#Ivory Coast : The 2022 cashew nut production campaign in Côte d’Ivoire, the world leader, opened on Friday with “good prospects”, with a target of more than one million tonnes, up over one year, a announced Friday the Cotton-Cashew Council (CCA).
If this volume is reached, it will represent an increase of 7% compared to the 968,676 tons of cashew purchased from growers in 2021.
«17% of this volume, i.e. 180,000 tonnes should be processed»he said in a press release.
Côte d’Ivoire set up three new factories at the end of 2021 with a view to at least tripling its raw nut processing capacity by 2022. The country is aiming for a processing rate of 50% of its gross cashew production by 2025, with the help of American funding in particular.
>>> READ ALSO: Cashew nuts: Côte d’Ivoire, world leader, will triple its processing capacity in 2022
The purchase price for growers was set at 305 FCFA (0.46 euro) by the government at the start of the campaign.
Producers received more than 339 billion FCFA (517 million euros) in 2021.
Cashew nuts sometimes give rise to speculative purchases under the price set by the State, a phenomenon that also affects cocoa, of which Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s leading producer.
In 2021, Côte d’Ivoire also rose to the podium of cashew kernel exporting countries, a sign of progress in the processing of this seed, the CCA announced on Tuesday.
>>> READ ALSO: Côte d’Ivoire becomes 3rd world exporter of cashew kernels
Last year, Côte d’Ivoire exported 30,022 tonnes of almonds, twice as much as in 2020 and four times as much as in 2019, according to official figures.
The production of “grey gold”, now considered «a strategic product» by Côte d’Ivoire has 250,000 producers grouped in regarding twenty cooperatives.
