𝐎𝐲𝐨 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐠𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, has hosted a strategic meeting with key stakeholders in the cashew value chain to advance regulatory reforms aimed at protecting local farmers and indigenous investors in Oyo State.

The meeting, held in the Speaker's office, brought together the Chairman of the Oyo State Cashew Value-Chain Development Committee, Tunde Awoyoola, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nutslink Ltd, alongside representatives of cashew producers and licensed buying groups across the state.

The engagement followed a recent Motion passed by the House calling for the protection of local cashew farmers and stricter regulation of foreign participation in the sector. Speaking during the meeting, Speaker Ogundoyin stressed the urgent need to domesticate and strengthen the legal framework regulating the buying and selling of cashew, particularly to address the unregulated access of foreign merchants to farm gates.

He noted that while foreign investors remain critical to the export segment of the industry, their direct engagement at farm gates undermines local investors, disrupts pricing structures, and weakens the value chain. According to him, Oyo State is determined to move beyond being a mere producer of raw cashew and focus on value addition, job creation, and investor protection at the grassroots.

Ogundoyin emphasized the enforcement of approved packaging standards such as the use of jute bags to align with international trade requirements, adding that similar regulatory models are already in operation in Kogi State, Tanzania, and Côte d'Ivoire.

He assured stakeholders that the House would continue to work closely with the Executive arm under Seyi Makinde to enforce existing laws, protect licensed operators, regulate foreign participation, and build a structured, competitive cashew value chain capable of strengthening the state's economy.