Cote d’ivoire – A new cashew nut incubator project backed by the World Bank has been launched in Cote d’ivoire as part of the Cashew Value Chain Competitiveness Promotion Project (PPCA).
The project named Cajou Foodtech is aimed at development of cashew nut derivatives. It consists of a 400 m² production unit capable of processing 200 kg of almonds and as many cashew apples daily.
In addition, it offers services tailored to the needs of SMEs, including training for project leaders, technical assistance for the development of new products, and the use of its technical platform to increase production.
This infrastructure, intended to be a major step forward in the agri-food sector, offers cutting-edge technology to agro-processors and small-scale processing SMEs, enabling them to optimize their production and improve the quality of their products.
Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s largest exporter of cashew nuts but is only the third largest processor behind Vietnam and India.
Since the reform of the sector in 2013, Côte d’Ivoire has been trying to strengthen the value chain of the cashew nut sector.
Last June, the country inaugurated its 36th cashew processing plant in Odienné, a month after authorities suspended cashew exports to strengthen local processing.
Nearly 80% of Côte d’Ivoire production is exported in raw form. The country plans to process 320,000 tonnes of cashew nuts in 2024 out of an expected production of 1.25 million tonnes.
Mr. Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for West and Central Africa, said “Significant investments have been made to improve the competitiveness of the cashew value chain, with domestic processing increasing from 44,600 tons in 2018 to 265,000 tons in 2023, creating more than 15,000 jobs.”
The government recently increased the official cocoa farmgate price to 1,500 CFA francs ($2.47) per kg from Tuesday from the current 1,000 CFA.
Cocoa prices have more than tripled over the last year as disease and adverse weather pushed the global market to a third successive deficit, but the official farmgate price that growers can charge for their beans in Ivory Coast, a top producer, has yet to reflect this.
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