Trend analysis of production, consumption and export of cashew crop in West Africa

Abstract

West Africa is a core producer of Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.), supplying 45% of the commodity on the global market. Despite this huge share of the international market, only 10% of the commodity is processed and consumed domestically. The low rate of consumption is reflected by low investment in the cashew industry, making the crop underutilised as a food and nutrition security crop in the region. The objective of this study was to analyse the trends in production, levels of consumption and export of the crop in West Africa, as a basis for informing strategic development interventions. This work utilised metadata from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation database, Nitidae and other relevant sources to explore the production, consumption and export patterns of cashew from the year 2000 up to 2017. The metadata used were analysed using descriptive statistics. The study revealed that eleven (Cote D’Ivoire, Nigeria, Benin, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Guinea, The Gambia, Senegal, and Togo) of the sixteen countries in West Africa were actively engaged in cashew production. It was also projected that production will decline in the next five years in countries such as Nigeria, Togo, Senegal, and Burkina Faso due to a reduction in the land under cashew cultivation, an increase in pest and disease infestations, coupled with a decline in genetic improvement and poor extension services. Production will remain stable in The Gambia and Guinea Bissau because most trees there are yet to hit the peak of production; and of reduced investment in research and development. Cashew consumption locally is dismal (<10% across the region) due to limited attention given to the processing industry in the region. To boost local production and consumption, as well maintain the 45% share of the international market in the next five years and beyond, it is essential to invest in genetic improvement, modification of agronomic practices, and investment in the processing industry, as well as research and development of the crop.

Cashew Apples in Ghana: Stakeholders’ Knowledge, Perception, and Utilization

“…The percentage wastage and level of cashew apple utilization are presented in Figure 5 . The study revealed that more than 90% of the cashew apples go to waste as reported by approximately 95% of the respondents, which is in line with the studies by Ackah and Barreto [ 22 ], Oluyole et al [ 11 ], and Kolliesuah et al [ 9 ]. There is little or very low utilization for cashew apples in Ghana according to 91.7% of the stakeholders involved in the cashew business ( Figure 6 ).…”

“…Farmers form the highest (89.1%) proportion of stakeholders in the cashew industry, followed by nut buyers (6.8%), extension officers (3.5%), and cashew apple processors (0.6%). The cashew industry in Africa has been reported to mainly consist of farmers (90%) due to limited processing and other value chain activities [ 3 , 9 – 11 ]. This is therefore not surprising that there is improvement in Ghana's share of Raw Cashew Nuts (RCN) on the global market due to high productivity from farmers, but performing poorly when it comes to cashew apple processing owning to limited processors [ 9 ].…”

“…The cashew industry in Africa has been reported to mainly consist of farmers (90%) due to limited processing and other value chain activities [ 3 , 9 – 11 ]. This is therefore not surprising that there is improvement in Ghana's share of Raw Cashew Nuts (RCN) on the global market due to high productivity from farmers, but performing poorly when it comes to cashew apple processing owning to limited processors [ 9 ]. Generally, there is a deficiency of extension officers in Ghana [ 12 ], hence the resulting outcome of having few extension officers in the cashew growing regions.…”

“…All this information provides business opportunities for potential investors for cashew value-added products in Ghana, since the people already know or might have heard about them. A lot of value-added products from cashew apple such as jam, syrup, biscuit, juice blends, flour, wine, juice, nectar, jelly, cake, candy, fruit bar, marmalade, and animal feed have been reported [ 7 , 9 , 19 , 20 ].…”

“…Sadly, studies have reported that only about 10% of the cashew apples are utilized as fruits for domestic consumption in Africa, and a greater percentage goes to waste on farmers' fields causing environmental nuisance due to limited knowledge, lack of processing and harvesting equipment, and high perishability, among others [ 7 , 8 ]. Kolliesuah et al [ 9 ] also revealed that cashew apple utilization by farmers and dwellers of cashew-growing communities in West African countries like Nigeria, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, and Benin is less than 10% due to the lack of technical know-how, high priority for export, limited processing, high astringency, and perishability of the apples, though production in these areas is very high. The study also acknowledged that Ghana is among the countries at the forefront of cashew production, but there is little utilization of the apples by its populace.…”