Mali joined and signed the Constitutive Convention of the CICC on September 29, 2017 in Abidjan, through Mr. Mohamed Aly AG IBRAHIM, Minister of Rural Development. Of the four Sessions of the Council of Ministers of the Institution, Mali participated in three, except that of Yaoundé organized in December 2021.
Currently, Mr. Modibo KEITA, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, and Mr. Mahmoud OULD MOHAMED, Minister of Commerce, sit on the Council of Ministers for Mali, in accordance with the Convention establishing the Institution.
Economic, social and environmental profile
Mali is a Sahelian country in West Africa with an area of 1,240,190 km² for a percentage of agricultural land of 33.8%. The population is estimated in 2021 at 20,855,724 inhabitants for a population growth of 2.9%. The overall and per capita GDP are respectively 19.14 billion USD and 917.9 USD in 2021, according to the World Bank. Mali has a Sudano-Sahelian climate characterized by very high average temperatures and the alternation of a wet rainy season, from June to September and a dry season from October to May. The average rainfall of 280 mm/year decreases from south to north, allowing the country to be divided into four major agroclimatic zones: the Sudano-Guinean or sub-humid zone with rainfall that can exceed 1,200 mm, the Sudanian zone with rainfall varying from 600 to 1,200 mm, the Sahelian zone with rainfall of 200 to 600 mm and the Saharan zone with rainfall of less than 200 mm. The ecological conditions of the first two zones in the south of the country are favorable to cashew cultivation.
Cashew sector in brief
Cashew is mainly produced in Mali in the regions of Sikasso (110,552.36 ha), Koulikouro (6,956.37 ha), Kayes (1,909.94 ha), Ségou (79.25 ha), Kadiolo, Kolondiéba and Yanfolila. The cashew sector is attracting the attention of the government and private investors. This interest has justified a number of studies including the analysis of cashew value chains commissioned by the European Union in 2019. This study should help the European Commission and the Government to structure their programs and policy dialogue around strategic issues and constraints that may hinder the sustainable development and growth of the cashew value chain in Mali. Recent data from the sector indicate that the areas covered by plantations in Mali are estimated at more than 170,000 hectares for a production of approximately 41,650 tonnes for approximately 100,000 producers. Average yields remain low, between 250 and 350 kg per hectare. To date, it is estimated that approximately 3,500 tonnes of nuts are processed locally by units set up and operating at approximately 40% of their capacity.
Sector organization
In Mali, there is no regulatory or governance authority for the cashew sector. The latter is mainly supported, on the one hand, by the ministry in charge of agriculture for production aspects and, on the other hand, by the ministry in charge of trade and industry for processing and marketing issues. The private actors operating in the sector are mainly the National Federation of Cashew Producer Cooperatives of Mali (FENACOPAM), the National Federation of Cashew Producers of Mali (FENAPAM), the National Association of Cashew Processors of Mali (ANATAM), the Group of Cashew Processors in Mali (GTRAM) and the Malian Association of Cashew Exporters (AMEC). These different umbrella organizations have formed the Mali cashew nut interprofessional organization (IPROFAM), which has positioned itself to be the interlocutor of all the players in the sector with the State and to participate in the design, implementation and monitoring of the sector’s promotion policy aimed at increasing and securing the income of the players in the sector.
Cashew Promotion Incentives
To sustainably promote the cashew sector, Mali has initiated a number of measures, the majority of which target production and processing, with actions that remain limited.
Cashew Promotion Projects and Programs
Projects & Programs | Execution period | Funding Sources | Areas of intervention | Implementing institution | Estimated Budget (USD) |
Cashew Nut Industry Support Project in Mali – PAFAM | 2016-2022 | EU Trust Fund for Africa Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation | Improving economic and employment opportunities | 14,503,300.00 | |
Development Program for the Special Agro-industrial Transformation Zone of Koulikoro and Peri-urban Bamako (PDZSTA-KB) | 2019-2025 | African Development Fund | Promoting the inclusive transformation of Agriculture | MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND WATER (MULTINATIONAL) | |
Support Program for the Transformation of Malian Agriculture – Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurship Component (PATAM-EAJ) | 2017-2022 in progress | African Development Fund | Establish the agropole approach already underway | PATAM-EAJ | |
CTARS Marketing and Processing of Cashew in the Sikasso Region | 2010-2016 | EU Trust Fund for Africa Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation | Stimulate the marketing and processing of Malian cashew nuts, mainly in the Sikasso region. |
Institutions and persons representing the CICC
Mali is represented at the CICC by:
- The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. Focal Point: Mr. Mamadou A. TRAORE, Technical Director of the PAFAM Project. Email: tmamadoua53@gmail.com
- The Ministry of Commerce. Focal Point: Not yet designated
Geographical location of cashew production
