Raising cashew production Efforts are being made by stakeholders to increase Nigeria’s production in the next five years, DANIEL ESSIET reports. Global raw cashew nuts production is expected to remain between 3.8 million and 4.3 million tonnes this year, according to African Cashew Alliance (ACA). Analysts are thus advocating that Africa’s cashew industry be increased. There is therefore the need for a road map, which targets replantation of high-yielding trees, adoption of proper pre-harvest management of the crop, and expansion of plantations. Though among the key producers in Africa, Nigeria’s domestic production of raw cashew nuts is below 400,000 metric tonnes (MT). Experts believe that Nigeria has the competitive advantage to increase its production due to its good climate, if there is government’s assistance. TheUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s West Africa PRO-Cashew and ACA agree. It is working on increasing Nigeria’s cashew production to 500,000 metric tonnes yearly. All things being equal, this could yield at least $4 billion in foreign exchange (forex) earnings.