Stakeholders in Nigeria’s cashew sector warn against a proposed ban on raw cashew nut exports by the Cashew Processors and Packers Association of Nigeria (CAPPAN). They argue that the country lacks the processing capacity to handle its annual production, estimating that 95% of the produce would spoil if exports were halted, leading to widespread farm collapses.
The ban, backed by AVM Tunde Awoyoola (rtd.) of Nutslink Limited, is seen by stakeholders like Alhaji Makama Ademu and Dr. Idrisu Yakubu as a self-serving agenda that would trigger massive unemployment and exacerbate insecurity. They urge the government to invest in infrastructure and incentives instead of implementing a policy that could destroy a thriving agro-export economy.