By Wole Adedeji
Cashew farmers in the country have called on the Federal Government to discontinue plans to ban exportation of cashew nuts saying it will have adverse effects on the non-oil economy.
The farmers who spoke as Concerned groups of the National Cashew Association of Nigeria, NCAN (Farmers Wing) said the call was a buildup on a meeting they held at Ogbomosho, Oyo State on December 17, 2025.
According to them, the NCAN resolution was as a result of a bill before the National Assembly seeking to get a nod for Federal Government to ban Exportation of Cashew nuts which they said would once again kill the chances of Nigeria to grow its economy on other resources as against over-dependence on crude oil.
Leaders of the farmers from Oyo and Kwada States; Messers Salami Adebayo Tunde a.k.a Alhaji Turna and Omotosho Theophilus Tunde who spoke with journalists in Ilorin said national legislations on federal policies particularly at the National Assembly could be done better if the overall interests of Nigerians are focused.
Members at the meeting were of a common stand that the bill before the National Assembly seeking to ban cashew nuts exportation would only be anti-people that would also deal another devastating blow on the nation’s non-oil export sectors.
Particularly, they said the interests of Nigerian citizens who baring all odds to borrow a leaf from other nations that had risen to the growing challenges in the global oil economy you engage in cashew farming as people of other countries had done in recent time.
They argued that the fate of cash crops including cashew nuts in Nigeria, could be likened to that of its crude oil whose refineries have become moribund at the expense of Nigerians.
“If care is not urgently taken the plan to ban cashew nuts exportation would be passed and the country would be also subjected to its same unpleasant economic fate again.
“The sad fate of the country’s crude oil, allowed importation of refined petroleum into Nigeria even when it has crude oil in abundance leaving its refineries that could produce petroleum products both for exportation and satisfaction of the people are in comatose.
They argued that instead of banning exportation of cashew nuts therefore, government needed to first put in place, five producing factories where raw cashew nuts could be processed pointing out that large cashew farms are found in places like Ogbomosho, Oke Ogun areas of Oyo State, Kogi State, Kwara State and several other places across the country where raw materials could be easily sourced to run the factories. .
The farmers expressed fears that there are dangers ahead particularly on the youths whose lives before now had been forced into crimes but found a new life in cashew farming and exportations. Their hope of good lives would therefore be dashed in the event that the bill to ban exportation of cashew nuts, scales through the farmers argued.
“In the case of cashew nuts, more Nigerians are becoming exporters like in some countries where cashew is grown in economic quantities. They now joyfully bring dollars home on regular basis. Nigerian farmers are already selling at favourable prices, earning dollars like their counterparts across the world. These Nigerians are thriving in the economy of exporting cashew nuts”, the cashew farmers added.
Leaders of the concerned groups of NCAN also said; “Government should be careful with those sponsoring a bill to ban cashew nuts exportations. They only want to return Nigerian farmers to hardships. They are the un-informed citizens who push for policies that only favour their selfish interest and not necessarily the wellbeing of farmers; their fellow Nigerians”.
They also warned that Nigeria risks repeating mistakes of the past like what became of shea nuts. They said as long as the country choses to ban products without creating capacities it will by that act, give room to losing a trade that would wrongly lead to losing accruable revenue from exporting cashew.
The farmers advised government to beware of pursuing a ban that would at the end do the nation no good. they implored Nigerian authorities to focus on increasing the nation’s outputs through plantation expansion and productivity enhancement instead of unguardedly go into ventures that are inimical to the goodness of the people.
The groups also urged government to improve on values and increase a plantation base support for farmers to grow more cashew and not to cripple them with policies that could erase life opportunities of the generality of the people.
They cautioned Federal Government to employ public hearing and broad consultations at the National Assembly before allowing any negative bill to go before it. They urged policy makers too, to study models from India and Pakistan where support and investments in processing capacities enhance their competitiveness in the global market.
Earlier, the National President of NCAN; Dr. Ojo Ajanaku had said millions of Nigerian farmers would be impoverished if the bill against exportation of cashew is made to sail, pointing out that for now, Special Agro Processing Loans (SAPL) with single-digit interests is needed in the country’s quest to have a steadily growing economy.
He added that such a resolve would encourage Nigerian investors to develop a wish to go for modern processing plants rather than the government embarking on a journey to outrightly ban the nation’s precious raw materials. He criricised what he called a lack of structured agreement on the proposed bill to ban cashew.
Dr. Ajanaku warned that any future policy of the government to discourage exports without strengthening domestic processes would undermine farmers’ livelihood and weaken the country’s competitiveness in global markets.