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Navigators Group is an international trading company involved in the following product groups: Crude Oil, Solid Minerals and Agricultural Products of Nigeria. Amongst the products we presently involved in are; nuts, beans and spices (Agricultural Products), Petroleum Products such as Qua Iboe and Bonny Light Crude Oil and precious and semi precious stones (Solid Minerals). Our focus of activities lies in America and Europe. We advise and consult on import and export business as well as sourcing and procuring raw materials for manufacturers. We also organize international trade events.
Products Articles
Cashew
The Cashew (Anacardium occidentale; syn.Anacardium curatellifoliumA.St.-Hil.) is a tree in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The plant is native to northeastern Brazil, where it is called by its Portuguese name Caju (the fruit) or Cajueiro (the tree). It is now widely grown in tropicalclimates for its cashew "nuts" (see below) and cashew apples.
'Anacardium occidentale', from Koehler's 'Medicinal-Plants' (1887)
Tree shape
It is a small evergreen tree growing to 10-12 m tall, with a short, often irregularly-shaped trunk. The leaves are spirally arranged, leathery textured, elliptic to obovate, 4-22 cm long and 2-15 cm broad, with a smooth margin. The flowers are produced in a panicle or corymb up to 26 cm long, each flower small, pale green at first then turning reddish, with five slender, acute petals 7-15 mm long.
What appears to be the fruit of the cashew tree is an oval or pear-shaped accessory fruit or false fruit that develops from the receptacle of the cashew flower. Called the cashew apple, better known in Central America as "mara��n", it ripens into a yellow and/or red structure about 5�11 cm long.
The true fruit of the cashew tree is a kidney or boxing-glove shaped drupe that grows at the end of the pseudofruit. Actually, the drupe develops first on the tree, and then the peduncle expands into the pseudofruit. Within the true fruit is a single seed, the cashew nut. Although a nut in the culinary sense, in the botanical
sense the fruit of the cashew is a seed. However, the true fruit is
classified as a nut by some botanists. The seed is surrounded by a
double shell containing a caustic phenolic resin, urushiol, a potent skin irritant toxin (also found in the related poison-ivy). Some people are allergic to cashews, but cashews are a less frequent allergen than some other nuts.
Other
vernacular names include cajueiro, cashu, casho, acajuiba, caju,
acajou, acaju, acajaiba, alcayoiba, anacarde, anacardier, anacardo,
cacajuil, cajou, gajus, jocote maranon, maranon, merey, noix d�acajou,
pomme cajou, pomme, jambu, jambu golok, jambu mete, jambu monyet, jambu
terong, kasoy. In the Antilles, specifically Puerto Rico, it is known as pajuil and the pseudofruit is the main used part as raw fruit.
Ginger
Ginger is a tuber that is consumed whole as a
delicacy, medicine, or spice. It is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber
officinale. It lends its name to its genus and family (Zingiberaceae).
Ginger cultivation began in Asia and has since spread to West Africa and the
Caribbean. It is sometimes called root ginger to distinguish it from
other things that share the name ginger.
Ginger is the underground rhizome of a plant with Lanceolote leaves and spikes
of yellow flowers, borne on stems. Dried ginger is obtained by peeling off the
outer skin of the rhizome and drying in the sun after cleaning. Bleached ginger
is obtained by coating the dried ginger with a solution of lime. The uncoated
variety is called 'unbleached ginger'. Propagation of ginger is by portions of
rhizome with one or two buds. The congenial climate and the rich healthy soil
of the Northern part of Nigeria help to produce the finest quality ginger in the globally called the
“Nigerian Ginger”.
Fresh Ginger is extremely important in oriental and Indian food. It is used to
flavour the cooking oil before you toss everything else for stir-frying. It is
considered as a restorative, stimulant and a strong flavouring agent. Ginger is
reputed to cure ulcers when chewed in small doses. It amply enhances your
appetite when blended with other spices.
The characteristic odor and flavor of ginger is caused by a mixture of
zingerone, shogaols and gingerols, volatile oils that compose one to three
percent of the weight of fresh ginger. Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and
fleshy with a very mild taste. Mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry.
Ginger produces clusters of white and pink flower buds that bloom into yellow
flowers. Because of its aesthetic appeal and the adaptation of the plant to
warm climates, ginger is often used as landscaping around subtropical homes.
Harvest Season : February - April
Nigerian Ginger
Sesame Seeds
Sesame (Sesamum indicum)is a
flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa
and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions
around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods.
The flowers of the sesame seed plant are yellow, though they can vary in colour
with some being blue or purple.
Records say that sesame was first domesticated in India, citing morphological
and cytogenetic affinities between domesticated sesame and the south Indian
native. Sesame is grown primarily for its oil-rich seeds, which come in a
variety of colors, from cream-white to charcoal-black. The small sesame seed is
used whole in cooking for its rich nutty flavour, and also yields sesame oil.
Sesame seeds are sometimes added to breads, including bagels and the tops of
hamburger buns. Sesame seeds may be baked into crackers, often in the form of
sticks. Sesame seeds are also sprinkled onto some sushi style foods.
Whole White Sesame Seeds
Harvest Season: March - May.
Nigerian Sesame Seeds
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