<p>The African Cashew Alliance (ACA) will between 16-19 September host the 2013 World Cashew Festival and the Expo at the Moevenpick Ambassador Hotel, Accra. Cashew farmers, processors, traders, exporters, service providers, retailers, equipment manufacturers, bankers, and governments will convene to shape tomorrow’s cashew industry.</p> <p>The 2013 World Cashew Festival will be a unique platform from which to do business, exchange practices and learn from experts from around the world, said Xenia Defontaine, Public Relations Manager of African Cashew Alliance. The World Cashew Expo13 will offer opportunities to meet with equipment manufacturers and service providers. This year the Cashew Festival’s theme will be ‘Value Chain and Gains’, focusing on the potential to leverage profit in each sector of the cashew industry and in new markets.</p> <p>Farmers can explore new markets by taking up bee-keeping or producing cashew-apple juice.</p> <p>Processors can repurpose the raw cashew shell by selling it to producers of cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) or husk for dying clothes. Even cashew breakages, the ‘challenge’ of the cashew industry, could be used to produce gluten-free milk as well as vegetarian bean and nut burgers.</p> <p>Both farmers and processors can increase their sales by meeting internationally recognised quality, food safety, and social/labour standards. In future years, an increase in the consumption of African cashew will boost emerging markets and offer huge business potential to local and foreign investors. Ghana produced over 50,000MT of raw cashew nuts in the year 2012, with production largely centred in the Brong Ahafo Region. However, Ghana acts as a hub for trading cashews from neighbouring countries, including Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso.</p> <p>In total, almost 200,000MT of raw cashew nuts was exported in 2011. On the processors side, Ghana had an installed processing capacity of about 18,000MT. Another company is under construction with a 35,000MT capacity facility. When it opens next year, it will establish Ghana as the leading country in West Africa in terms of processing.</p> <p>Formerly neglected as an important force in cashew business, the African cashew sector has become a highly visible contributor during the last 10 years. With a yield of more than one million tons of raw cashew nut in 2012, that is 45% of the world’s total crop, Africa is now the world’s largest producer of raw cashew nuts. Between 2011 and 2012, processing has increased from 82,000 tons to 114,600 tons, and continues to show rising tendencies — these promising prospects draw investors from all parts of the world.</p> <p> </p>