Cashew Nuts From Nigeria

Cashew Nuts From Nigeria

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Description:
The fruit of our cashew tree is an accessory fruit sometimes called a pseudocarp. The cashew nut is edible with a strong "sweet" smell and a sweet taste.
Apart from being a source of useful products and byproducts for food, medicinal and industrial applications, cashew gives also a useful shade, while ornamental and alley trees are suitable for the control of soil erosion, particularly for the protection of watersheds and dams.
Harvest:
Harvesting of cashew nuts starts towards the tail end of dry season mainly in February or March. The harvest period usually lasts for about 18 weeks. In the Eastern and Western parts of the country, where quality cashew nuts are grown, nuts are allowed to drop to the ground before they are collected. This practice ensures that only ripe nuts are collected. Nuts normally fall to the ground with their apples attached; the two are normally separated with a twisting action during collection. The remnants of the apple flash adhering to the nuts are removed with a sharp knife.
The cashew nuts are normally dried in the sun for 2 to 3 days, to reduce their moisture content to about 12 %.
They are packed in jute bags and are kept for up to 6 to 10 months to meet sudden demand for the cashew nuts.
Locations:
Local farmers growing cashew nuts are located in the following states in Nigeria; Enugu, Abia, Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi, Cross River, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti Ogun, Kwara, Kogi, Nassarawa, Benue, Taraba, Niger, Abuja, Sokoto and Kebbi States.

Specification for Cashew Nuts:
Based on demands for cashew nuts the expected standard specification according to SGS (quality inspectors) are highlighted below to guide prospective buyers:

Nut Count180-200 per Kg
Moisture Contents8-10%max
Defective nuts15%max
Float Rate18% max
Admixture0.25%max
Foreign matter0.25%max
KoR/ Shelling out-turn48-50Ibs/bag

Export market for Cashew Nuts:
The major buyers of cashew nut from Nigeria are mainly India and Singapore while smaller percentage of the cashew nut goes to European countries.

Uses of Cashew Nuts:
The cashew nut is a popular snack, and its rich flavor means that it is often eaten on its own, lightly salted or sugared. In addition to this, cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), a by-product of processing cashew, is mostly composed of anacardic acids. These acids have been used effectively against tooth abscesses due to their lethality to bacteria.

About the Author:
http://importexportnigeria.info/2011/product-information-supply-capacity-and-price-for-cashew-nuts/



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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