Nigeria’s engineering company, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc has made a bold diversification of its investment portfolio into the agricultural processing sector of the nation’s economy.
The engineering pacesetter has also committed to implementing its highly efficient no-waste operational practice at its soon-to-be commissioned internationally benchmarked and top quality-driven Cashew processing plant sited in Epe, Lagos.
According to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nigeria has an untapped potential of $3.4 million from exports of cashew kernels. The top five markets with the highest potential for exports are EU, Japan, Canada, and UAE.
Within the same year, among the cashew producing nations globally, Asian countries contributed approximately 44 percent, while Africa contributed 56.5 percent to the global production. Among these African producers, Nigeria remains one of the top contributors, it is the sixth-largest producer of cashew in the world.
Julius Berger made the pledge through its cashew project’s commodity and Marketing Manager, Oyindamola Asaaju, during its participation at the just concluded pioneer Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Conference, which was held at the NAF Conference Center, Abuja, recently.
A pioneer initiative between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Delegation der Deutschen Wirtschaft in Nigeria (Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria), the conference attracted both local and international corporate and research organisations in the cashew production and processing value chain.
It also attracted a high government presence, including the permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other directors and heads of departments.
Read also: Construction business favours Julius Berger as profit hits 8-year high
“Clear national occupational standard and demand-driven international product quality would define and drive the company’s operations and productivity in the cashew processing industry in Nigeria, where only 5 percent of Nigeria’s cashew production is currently locally processed.” Asaaju added.
During the Cashew round table and panel discussion sessions at the conference, there was a consensus that the global cashew trade is a booming industry, with the United States’ imports alone valued at USD 1.6 million in 2018. A significant part of the conference was dedicated to filling observed skills gaps within Nigeria’s cashew farming and processing sector.
However, while vocational training in cashew nuts and cultivation is a niche sector, as the private sector and international stakeholders primarily focus on a value chain approach, specific vocational training as well as National Occupational Standards (NOS) remains in need of development in Nigeria.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari at a recent dinner in honour of the 2022 Committee of Business and other civil society Leaders, which held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that a key area the administration would like to leave a legacy is “bequeathing a strong re-positioned agriculture-led, diversified home-grown economy.”
The Cashew round table also canvassed the benefits of bringing together stakeholders across the entire cashew value chain, matching producers with potential off-takers, promoting investments in the cashew sector, identifying skill gaps in the cashew value chain, and introducing innovative training delivery and competency-based training approaches.
The ATVET Conference 2022 is a continuation of discussions to address critical questions around food & nutrition security, as well as highlighting Nigeria’s opportunity to position herself globally as a major player.
