Nigerian Shea Trees

Shea trees are known to be Butyrospermum parkii, whose growth is mainly in the agroforestry parklands of West Africa, Fortunately, Nigeria is one of the region top producing country.  Shea is known as a native source for edible oil or fat and from origin it has been used for frying, adding to sauces,  as a skin pomade, for medicinal uses, to making of soap, serving as oil for lanterns and cultural purposes at ceremonies, for instance, births, weddings, and funerals.

The shea tree is very unique and wild; its growth can be up as high as 15 meters and takes about 15 years before a tree begins to yield fruit and 25 years more before it is completely mature. The tree can yield fruits for the next 200 years. The tree life span is 200 years’ duration and can produce more than 25 to 50 kilograms of berries per annum.

ADVANTAGES OF SHEA TREES

The numerous benefits of this unique tree and the products obtained from it, which have been incorporated into our everyday lives will continue to help endorse a quality natural lifestyle

• Shea butter is used as a basis ointment in many natural cosmetic products for hair and skin, comes from the kernel of the tree’s fruit.
• The leaves, stems, roots bark are applied in various traditional medicine to treat a variety of diseases and injuries which includes stomach ache, headaches, fever, jaundice among others.
• it can serve as cooking oil in food preparation while the leaves of the tree are consumed as a vegetable.
• The wood of Shea tree is used for making tools that can serve as poles while the roots and bark have medicinal and pesticide applications.
• The shea nuts while extracted contain nutrients such as Vitamin E, Oleic acid, Palmitic acid, Vitamin F, Stearic acid which all help protect the body and aid body metabolism.
• The trunk serves as energy for cooking in the form of charcoal.

NIGERIA SHEA TREES AND AREA WHERE IT IS FOUND

Shea tree grows natural in many parts of Nigeria, often occurs and thrive well within the Guinea and Savannah areas of the country as well as the lower Sahel regions of the country with a rainfall requirement of 600 –1,500mm yearly. The shea tree thrives efficiently in states like Kwara, Niger, Kebbi, Kaduna, Kogi, Benue, Adamawa, Benue, Borno, Kaduna, Sokoto, Taraba, Ogun, and Oyo. Nigeria is renowned as the world’s leader of Shea nuts production of about 45%

The tree growth is estimated for a time of 11 to 15 years to bear fruit, after which it can remain fruitful for up to 200 years and its yield is about 15 kg of fruit per tree. One of the best ways to harness maximum utility from the Shea butter tree is by processing kernels or nuts from its fruits into butter. To determine the quality of the shea butter, it is also important to know that the patterns at which the fresh shea nuts/kernels are handled and processed will determine the quality of the butter.

SHEA NUTS IN KWARA

Kwara state is blessed with a shea tree that is abundant which is an economic tree that offers a veritable treasure trove of profits for the people of this region and financial proceeds to processors. Shea butter is popularly processed in this state with processes being mostly done by women. Kaiama is a Local Government Area in Kwara State, Nigeria and one of the sixth states in north-central. Kaima is a major shea nuts processing area in Kwara state. Kaiama I, Kaiama II, Kaiama III, Kemanji, Wajibe, Gwaria, Gwanbe I, and Gwanbe II are the wards in Kwara states out of the 16 local governments with the very best shea butter production in the country.

IMPORTANCE OF KWARA NUT

• Have the enabling environment which supports the growth of the shea tree.
• Adopt the modern technique of planting the shea tree and boost the best output of afforestation and discouraging falling of trees.
• Government programs and schemes to ensuring women are educated and trained to often create a difference in the quality of nuts oil when processed.
• Nut are allowed to fall off and picked before it is processed for quality oil to be obtained from it.
• Shea nuts are preserved in jute bags which is of a standard in packaging nuts and getting a good nut.

It is believed that Kwara state (north central Nigeria) has the best shea nuts in Nigeria due to their climate that lies in the quinea savannah area where shea tree thrives well. As a result, we partnered with various shea nut communities of that area to bring you the best shea Butter.