FG: Cashew Very Important Cash Crop to Nigeria’s Non-oil Export Economy

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The federal government declared that cashew was a very important cash crop to Nigeria’s non-oil export economy.

Special Assistant to the President on Agriculture, Mr. Abiodun Yinusa, made the declaration in a press release to give support to the newly constituted Interim National Committee of National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN).

Yinusa described the move to install a new leadership for the organisation as timely and necessary to restore order to the association following years of constitutional violations and leadership crisis.

He stated, “NCAN is too important to Nigeria’s non-oil export economy to be left in crisis. We are trying to sanitise our agricultural institutions, and make sure that it contributes to our economy, without over dependence on oil revenue.”

Yunusa commended the unanimous appointment of Mr. Ademola Adesokan, an Executive Member of NCAN, as Interim National President, describing him as a credible leader with a proven track record in agribusiness.

He said, “We believe the Interim Committee, under Mr. Adesokan, will align fully with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes food security, value addition, and agricultural transformation.”

Yinusa added that in line with government expectations, the presidency had mandated all NCAN state chapters to be reconstituted and to conduct elections within one year from today.

He praised the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) for their contributions to the Cashew Policy Roadmap, reaffirming NCAN’s role as a partner in its implementation.

Yinusa said, “Under this interim leadership, we expect NCAN to operate transparently, democratically, and in full support of government policy. The Presidency stands firmly behind these reforms.”