Côte d’Ivoire

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Côte d’Ivoire is a founding member and signatory of the Constitutive Convention of the CICC on November 16, 2016 in Abidjan, through Mr. Jean-Claude BROU, Minister of Industry and Mines, in tandem with his colleague in charge of agriculture, Mr. Mamadou SANGAFOWA COULIBALY.

When the Institution was created, Côte d’Ivoire was asked by its peers to work on its operationalization, with the establishment of its governance bodies and instruments, as well as the organization of the first ordinary session of the Council of Ministers, the decision-making body of the CICC. This first session took place on September 29, 2017 in Abidjan under the co-presidency of Ivorian Ministers Mamadou SANGAFOWA COULIBALY and Jean-Claude Brou. As a result, Côte d’Ivoire held the presidency of the Institution until September 2018, before handing over to Benin, during its second ordinary session, in accordance with the texts of the CICC.

Currently, Mr. Kobenan Kouassi ADJOUMANI, Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Mr. Souleymane DIARRASSOUBA, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Promotion of SMEs, are sitting on the Council of Ministers on behalf of Côte d’Ivoire, in accordance with the Constitutive Convention of the Institution.

Economic, social and environmental profile

Côte d’Ivoire is a West African country with an area of ​​322,460 km², 66.7% of which is agricultural land. Its population was estimated in 2021 at 27,053,629 inhabitants with a population growth of 2.5%. The overall and per capita GDP are respectively 69.76 billion USD and 2,578.8 USD in 2021, according to the World Bank. Côte d’Ivoire experiences two rainy seasons in its southern part and one season in the northern part, and is located in the transition zone between the humid equatorial climate and the dry tropical climate. Thus, the country can be divided into two main climatic zones: the south and the north. Generally speaking, temperatures are high, around 30ºC. The difference between the two areas is mainly in the humidity level of the air, which can be around 100% in the south and drop to 20% in the north during the harmattan, a dry wind from the Sahara. The ecological conditions in the central and northern regions of the country are favourable to cashew cultivation.

Cashew sector in brief

In Côte d’Ivoire, cashew is produced in the Central, Northern, North-Eastern and North-Western regions, including the administrative regions of Béré, Denguélé, Savanes, Worodougou, Vallée du Bandama, Zanzan, Haut Sassandra and Bafing.

In order to establish and consolidate an institutional and regulatory framework allowing for better governance of the cotton and cashew sectors intended to ensure good profitability and better remuneration of the actors, the Ivorian Government adopted Law No. 2013-656 of September 13, 2013, which sets the rules relating to the marketing of cotton and cashew products. In application of this law, the government created the Cotton and Cashew Council and issued decrees and orders to specify the terms of application of the said law.

This is part of the implementation of a reform of the cashew sector, which is structured around three axes: production, marketing and processing. It is this reform that guides, to date, the actions undertaken in favor of the cashew sector.

Since 2015, Côte d’Ivoire has become the world’s leading producer of cashew nuts and has consolidated its position as the world’s leading exporter of raw nuts.

The cashew orchard is estimated at 1,400,000 hectares operated by approximately 450,000 producers, 17% of whom are women, who marketed 968,676 tonnes of raw nuts in 2021. The marketing circuit for raw cashew nuts is run by approximately 1,200 buyers who rely on approximately 15,000 trackers, 150 exporters and around thirty processing units, all approved or identified at the start of each marketing campaign by the Cotton and Cashew Council in accordance with the texts in force.

Although the nuts produced in the country are of good quality and sought after by stakeholders, average yields remain low, at 590 kg per hectare.

To date, 46 processing units have been installed, including 9 by cooperatives, for a cumulative capacity in 2023 of 300,000 tonnes with 224,036 tonnes of raw cashew nuts processed locally for an estimated installed capacity utilization rate of 75%, making Côte d’Ivoire the third largest cashew processor in the world. The country exported a volume of raw nuts of 719,900 tonnes in 2023, at an average farm gate price of 353 CFA francs/kg and an average FOB price of 640 CFA francs/kg. The amount of export taxes on raw nuts is 98.38 CFA francs/kg in 2022.

Sector organization

In Côte d’Ivoire, the Council for the Regulation, Monitoring and Development of the Cotton and Cashew Sectors, or in short the Cotton and Cashew Council, is the regulatory or governance authority for the cashew sector.

In addition to this regulatory body, the September 2013 law provides for the creation of an interprofessional organization representing players in the cashew nut sector. This interprofessional management body set up following a process culminating in a General Assembly of members held in December 2022 was recognized by the Government through Decree No. 2022-828 of December 26, 2022. It is made up of the National Federation of Cashew Producers of Côte d’Ivoire (FENAPACI), the Association of Cashew Exporters of Côte d’Ivoire (AEC-CI) and the Group of Cashew Industrialists of Côte d’Ivoire (GIC CI), the Federation of regional unions of cooperative societies of producers in the cashew sector (the Centrale du Cajou COOP-CA), the Professional Association of Industrial Cashew Processors (APROTIC), the Platform of Equipment Manufacturers for the Processing of Agricultural Products (PETRAPACI).

Cashew Promotion Incentives

To sustainably promote the cashew sector, Côte d’Ivoire has initiated a number of measures aimed at creating added value through local processing of cashew nuts and apples. These measures include:

  • A security deposit mechanism allowing manufacturers to mobilize financing from banks for the acquisition of raw materials;
  • A subsidy of 400 CFA francs per kg of white almonds and 150 CFA francs per kg of unpeeled almonds, produced and sold by the processing units;
  • The signing of agreements between the State and processing units to stabilize over time the benefit of incentive measures complementary to the investment code with, in return, performance commitments by the processing structure;
  • the development of four Agro-industrial Zones (ZAI) dedicated to the development of local cashew processing within the framework of the Project for Promoting the Competitiveness of the Cashew Value Chain, implemented by the Cotton and Cashew Council;
  • the operationalization of the Yamoussoukro Cashew Innovation and Technology Center (CITA), a school factory dedicated to technical assistance and capacity building as well as technology testing. Inaugurated on October 1, 2022 by the President of the Republic Alassane OUATTARA, CITA has already carried out around twenty training sessions, eighteen technical assistance missions and hosted several technical meetings;
  • promoting investments in Côte d’Ivoire and supporting the development of the Ivorian cashew nut trade;
  • funding by the Cotton and Cashew Council of missions to support certification according to the standards of the American Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) as well as the consideration of Corporate Social Responsibility issues by processing units.
  • the implementation of agricultural advice dedicated to cashew nuts with the recruitment, training and deployment of 274 supervisory agents from the National Rural Development Agency (ANADER)
  • coordination and financing of research activities through the National Agricultural Research Programme (PNRA);
  • The initiation, in 2014, of the International Exhibition of Cashew Processing Equipment and Technologies (SIETTA) for the promotion of cashew;
  • Implementation of the National Cashew Research Program;
  • The subsidy for the production of white almonds and unshelled almonds, produced and sold;
  • The establishment of specific tax incentive measures for investments made in the cashew processing sector;
  • The establishment of agro-industrial zones dedicated to cashew processing;
  • The establishment of a support mechanism for the supply of processors;
  • The creation of the Yamoussoukro Cashew Innovation and Technology Center (CITA);
  • The implementation of a Shell Recovery Center (CVC).

Cashew Promotion Projects and Programs

Projects & Programs

Execution period

Funding Sources

Areas of intervention

Implementing institution

Estimated Budget (USD)

Agricultural Sector Support Project (PSAC)

2013-2018

World Bank

All aspects

Cotton and Cashew Council

ND

Project for the Promotion of Competitiveness of the Cashew Value Chain (PPCA)

2018-2023

World Bank

All aspects

Cotton and Cashew Council

ND

ProCASHEW

2019-2024

USDA

Production

Policy

CNFA

ND

MOVE/ComCashew-GIZ

2021-2024

BMZ

GIZ

ND

PROSPER

2021-2026

USDA

Transformation

Policy

TechnoServe

ND

Institutions and persons representing the CICC

Côte d’Ivoire is represented at the CICC by:

  • The Ministry of State, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Focal Point: Dr Adama COULIBALY, Director General of the Cotton and Cashew Council/ katienet33@yahoo.fr .
  • The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises. Focal Point: Dr Michel MANLAN, Technical Advisor to the Minister/ manlanbmich@yahoo.fr .

Geographical location of cashew production