As the leading producer and exporter of cashew nuts, Côte d’Ivoire does not want to be left behind in processing. It is in this perspective that the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, launched this week, the construction of an agro-industrial zone in Bondoukou, the zone which concentrates the greatest production. , located in the northeast of Côte d’Ivoire.
Four large capacity factories will be built, equipped with all amenities with a minimum production capacity of 60,000 tonnes / year. At a cost of more than 18 million USD (9 billion CFA francs), this new agro-industrial park will further increase the processing of nuts by bringing it to more than 20% and reduce the issue of employment, in particular for 60% of women. “By 2025, our raw nut production will be able to exceed one million tonnes compared to 800,000 tonnes today. And it will be necessary to be able to process at least half of this volume to ensure a balanced world cashew market and ensure a decent income for producers, “encourages the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani.
Better trained staff will be recruited and equipped for this transformation work, throughout the value chain, insists the director general of the Cotton-Cashew Council, Adama Coulibaly, whose institution is the project manager.
For Minister Adjoumani, no investor will come to settle in Bondoukou if he does not have the assurance of having cashew production in quantity and quality. To do this, he urges the players in the sector to “reassure investors that by settling in this industrial zone, they are offering themselves the possibility of having the best quality Ivorian cashews in large quantities”.
