Abidjan
From a “triangular trade” that sees its nuts shelled in Asia before being shipped to the US, top cashew producer Ivory Coast aims to process more of its own crop for sale in the huge American market.
Starting from the present yearly average of just 10 percent, producers aim to shell half by 2025, Adama Coulibaly, director of the Cotton-Cashew Council, told AFP. This year alone the country’s capacity should increase by 100,000 tonnes.
But processing more nuts domestically will mean a shift away from traditional export relationships, which currently see most raw nuts sent to Vietnam and India. —AFP
