Cashew production declines by 30%

By Wisdom JONNY-NUEKPE

The Africa Cashew Alliance has said Ghana’s cashew production for the 2024 season dropped by 30 percent from the 2023 crop season.

The country produced some 161,000 metric tonnes of the commodity in the 2024 production season, the Alliance said.

According to the Alliance, the country was badly affected by bad weather conditions last year – a trend which may continue into first quarter of this year.

Crop estimation in the country is difficult, according to the organisation, as volumes continue to flow from landlocked countries to the north and from Cote d’Ivoire.

In 2023 the Ministry of Food and Agriculture noted that more than 200,000 farmers were estimated to be directly engaged in cashew cultivation, producing about 230,000 metric tonnes of raw cashew nut (RCN) during the 2022/2023 season.

However, production of the nut is expected to go up by 15 percent in 2025 – driven by improved farming practices and fair weather conditions.

Burdened with fluctuations in production figures over the years, stakeholders are also worried that the country processes only six percent of raw cashew nuts locally.

Indeed, cashew is one of the most popular nuts out there as they are found in everything from snack mixes to gourmet dishes.

However, the inability to undertake full scale processing has become a bane as more than 90 percent of the raw commodity is exported.

This means other countries which are Ghana’s trading partners – mainly India and Vietnam – benefit with higher profits from cashew processing. Stakeholders have said investing in local processing facilities could create thousands of jobs and increase revenue for the country.

The local industry is a lifeline for over 200,000 farmers and an estimated 200,000 more people involved in trading, transportation and processing.

In 2020 Ghana exported around 139,743 metric tonnes of raw cashew nuts, raking in about US$251.4million. Most of the nuts head to Vietnam and India, where they are processed before entering global markets.

The country has an estimated untapped potential of over US$660million in the global cashew industry.

In October 2024, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire – two of Africa’s biggest cashew producers – collaborated to boost cashew processing and marketing. They aim to improve competitiveness, increase local processing and ensure better deals for their farmers on the international market.

This partnership could be a game-changer in positioning West Africa as a dominant force in the cashew trade.

This collaboration also means that Ghana is making significant efforts to strengthen its cashew industry.

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