Nigeria has banned the export of nuts used in beauty creams for six months

Nigeria has announced a six -month ban on the export of raw nuts from which many beauty creams are made.

This step aims to make trade more profitable as Nigeria loses by not producing a lot of shea butter.

The country produces approximately 40 % of the annual crops in the world, but it only represents 1 % of the global market of $ 6.5 billion (4.8 billion pounds) – Vice President Kashim Cheetima described as “unacceptable.”

The fruits that are harvested from shea walnut trees must be crushed, roasted and boiled to extract their oil to produce shea butter used in cosmetics.

Butter is also used in the food industry in the production of some sweets such as chocolate and ice cream – and in medicines as well.

Xia trees in the wild from west to eastern Africa – a vast strip known as the “Chia belt”. Farmers on a small scale, and women often cultivate them and reap them in these areas.

Chitima said that the temporary embargo will enable Nigeria to move from being a source of raw nuts to a global resource for repeated Xia Cia products.

“It relates to manufacturing, rural transformation, gender empowerment, and expanding the scope of the commercial fingerprint in Nigeria,” said Abuja.

He said that the goal in the short term is to see Nigeria’s profits from the fruits of walnuts Xia grow from $ 65 million to $ 300 million annually.

The Minister of Agriculture of Nigeria, Abu Bakr Kiyari, said that the West Africa is producing a crop of 350,000 tons annually – with approximately 25 % of those that disappear on the border in unorganized informal trade.

According to the agricultural expert, Dr. Ahmed Ismail, a lot of harvest comes from villages in the center of Nigeria.

“Many poor people who grow the crop and depend on it for the sake of sustenance are struggling to obtain a lack of organization, which means that they get little despite its high value at the international level.”

He explained that the farmers are not aware of the true value of the Chia nuts, who were exploited by businessmen who travel to these remote areas to buy them at a cheap price.

“I went to a village and saw Xia nuts in a pile and when I asked, they said someone from the city came to buy and took it away.”

Dr. Ismail said that the temporary embargo was a bold step that should have been taken long ago-and he should go alongside with a better organization.

“This will not provide more jobs locally as refining will be refined here, but the government’s income will also be enhanced,” he said.