Côte d'Ivoire's ambitions for 2030 are now clear: to process 50% of its cashew nut production. Ivorian cashew production has increased from 500,000 tonnes in 2013 to 1,225,935 tonnes in 2023. A figure that places the country at the top of cashew nut producers in the world. With this production, Abidjan represents 40% of the world's cashew nut supply . These figures were made public by Adama Coulibaly, then Director General of the Cotton and Cashew Nut Council . It was on the occasion of the weekly forum of the Government Information and Communication Center (CICG), called " All you need to know about ", on June 4, 2024 in Abidjan. This growth is driven by the 2013 reforms relating to the cotton cashew nut sector . The transformation site To achieve this goal, Abidjan has embarked on the construction of a large number of local processing units. In 2016, the country processed 6.22% of its cashew production locally . This percentage was increased to 21 in 2023, or 344,000 tonnes. This growth is in line with the Ivorian government's ambition to process 50% of Ivorian production by 2030. It is with this in mind that in July 2022, the government commissioned the Toumodi cashew processing unit. The investment amounted to more than US$23.849 million (15 billion FCFA). The plant has a processing capacity of 60,000 tonnes per year, according to data published by the Official Portal of the Government of Côte d'Ivoire on its website. It also has a storage capacity of nearly 30,000 tonnes, according to the same source. In June 2024, Ecocajou, a company specializing in the cashew nut trade, launched a processing unit in Odiénné. The latter can process up to 15,000 tons of nuts per year. A month later, on July 12, 2024, Robert Beugré, then Prime Minister, inaugurated a cashew nut processing unit in Boundiali in the Bagoué region. The infrastructure was financed to the tune of US$23.849 million (FCFA 15 billion) by Pan African Agro Commodities (PAAC), an Emirati company specializing in the trading of agricultural raw materials. According to the information relayed, the unit has a processing capacity of 50 tons of cashew nuts per day, or more than 18,000 tons per year. Through this investment, the Emirati company aims to increase the processing capacity of its new unit to 150,000 tons per year. In the long term, PAAC wants to strengthen this sector in Côte d'Ivoire with the funds injected into the local processing industry. In 2024, Côte d'Ivoire planned to process 320,000 tonnes of nuts in 2024, or 25% of the production which was expected at 1.2 million tonnes at the start of the campaign. Encouraging initiatives In this same context, a factory was inaugurated about twenty kilometers from Yamoussoukro, on January 8, 2024 by the Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Production, Kouassi Kobenan Adjoumani. This is Afcott Cashew Sarl. The company with a processing capacity of 50,000 tons had set itself the objective of processing 18,000 tons of cashew nuts in 2024, 30,000 tons in 2025 and 40,000 tons in 2026. This, before reaching its cruising phase in 2027, with the 50,000 tons of processed cashew nut production. Still as part of his strategy to develop the local cashew processing industry in Côte d'Ivoire , Souleymane Diarrassouba, Ivorian Minister of Trade and Industry, inaugurated a new cashew processing unit in Attinguié on January 27, 2025. The facility built by the Singaporean company Valency International cost 24 billion FCFA (about $15.8 million). It has a processing capacity of 45,000 tons of cashew nuts per year. The construction of these infrastructures across the country is part of the " Vision Côte d'Ivoire 2030 " program, the ambition of which is to locally process more than 50% of the country's agricultural production. A goal that seems distant, since the local processing industry only absorbs a quarter of national production (estimated at 1,028,172 in 2022). The units available in the country only have a processing capacity of 350,000 tonnes, according to official data. A performance that places Côte d'Ivoire third in the world among processors, behind Vietnam and India. Facilities for local added value With more than 15,000 direct jobs, the cashew sector is the third largest source of agricultural income in Côte d'Ivoire, after cocoa and natural rubber. Producers generated revenues estimated at 363 billion FCFA in 2022, an increase of 7% compared to 2021. The sector contributes 7% to Côte d'Ivoire's national gross domestic product (GDP). According to data from the International Trade Center (ITC), relayed by the CNE in its document entitled "potential markets of Côte d'Ivoire: cashew sector", Ivorian cashew nuts represent more than USD 816 million (490 billion FCFA) in exports in shells, and more than USD 171 million (100 billion FCFA) in exports without shells. For 2025, the forecasts in the Ivorian cashew processing sector are positive. The country is targeting a processing rate of 34.7% (400,000 tons of cashew nuts) of its expected total harvest of 1.15 million tons for the indicated year, according to VivAfrik. The Ivorian authorities have taken steps to achieve these objectives. Côte d'Ivoire has set up an exclusive period for local processors. This period runs from January 24 to March 15, 2025. During this period, local processors will benefit from priority access to raw nuts. This, before the opening of the export market. This approach is part of the Ivorian strategy which aims to add value to local cashew production. Foreign investment storms the market Initiatives that attract foreign investors. On the occasion of the Cashew Industry Investment Forum, on September 23, 2024 in Abidjan, the Cotton and Cashew Council signed agreements with three foreign companies. These agreements commit an investment of 28 million US dollars in cashew processing projects. In the same vein, in November 2024, a second agreement was signed with the Emirati company Rosyson. The latter provides for an investment of 24 million dollars in the construction of a new factory with a processing capacity of 60,000 tons of cashew nuts per year. As a reminder, global cashew production was 3.7 million tonnes in 2021, according to FAO. According to the National Council of Exporters (CNE), Côte d'Ivoire is the world's leading producer of cashew nuts. From 2014 to 2022, the country's production practically doubled, from 520,000 tonnes (2014) to 1,028,172 tonnes (2022) during the period indicated, an increase of 6% compared to 2021. In 2023, this production increased to 1,200,000 tonnes. According to the Investment and Economy Promotion Portal of Côte d'Ivoire, the country is projecting a production of 1,150,000 tonnes, an increase of 20% compared to the 2024 campaign. The latter had reached 944,673 tonnes, or 94% of the revised target of 1,000,000 tonnes. Investments made in the cashew sector in Ivory Coast today will add value to this raw material. Far from being a mere fantasy, cashew processing is a necessity in a country that has built its economy on the agricultural industry.