Only a small percentage of that is processed locally, as Ivorian processors have struggled to compete with Asian companies that pay higher prices for the raw nuts.
“We have written to the Cashew-Cotton Council so that the aid and subsidies that the government granted us in 2022 are maintained this season, otherwise we will not be able to continue our activities,” said Constance Kouame, secretary-general of the group of Ivorian processors. The subsidies amount to about 9 billion CFA francs annually, plus access to credit through the National Investment Bank.
The government officially declined to comment, but a person close to the negotiations said it had received the letter and was considering the options. The cashew season starts in February. The five local processing companies are operating below capacity because of limited purchasing power. Together they bought about 33,000 tonnes of raw cashew nuts in 2022 and hope to increase that to 40,000 or 50,000 tonnes in 2023 if the aid is renewed, said Kouame.
Bravo pour la progression de la production de la filière anacarde et la politique d’industrialisation qui permettent au segment de la transformation de connaître également une croissance importante