The foreign buyers of cashew nuts in Kogi state are threatening to abandon Kogi cashew seeds cite the example of multiple threat and harassment, OBSERVERSTIMES learnt.
The Kogi cashew market is patronized mainly by Indians, Indonesian exporter, Singapore and Vietnam who are currently in Anyigba, Ankp and other part of kogi state also have business branches in Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogbomosho and Osun state,the reason alluded is because of unfriendly business environment in Kogi state with multiple receipts, multiple roadblock and incessant harassment from government agents.
With produce inspection increased from N30,000 to N90,000 per truck the business is on its way to extinction in Kogi state, should the contractors handling the business remains adamant, further checks by OBSERVERSTIMES reveal that outside produce that is N30,000 which is the highest in the state each trucks also have to pay the breakdown of the various levies: interstate levy (AKA haulage fee) ₦13,000, IML ₦5,000, loading and offloading fee ₦12,000, pass ₦5,000, state environmental fee ₦6,000, local government environmental fee ₦5,000, and local government departmental fee ₦10,000.
Cashew, which goes by the botanical name Anacardium occidentale, is a tropical and frost sensitive tree crop mostly valued for its nuts which are harvested once in a year. The tree which forms a large canopy and grows in fertile sandy loam soil thrives more in the southern part of Nigeria.
The major areas of cashew planting in Nigeria includes Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Ogun States in the Southwest part of the country, Enugu, Abia, Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi and Cross River States in the eastern part of the country, Kwara, Kogi, Nassarawa, Benue, Taraba, Niger and FCT in the Middle Belt and also Sokoto and Kebbi States in the North West part of the country. However, in order of importance, majority of export quality nuts are said to come from the Southwest followed by the Eastern parts of the country.