The most beneficial part of a cashew tree is the cashew nut. Whereas the cashew tree bears a pseudo (false) fruit known as cashew apple, the real fruit is the nut. The cashew tree is evergreen and reaches different heights, usually 8m–15m. It can grow in dry tropical conditions especially in coastal regions.
A cashew tree looks like a large bush because it has an umbrella-shaped canopy. It is a hardy, fast growing tree and its leaves are clustered at the branch tips. Its flowers are small, pinkish and mostly pollinated by bees.
Cashew nuts are a rich source of proteins. There is 18g-19g of protein per 100g of cashew nuts. Protein is a key ingredient in maintaining and building muscle. Thus, eating cashew nuts as part of an overall healthy diet helps prevent muscle loss that comes with aging.
In order to reap the health benefits of cashew nuts, you need to add them to your daily meals. They make smoothies creamier and more filling. Likewise, they make any kind of salad crunchy.
Ivory Coast Cashew Nut
Cashew nut farmers in Ivory Coast find it challenging to access big buyers. But brokers in the country bridge the gap between farmers and buyers. They use their sales skills to attract buyers of cashews, whether local or international. Similarly, they get farmers to sell their crop to interested buyers.
Cashew nut brokers in Ivory Coast sell either to independent buyers or buyers working for bigger trading companies. In addition, certain buyers work for export companies. This kind of marketing brings competition between those willing to buy cashew nuts from Ivory Coast.
Ivory Coast Cashew Price
Exports of cashew nuts from Ivory Coast were valued at just above 600 million US Dollars in 2022. Even though it is a decrease from the previous year, it is another record high value. The sharpest climb was from 2020 to 2021 when the export value rose from about 740 million US Dollars to around 1 billion US Dollars.
Here are the total values in export of cashew nuts from Ivory Coast between 2013 and 2022
Cashew Nut Price in Ivory Coast
The cost of a kilo of raw cashew nuts in Ivory Coast can be between 600 CFA Francs (US0.96 Dollars) and 900 CFA Francs (US1.45 Dollars). This is based on the average export price per kg. This wholesale price has gone as high as 1,200 CFA Francs (US1.93 Dollars).
Just like other countries, the WITS software records the Freight On Board (FOB) price of cashew nuts exports from Ivory Coast. Certainly, FOB price is different from farmgate price. FOB price includes:
- Basic price or value of commodity
- Transportation costs to the port of shipment
- Costs of loading onto ship or aircraft
- Export fees or taxes
- Intermediaries’ fees (if any)
Contrarily, farmgate price is the price paid directly to a farmer. Typically, it should cover the farmer’s costs and earn them profit. The farmgate price for cashew nuts in Ivory Coast is currently between 300 CFA Francs and 500 CFA Francs.
Ivory Coast Cashew Nuts
International buyers of Ivory Coast cashew nuts always do a quality test before paying up. At least 30% of the consignment is sampled for analysis. Thereafter, a sample size of 1kg is selected randomly.
Cashew nuts grown in Ivory Coast that are meant for overseas markets must be thoroughly dry. After harvesting, they are put out to dry in the sun for 2-3 days. Sun-drying brings down their moisture level to less than 10%. The two methods to test moisture level are:
- The inspector presses the nut between their index finger and thumb. If there is a liquid substance left on their finger or thumb, moisture content is still more than 10%. But if not, it is good enough for storage and export.
- The inspector can use a moisture detector device for precision.
Ivory Coast cashews meant for export must be free from extraneous matter such as stones, sticks and stalks. Total impurities should not exceed 0.5% of 1kg sample. Too many impurities indicate that the number of cashews is too little to be exported.
Cashews from Ivory Coast that are to be shipped out must have a nut count of between 170 and 210 per kg. With such a count, grading ranges from middle to excellent. But there are some foreign buyers of raw cashew nuts who don’t accept nut count above 200 per kg.
Ivory Coast cashew nuts bound for foreign markets must have a kernel outturn ratio (KOR) of between 20kg and 25kg per 80kg sack. KOR is the quality of good nuts from 80kg of raw cashew nuts. The higher the number of usable kernels after de-shelling the nuts, the higher the KOR.
Here is how a KOR test is done:
- The inspector cuts through all nuts in a 1kg sample to expose the kernel
- They scoop out the kernels with their skin and separate them into 4 categories
- Only the good, spotted and premature kernels are used for KOR test while the bad ones are set aside. They weigh the good ones and record the result and then weigh the other two types separately, divide the result by 2 and record for each type.
- They add the weight of the good ones to the results of the other two types. Then they multiply the answer by 176.
- The inspector compares the KOR to the international standard
Finally, cashew nut exporters in Ivory Coast test for defects. Defects include bad/rotten nuts, empty nuts, premature nuts, spotted nuts and insect-damaged nuts. The acceptable defective rate should be between 0%-24% whereby 0%-15% is a standard grade and 16%-24% is under grade.
Here is how a defective rate test is done:
- The inspector adds the weight of the spotted and premature kernels together then divides the result by 2
- They then add the above answer to the weight of bad and empty kernels
- They then divide the above answer by 10
- The inspector compares the defective rate to the international standard