<p></p><p>For the fortunate cashew nut farmers in the central and northern parts of the country, February through June is cashew harvest time. Here cashew nut growing has improved the lives of these small-scale farmers significantly. They get more money from it than they would make from growing food crops or cotton. The impact has transformed their lives and they now refer to their orchards as places where “money grows on trees.” <br></p> <p>Côte d’Ivoire produced 550,000 tons of raw cashew nuts in 2014—about 22% of the global production. The figure is expected to hit a record 600,000 tons at the end of the 2015 harvesting season, placing the country as one of the world’s top producers. The West African nation’s annual production has been steadily growing at an average rate of 11%, according to CCA, the sector’s marketing board made up of representatives from the government, farmers and banking associations. <br></p> <p>CCA is also responsible for making sure farmers are paid decent prices for their crops. For example, for every $10 of raw cashew nuts Côte d’Ivoire exports, $6 is expected to be paid back to the farmers. <br></p> <p>Côte d’Ivoire stands to gain up to $127 million in export revenue if it moves from exporting raw cashews, about 500,000 tons currently, to boosting its annual processing capacity to 100,000 tons of cashews by 2020, a study commissioned by the government shows. The windfall could even be greater and spur a real cashew industry capable of competing with India and other cashew nut producers such as Vietnam on international markets. <br></p> <p>The global cashew market was valued at up to $7.8 billion last year and is projected to grow by 15% this year. Growing demand from China is expected to sustain the vitality of the market. Then money could just continue to “grow on trees” benefiting more Ivoirians.<br></p><p></p>