HOW TO START CASHEW FARMING TODAY
In 2017, Nigeria took the 6th place in cashew nut production in the world, according to Legit.
Nigerians make fortunes on cashew export every year.
However, to be successful in this, you really need to understand how the industry works.
Efforts made for the purpose of improving the cultivation results of cashew has shown its importance for the economy. Hence its popularity among farmers.
Because of the high nutritional value of this product, the demand for cashew currently outweighs the supply.
So this is good news for investors and for those who want to engage in the cultivation of cashew in Nigeria.
Currently, Nigeria cannot meet the requirements of exports, however, cashew nuts have contributed significantly to the growth of the total income of Nigeria.
It is necessary to keep in mind that starting a cashew business in Nigeria requires proper knowledge.
The value chain of the cashew attracts many participants, and this implies great opportunities for investment
For a good start, it is important to obtain guidance from the correct sources. The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) located in Ibadan can be a place to start.
This will help you to significantly reduce the chances of failure in your intended business.
In this respect, CRIN has conducted a lot of researches, and thus using the results of these research will be the right move for you.
An important aspect of studying researches conducted by CRIN is that you will learn the sources of demand (both domestic and foreign), which greatly facilitates the export of cashew nuts.
Planting
Carefully select your seeds before planting them — choose those that sink in water and plant them in an upright position into a special bag with light sterilized soil mixture.
You can plant 3–4 seeds into one planting hole. The weakest seeds should be removed while the sturdiest are left to grow.
Cultivation of cashews requires warm, humid climate with 600 mm of rainfall minimum, but more importantly a well-distributed rainfall.
Cashew thrives at a wide range of temperatures starting from 15 to 40 degrees Celsius.
Cashew is considered to be a strong plant and can grow in soils, especially in sandy ones which are generally unsuitable for other fruit trees and plants.
For best outcome of production, it is recommended to use a deep-freeze sandy soil or sandy-loamy soil.
Cashew can be reproduced using seeds or vegetative methods such as grafting, budding, and layering. However, vegetative reproduction planting material is required to obtain higher and earlier yield.
It is recommended that you plant cashew at a distance of 8 m x 5 m, which will give the plant a density of 200 trees per hectare and at the same time, will provide sufficient space for planting crops in the first years of their existence.
The seedlings are quite vulnerable and can suffer from Phytophthora root rot. The plant bags should have the depth of 350 to 400 mm since tap-roots develop quickly and bend around as soon as they reach the bottom.
Cashew seedlings should be grown in the 45% shade and hardened off prior to planting them out in the garden.
Make sure you don’t disturb the root system while you’re planting. Support the young trees during the first 2 to 3 years to prevent them from being blown with the violent wind.
Follow the 8 x 5 m planting distance.
The young trees will grow very fast in the first 3 years, so when their crowns touch each other, some trees should be removed to reach the permanent planting distance of 10 to 12 m.
Remove the hanging branches in order to stop them from interfering with the harvest process.
You can enhance the growth of cashew trees via clonal orchards, fertilizing, and irrigation.
Machinery And Equipment
This is an approximate list of machinery and equipment employed in cashew production:
Power saw Pruning saw Motor mist blowers/sprayer pumps Jembes
Slashers
Originally published at myfarmbase.com.ng on October 26, 2018.
