated this in Lokoja, said inability to meet quality standards required for the market was a key challenge facing the cashew and agricultural sector in the country.

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Abdulmalik spoke in Lokoja at the opening of a one-day workshop on technical support to enhance the capacity of cashew farmers and processors.

According to her, the development has caused Nigeria to lose its number one position in the cultivation and processing of cashew in Africa.

She said that Nigeria is still ranked sixth among top 10 Raw Cashew Nut (RCN) producing countries in the world but has dropped to the fourth position in Africa behind Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania. 

To reverse the trend and restore Nigeria’s lost glory in the area of cashew farming and processing, Abdulmalik stated that the government has initiated some policies and programmes.