Motto: UPHOLDING THE INTEGRITY AND SOVEREIGNTY OF NIGERIA CASHEW INDUSTRY
NCAN is the umbrella body charged with regulating the Nigerian Cashew Industry for the benefit of all stakeholders be it Cashew Farmers, Traders, Processors Exporters and Service Providers. Cashew is national crop and is grown in 21 states namely Abia, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Kogi, Niger, Nassarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Taraba, Kwara and the FCT. However, cashew can be grown in almost all the states of Nigeria.
Once a fragmented and overlooked sector, Nigeria’s cashew industry today stands as a rising force in global agricultural trade — thanks in no small part to the unwavering leadership and vision of the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN).
Founded with a mission to unite all players in the cashew value chain — from farmers to processors, exporters to researchers — NCAN emerged as a beacon of structure, advocacy, and economic empowerment at a time when the industry needed it most.
NCAN’s journey is a story of resilience, innovation, and patriotic service. With over 300,000 smallholder farmers relying on cashew cultivation for their livelihoods, the association has championed farmer education, input access, and improved market linkages. Where once Nigeria exported only raw nuts, today we speak confidently about processing hubs, value addition, and job creation for thousands of rural families.
Through purposeful engagement with government agencies, NCAN has helped shape policies that prioritize the cashew industry. It has fought tirelessly against fraudulent actors and disruptive impostors seeking to destabilize the national structure. And it has spoken with one voice — the voice of Nigeria’s true cashew stakeholders.
From securing Nigeria’s representation at international cashew platforms, to attracting investments for domestic processing, to launching the Nigeria Cashew Day as a symbol of national pride — NCAN has remained steadfast, strategic, and selfless.
But perhaps NCAN’s greatest achievement is the trust it has built — among farmers who see it as a lifeline, among government partners who rely on its technical depth, and among international buyers who know that Nigerian cashew, under NCAN’s watch, means quality and reliability.
This is not just an association. It is a movement, a vision, and a promise — that Nigeria will not only grow cashew, but lead Africa’s cashew narrative.
This is NCAN.
This is the Nigerian Cashew Renaissance.
Born from the will of the Governments of Cashew producing countries, the International Cashew Consultative Council was created on November 16, 2016 in Abidjan, on the sidelines of the second edition of the International Exhibition of Cashew Processing Equipment and Technology (SIETTA) which was held in the capital of Côte d’Ivoire from November 17 to 19, 2016.
