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The Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS)

Wednesday 8 June 2016

Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Chief Innocent AuduOgbeh, Keynote Address at the Cashew Planting Season Flag-Off Held On Tuesday 7th June, 2016 in Ile-Ife Osun State Nigeria


Chief AuduOgbe

It is indeed a great honor for me to perform this all-important 2016 cashew planting season flag-off. I am particularly happy for your presence despite other pressing challenges.


2.  Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Cashew (Anacardiumoccidentale L.) is increasing in its importance as an export oriented cash crop since 1990s. It is becoming an important source of non-oil export earning estimated to represent 15% GDP based on export data of 2015. Cashew development started in Nigeria in the early 1950s and today it is grown in 27 states including FCT. The producing states includes Abia, Adamawa, AkwaIbom, Anambra, Benue, Borno, Cross Rivers, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba, Zamfara and FCT.

3. Cashew Value Chain is among the crops commodity promoted in 2013, under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Ministry carried out a number of activities in the work plan within the budgetary allocations available to the Ministry. The Ministry has consolidated on the achievement recorded in 2013 and implemented similar programs in subsequent years (2014 and 2015).

4.  Currently Nigeria’s production is estimated at 175,000mt on 100,000ha, providing livelihood for over 300,000 families, generated about $253 million assuming the 2nd non-oil export foreign exchange earner for Nigeria.

5.  Ladies and Gentlemen, this auspicious occasion wouldn’t have come at a better time than now when the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammad Buhari has promised and reiterated that his administration will focus on diversifying the Nigerian economy away from crude oil towards agriculture and solid minerals.

6.  You all will agree with me that, given the reality of the global financial situation, the time has come for Nigerians to do more than pay mere lip service to agriculture, as crude oil and gas exports will no longer be sufficient as the country’s major revenue earner.

7.    It is against this backdrop that my administration is set to develop strategic crop commodities with high economic potentials, great potential to reduce unemployment, enhance high foreign exchange earner, create wealth and cashew is one of such commodities.

8.    At this juncture, I am pleased to inform you all and Nigerians in general that in my bid to strengthen the production and processing sector aimed at re-positioning the Nigerian cashew industry, I Chief Audu Ogbe, Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, has initiated the Cashew Value Chain Expansion Programme. This program will among others support and promote the introduction of a high yielding, early maturing and disease resistant Brazilian jumbo and Indian variety cashew seeds capable of raising production from 175,000mt in 2016 to 250,000mt in 2020 with yield enhancement from 450kg/ha to 600kg/ha with 2million Cashew stand each for the next 4 years beginning from 2016.

9.   Under this programme a number of projects are under way towards sustaining the development in the cashew sub-sector. Such projects includes:

-      Establishment of 2million cashew stands annually for the next 4 years (Cashew plantation Development)
-      Establishment of 5 cashew processing equipment's annually in major cashew producing States starting with Kogi, Kwara, Benue, Abia and Ogun State.

-   Enhancing the capacity of cashew farmers, nursery operators, processors and exporter through Train the-Trainer programme

-      Rehabilitation of existing cashew plantation through the provision of farm inputs at subsidized rate. Such inputs includes; Fertilizer, Agrochemicals (Glyphosate) and Solo Pumps.

-      Introduction of Bee hives in the already existing 100,000 ha cashew plantation to facilitate cross pollination which enhances cashew yield per hectare.

However, plantation development does not stop at provision of only farm inputs (Seed, Fertilizer, Agrochemicals etc). But, with the drudgery of manual farm labour (the use of raw human power) and the burden of high cost of equipment hiring associated with farming has made plantation development a herculean task. It is important to note that previous administration paid little or no attention to assisting farmers in tractorization/mechanization (Land Clearing, preparation, pegging, alignment and digging) even when available activities are not coordinated. The Cashew Value Chain under the Cashew Value Chain Expansion Programme will be collaborating with the privately operated eighty (80) Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise (AEHE)/One Stop Agro-Input centers Established by the Ministry and concessioned to identified private partners to provide agricultural equipment hiring to farmers at a subsidized rate.

10. This auspicious occasion has offered me the opportunity to call on Nigerian cashew farmers and intending farmers “Youth Especially” to key into this Cashew Expansion Programme being provided by Cashew Value Chain of the Ministry as being done by His Royal Majesty the Ooni of Ife through committing over 2,000ha land for cashew plantation development which led to today’s Cashew Planting Season Flag-Off.
11.   Ladies and Gentlemen, let me use this opportunity to thank the Government of Osun State for giving us the opportunity to hold this all important occasion. The choice of Osun State is not an accident. Osun is among the major cashew producing State in the Country. As such it is apt for us to gather here to Flag-off 2016 Cashew Planting Season.

12.   The team of officers from the Cashew Value Chain of the Ministry, officers from Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, College of Agriculture Kabba Kogi State, Efugo Farms Nig. Ltd.NCAN and other relevant stakeholder from the industry, will work in collaboration to see to the success of this laudable effort aim at re-positioning the Nigerian cashew industry.

13.   Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I hereby declare the 2016 Cashew Planting Season Open and hoping to meet you again in 2017. Wish you all fruitful Cashew Season.
Thank you.

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