<p>Since September 18, Cotonou has hosted the 11th Annual African Cashew Alliance (ACA) Conference on Cashew. Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, Minister of State for Planning and Development Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, reiterated the commitment of the Benin government to make the cashew nut sector, a socio-economic development factor as part of the government's 2016-2021 action program.</p> <p>According to him, Benin remains ready to play its part to ensure the cashew industry a sustainable performance serving not only the actors but also the economies of our countries in the framework of the fight against poverty and for the creation of jobs. "The potential of this sector is no longer in doubt ... The cashew is high on the list of opportunities that we must seize in order to make the cashew nut sector a factor of socio-economic development," said Abdoulaye Bio Tchané.</p> <p>It should be noted that in Benin, the cashew sector contributes to 03% of the Gross National Product (GNP) and 07% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The cashew plantations cover more than 190,000 hectares mainly in central and northern Benin. In 2016, total cashew production in Benin is estimated at 100,000 tons and corresponds to ¼ of agricultural products exported. The cashew tree industry has more than 200,000 farmers and several processing units, both artisanal and semi-industrial, working in the country.</p>