The cashew nut tree is a huge, evergreen tree that can grow to 40 feet tall. The tree bears a cashew apple, which is about the size of a bell pepper and the cashew nut is attached to the bottom of the cashew apple.
Cashew nuts are buried beneath an exterior shell that protects a caustic resin. To make the nut safe and delicious, the outer shell must be gently removed and the nut roasted.
The nut’s amazing taste and nutritional benefits immediately popularized to people all over the world, and cashews found their way into local cuisine, making their way into curries, pastries, and even drinks like feni in Goa, India.
Cashew nuts have ever since become a major revenue crop in cashew-producing countries as the cashew tree’s durability and adaptability made it a popular choice for smallholders and large plantations alike, and Mali has not been left behind.
Mali Cashew Nuts
Mali’s journey into cashew farming is a unique story of agricultural innovation, economic growth, and international collaboration. Cashew nut cultivation in Mali began in the early 1900s when French colonialists introduced the crop to the country.
Faced with declining cotton production and a need for alternative income sources, Malian farmers sought out new opportunities. Cashew nut farming emerged as a good choice due to its resilience, adaptability to local conditions, and promising market demand.
Recognizing the potential of cashew nut farming, the Malian government and different non-governmental organizations (NGOs) moved in to promote and assist the initiative. They offered farmers training, access to improved cashew nut varieties, technical aid, and financial assistance. This collaborative effort laid the groundwork for Mali’s cashew revolution.
In 1970, Mali produced only 50 tons of cashew nuts but by 2022, production had steadily expanded, and Mali had transformed itself into a prominent player in the worldwide cashew market.
Cashew Nuts Price in Mali
In 2022, Mali’s cashew nut exports were valued at just above 3 million US Dollars. This was a slight increase over the previous year’s figure.
The sharpest climb was between 2015 and 2016 when the export value increased from about 395,000 US dollars to around 2 million US dollars.
Here are the total values in the export of cashew nuts from Mali between 2013 and 2022.
Price of Cashew Nuts per kg in Mali
A kilogram of raw cashew nuts in Mali costs around XOF 3658.54 and XOF 6097.56 on retail in Bamako and Sikasso.
In 2023, the approximate wholesale price range for Mali cashew nuts is between US$ 4.2 and US$ 7 per kilogram.
Over the last five years, the export price per kilogram of Cashew Nuts from Mali has remained quite steady making the future of cashew nut farming in Mali even more promising.
Mali Cashew Price
Cashew nuts are a valuable agricultural crop in Mali, providing a source of income for farmers and rural communities.
Mali’s main agricultural item is raw cashew nuts and the price of raw cashew nuts is impacted by a variety of factors, including worldwide market trends, supply and demand, quality, and external factors.
In recent years, the average price of raw cashew nuts in Mali has ranged between XOF 200 and XOF 400 per kilogram, depending on the season and market conditions.
Processed cashew nuts, including kernels and value-added products, have a better value and profitability than raw nuts and Mali is making a fortune from it.
Mali knows the potential for value addition in the cashew nut sector and is investing in improved processing equipment, packaging, and branding, in order to capture a larger share of the value chain and command higher prices for processed cashew nuts.
With global demand rising, driven by increasing consumer awareness, there is a positive outlook for prices in the future.