•As Vietnam reject 37,000mt of the produceInternational buyers of cashew nuts may have shunned the Nigerian market, following sharp practices by the middlemen and untamed traffic gridlock at the Apapa ports. This is against the backdrop of about 68,000metric tonnes (mt) of Cashew nuts stranded and currently rotting away at the Apapa ports, with another 37,000MT reportedly rejected by the Vietnamese Government due to poor quality. The National Publicity Secretary, Cashew Farmers Association and Processors of Nigeria, Yinusa Gabriel, told The Guardian, that as a result, Nigeria is unable to meet their demand, especially for top buyers in Europe, Canada, and America. He said world’s biggest retail chain, Wal-Mart America, had expressed interest in buying about 160,000mt of Cashew nuts, which Nigeria could not deliver. “Because of middlemen sharp practices, exporters are shunning Nigerian Cashew, farmers mix fresh cashew nuts with previous years, and by so doing, lowers the quality of the cashew when produced,” he stated.

Source: The Guardian January 09, 2020 04:18 UTC